Maternal Health: Despicable Discrimination

Part IV

In a country plagued by discrimination in almost every part of society, it is no surprise that our maternal health system is extremely discriminatory in practice. Women’s reproductive and sexual health has been a point of discrimination and contention in this country forever, and that battle still continues today. The maternal health system’s discrimination toward minorities and lower income women is inhumane yet sadly not shocking. It has become typical for American society to cast aside women, especially minority or low income women. The discrimination in the maternal health care system seems to be two fold. Minorities are often treated without respect at health care clinics and hospitals causing poor quality care. Additionally, overall access to health care is restricted for these women because of their dependence on public services. These are extensive problems within the system that contribute to the deaths of hundreds of women a year.

One of the major roots of discrimination in the system is the general treatment and attitude towards minorities. Not giving women proper and complete information about their health care and options has been a problem for everyone in the maternal health system, but it is greatly accentuated with women of color, women who are uninsured or receive Medicaid, and women who do not speak English. Without the necessary knowledge, women are much less likely to be involved with their own health care. These targeted groups are often purposely denied information. Many minority women have reported receiving poor care, being ignored and treated with disdain and indifference because it was assumed by staff they were uninsured or on Medicaid. These assumptions are demeaning and discriminatory towards these women and put their health at risk. Even women who are uninsured still deserve proper care and to be treated with respect and dignity. Women should be able to access care with equality and nondiscrimination. Not only is it against the law to base health care service on a women’s skin color or income, it should be against the moral code we have as humans.

Maternal Health: Family Planning

Part III

Planned Parenthood is a big fan of family planning. Whoot Whoot! It’s also an organization that supports maternal health, so it only makes sense that when these two issues intersect I would try and make a big deal about it. Here’s the connection as explained by Carolina Reyes, Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at USC, “Effective family planning services are probably the single largest contributor to reduction in maternal mortality and morbidity in our lifetime.” Basically, limited access to family planning is a huge reason why the United States has such high maternal mortality rates and poor overall maternal health care.

Half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended- a huge number of accidents. Women who have unplanned pregnancies are much more likely to suffer complications and generally receive less prenatal care than women with intentional pregnancies because they start it much later into their pregnancy. A couple hundred of the women who die from maternal health complications every year are women who should not have gotten pregnant in the first place because of their existing medical conditions. From the very beginning, these women have a high risk pregnancy, putting themselves and their babies in danger.

Maternal Health: Why Is the System Failing?

Part II

The crisis of the maternal care system is rooted in problems embedded within the core of society. Women are lacking good maternal care, not because we lack the medical technology or the ability to provide it, but because no one has drive to fix the problems with the system. Not enough people care. So why is it that so many women die every year in our country and around the globe from maternal health problems? How can a woman in a hospital struggling to breathe after giving birth be ignored for hours until the internal bleeding was too bad to stop? There are a number of reasons the system fails women, including lack of coverage, lack of prenatal and postpartum care, quality of care, limited staffing, restrictive patient involvement, family planning, discrimination and a lack of accountability. Together these problems create a maternal health care system that is in a state of crisis, unable to provide proper care to some of the people in society who need it the most.

Maternal Health: Just the Stats

First in a series

Our country has just passed health reform (woohoo!). It was a long struggle that had to overcome a vicious partisan divide and public discontent. Now three weeks later, after people have taken the time to pat themselves on the back, it’s time to start thinking about what else we need to accomplish. All the problems with our health care system have not been solved by this reform. Some of the most serious ailments of the system continue to be under reported and rarely discussed within the political spectrum. Maternal mortality is at a stage of crisis in the United States. It’s an issue that has not been given much attention in the past and lacks extensive data and research. In early March, however, new attention was brought to the issue when Amnesty International USA published a report on maternal health, DEADLY DELIVERY: THE MATERNAL HEALTH CARE CRISIS IN THE USA as part of its ‘Maternal Health is a Human Right’ campaign. This in-depth report examines the state of maternal health in the United States and offers ways to improve the system. This is the first in a series on maternal health based off information from this report and other sources.

The title of the report labels the maternal health in the United States as a crisis. You might think that the language is a bit of a hyperbole, that we aren’t really in a crisis. Well, I urge you to take a look at the data and then reconsider. Before I begin to type out a series of horrific and startling numbers, I should probably clarify what maternal health and maternal morality are. Maternal health is comprehensive care including family planning, preconception, prenatal, and postnatal care. Maternal mortality occurs when a woman dies during or shortly after her pregnancy.

The Big Fuss About Sexting

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NModern technology is changing the way people, especially teens interact socially. Youth, many of them perpetually clinging to their cell phones, checking facebook, instant messaging and occasionally still using email, are in constant communication with their peers. I hardly go anywhere with out my cell phone. What if someone calls or texts me? Although it may bother parents at the dinner table, cause a disruption during school, and be another step towards the ultimate destruction of face to face personal communication, only recently has texting posed an imminent threat for these teenagers. More specifically sexting. I’m sure by now everyone has heard of sexting, sending sexually explicit messages and photos via cell phone; it’s been splayed across the newspapers and internet enough.

The national media attention that sexting has received the past two years has sparked campaigns to try and prevent teen sexting, but like campaigns aimed to stop underage drinking or drug use, it will never eliminate the practice. Now, not everybody does it, current surveys report that 20% of U.S. teenagers have sent nude or semi-nude photos of themselves electronically, but, sexting has become a natural part of youth communication. For teens sexting can be flirting, fun, a from of seduction, general communication with someone you like or are attracted to, or even a joke. The physical distance created by mobile communication makes it easier for teens to be outgoing and provocative than in person.

Teens are not unaware of the potential harmful consequence of sexting. 75% of teens have said that sexually suggestive content “can have serious negative consequences.” Beyond the legal issues that have been excruciatingly highlighted the past year, there are social consequences including bullying and sexual harassment that can occur when explicit photos are shared. Yet even though they are aware of the consequences, teens continue to sext. It has become a part of their sexual expression and as a part of the culture, it is not going away anytime soon.

Roller Derby: Strong Women, Strong Roles

Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania has recently become a proud sponsor of Pittsburgh’s only all-female flat-track roller derby league, the Steel City Derby Demons. The focus on strong, independent women makes an affiliation between these two great organizations a perfect fit.

If you aren’t familiar with the Steel City Derby Demons, let us tell you what all the fuss is about. They are currently ranked by WFTDA (The Women’s Flat-Track Derby Association) as sixteenth out of over 100 leagues nationwide. The SCDD consists of three teams. The Steel Hurtin’ is the A-team or varsity-level team. They play other top teams from around the nation such as Detroit, Philadelphia, Maine, and Houston. The other two teams, the B-Unit and the Blitzburgh Bombers, are the B-level teams. They play similarly matched junior-varsity leveled teams; most recently Toledo, West Palm Beach, and Rideau Valley from Ottowa, Canada.

The Steel City Derby Demons is a skater-owned and operated organization that was founded in 2006 by a group of hard-working women who wanted to get fit, make friends, and have fun. In addition to training to be top athletes in their sport, they also run every aspect behind the scenes. From building the website, to P.R. and marketing right down to renting the bouting venue and paying the bills, the roller girls do it all.