I am constantly reminded how everything is interconnected, especially when it comes to corrupt dictatorships, poverty, censorship and gender inequalities. And I am repeatedly shocked by western institutions and organizations that somehow fail to realize this. As some of you know, a recent story on the BBC reported that to meet government quotas, the doctors of Uzbekistan perform hysterectomies on young women without the knowledge of the very women they perform the hysterectomies on. If this isn't grotesque enough, there seems to be no reason for the forced sterilization of the women. There is not a population issue, and since the marriage of the USSR + the stans, the soviets were pro-birth control, specifically IUDs. When I lived in Turkmenistan they were not caught up in the religious hogwash we find ourselves burdened with in the land of the free, and women would speak openly about contraception and women's health without fear of burning in hell. To top it off, there has not been an official census in years, and the estimates indicate the population has dropped since the fall of the USSR saw a mass exodus of Russians and other ethnicities.
 So, it's quite sad to see the controversial Komen for the Cure throwing money at the daughter of Uzbekistan's dictator for her own breast cancer fund. (After their Planned Parenthood stunt, should we expect anything different?) But let's get this straight -  dad takes women's uteruses, while daughter works hard to save breasts? That money is not going anywhere near a breast cancer fund, but instead is funding Gulnara's hair extensions and music videos.
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17612550
 http://jezebel.com/susan-g-komen/