No More Hibakusha

From an editorial that went out through the Progressive Media Project:

“In August 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 170,000 people were killed immediately, but the total number of “bomb-affected people” peaked around 380,000. These are people who may not even have appeared sick immediately, but have suffered high rates of cancer, blood disorders, fatigue and other ailments over a period of years. They were not all in the city centers when the bomb was dropped; some came in later to search for family members and help with rescue and cleanup.

“What we know about radiation exposure and its effects on living creatures comes from Japan. The fact that there is so much that is not common knowledge is also Japan’s legacy. After the bombs were dropped, pictures and video were censored, confiscated and classified, and news reports limited.”

Read the whole article here.

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All Eyes on Japan

Today, I am sending love and prayers to the people of Japan. They suffered the only atomic bombs ever used in war, and are now facing the biggest nuclear disaster in peace. Please join me.

Thank you

Thank you everyone who has reached out to me recently. I wish I could respond to each comment individually. Your stories range widely, but I am most grateful to you who have taken the time to detail your own experiences and thoughts about motherhood and womanhood and the variety of choices we make. I firmly believe it is important for us to find a place where one size does not have to fit all, and to formulate our families however we need to to make sure the kids are loved, supported, healthy and whole, and that the adults are too.

We are all unique. It’s a big world. And with the reality that half of all marriages in the U.S. end in divorce, in the face of that personal struggle and sadness, we need to be allowed to find the best way forward for all concerned.

When Hiroshima in the Morning first came out, people everywhere gave me their stories, at readings, in taxi cabs. You are still sharing. Thank you.