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.