International

'Save our hospitals'. This was the slogan used this week by patients, health care providers and local residents in the Lower House. Campaigners from Zutphen handed over a book to the MPs and Minister Kuipers, containing their heartfelt cries and stories about what the hospital nearby means to them. SP party chair Marijnissen led the action. Today the Lower House is debating hospital care and the public gallery will be crowded.

At regional training centre ROC Twente, SP Jongeren (young SP members) launched a manifesto titled "We deserve it” for students at mbo (senior secondary vocational education) centres. The manifesto calls for more appreciation for mbo students. Mbo students, former students, parents and everyone who thinks mbo students should get the appreciation they deserve are called upon by SP Jongeren to sign the manifesto. This summer, SP Jongeren will be rallying support throughout the country.

For two years, a parliamentary inquiry committee investigated the Groningen earthquake tragedy. Yesterday and today, months after the committee's report was presented, the House of Representatives finally debated it with Rutte.

At the 27th SP congress today in Apeldoorn, the party updated its programme of principles 'The Whole of Humanity’.

As of 1 july, a blanket ban will be imposed on, among other things, gambling ads on television, radio and on the sponsorship of sports clubs and TV programmes. It took years of parliamentary questions, debates and proposals by the SP. Member of Parliament Michiel van Nispen led the way in advocating for the ban.

At the invitation of SP MP Jasper van Dijk and Yoeri Albrecht (director of Debate Centre de Balie), journalist and activist Masih Alinejad came to parliament today. Some time ago, the journalist was imprisoned by Iran for her activism and fight for women's rights. Recently, she has been campaigning for the movement 'Woman. Life. Freedom.'
In recent months, Iranians took to the streets in protests against the Teheran Islamic regime's oppression of women. In the protests, thousands were detained, tortured or killed. Yesterday, Amnesty investigations revealed that even minors were tortured by security forces.

To prevent parts for weapons from ending up in the wrong hands, there needs to be a tracking system that enables these goods to be traced at all times. A proposal by the SP and D66 to look into such a system was adopted in the House of Representatives today.

The SP proposes a private member’s bill to remove the ‘health care own risk’ within health insurance. It means that people who have the misfortune to fall ill will no longer be punished for their illness. 
The ‘health care own risk’ is a penalty for being sick. If people need care they should be able to get care, even if the person has no money to pay the ‘health care own risk’. This penalty on being sick leads to people avoiding care. It is perverse and lacks solidarity. The SP wants to put an end to this once and for all.

'As a prerequisite for the values of our politics, we show solidarity and thus defend the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). In its party programme and policies, the HDP advocates a democratic and pluralistic Turkey in which people live in freedom and justice, for a society in which equality prevails. The emancipation of women, of different ethnic and religious groups and ecology are important aspects that the HDP stands for.