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Last broadcast on Tue, 1 Feb 2011, 10:00 on BBC Radio 4.
Synopsis
Presented by Jane Garvey. Unrest in Egypt and Tunisia - will the rest of the Middle East be affected? And how are the lives of women changing? Artist Becky Hastings has spent January in silence. She joins Jane to enjoy her first good natter and reflect on the nature of verbal and non-verbal communication. We discuss the ethics of "saviour siblings" - children created to help save the life of another - and trace the history of the lonely hearts ads in newspapers, magazines and online.
Silence - Becky Hastings
Artist Becky Hastings has spent January in silence: not at a retreat or meditating, but living her life as close to normal as possible without speaking. She joins Jane to enjoy her first good natter and reflect on the nature of verbal and non-verbal communication.
Saviour Siblings
Max Matthews is the first “saviour sibling” to be created in this country specifically to provide his sister Megan with a life-saving tissue transplant. Megan has a rare blood disorder called Fanconi anaemia type C. As a last chance to save Megan, his parents underwent IVF and their embryos were screened to ensure a match with Megan’s tissue type. Six months ago, stem cells harvested from Max’s umbilical cord when he was born, along with some of his bone marrow, were transplanted into his sister. The parents of Max and Megan explain their decision to create a “saviour sibling”, and Jane discusses the ethics of this controversial treatment with Professor Lisa Jardine Chair of the HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) and Dr Anna Smajdor Lecturer in Ethics from the University of East Anglia.
Lonely Hearts Ads
Lord Byron derided them, Charlotte Bronte mocked them, George Orwell lauded them. The first one was published in 1695. Its direct descendent features hugely on line. We’re talking about people advertising for love - lonely hearts ads in newspapers, magazines and online. Francesca Beauman has just written the first history of the subject. She joins Jane in the studio to talk about the varying stories behind the ads and what they reveal about dating, marriage and society over the last three centuries.
Shapely Ankle Preferr’d: A History of the Lonely Hearts Ad 1695-2010, by Francesca Beauman. ISBN: 978-0-701-18170-3
Political unrest and women's rights in Tunisia/Egypt
The events of the past month will have profound consequences for the Middle East for years to come. Egyptians have been out on the streets for the past week calling for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. On 14 January the Tunisian President, Zine El Abedine Ben Ali, fled the country after a month of political unrest. But what does all this mean for women’s rights in the region? Jane discusses with Nadia Turki, Journalist, Al Arab Newspaper; Dr Maha Abdelrahman, Lecturer in Development Studies, University of Cambridge; and Emma Murphy Professor in Middle East Politics, University of Durham.
Chapters
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Chapter 1
What does the recent political unrest mean for women’s rights in the region? Jane discusses with Nadia Turki, Al Arab Newspaper; Dr Abdelrahman, Uni. of Cambridge; Emma Murphy, Uni. of Durham.
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Chapter 2
Artist Becky Hastings has spent January in silence: living her life as close to normal as possible without speaking. She joins Jane to reflect on the nature of verbal and non-verbal communication.
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Chapter 3
Max Matthews is the first “saviour sibling” to be created in the UK. His parents explain their decision. Prof. Lisa Jardine of the HFEA; & Dr Anna Smajdor of UEA, discuss the ethics.
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Chapter 4
Francesca Beauman has written a history of the subject: Shapely Ankle Preferred. She joins Jane to talk about the ads and what they reveal about dating, marriage & society over three centuries.
Broadcast
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Tue 1 Feb 201110:00
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