Blog #5 My thoughts on having children

I have some very strong opinions about having children, some of which are not popular with feminists who feel that a woman should be able to have it all - career, marriage, children, social life. But as a mother to 4 children, now grown, I have a perspective that I didn't have when my children were young, and in that perspective, I see this truth - if you can't or don't want to raise your kids yourself, don't have them. The days are gone in which the primary purpose for all women was to marry and produce a family, no matter whether they wanted to mother a child or not. So why do we have children? Some women have children to please someone else - parents, inlaws or a spouse. But is that fair to a child - born because the mother wants to please someone in her life? I think not. Other reasons - to feel personally fulfilled, to fight loneliness or boredom, to have "something" that belongs to her...the list goes on. I think way too many women look at childbearing as a right, not a privilege and look at children as possessions, not human beings. I believe that once that life has been created, that mother has the RESPONSIBILITY to provide a loving and nurturing home for her baby, above all else. That child is entitled to protection, nourishment, guidance, love, understanding, dignity and nurture. Our world is full of throw-away children, conceived carelessly or for selfish reasons, so I believe that women who choose to remain childless should be congratulated for making a responsible decision. Pro-choice to me means one thing – we have the right to choose whether to become pregnant or to avoid becoming pregnant. Responsibility is the key. (Please note that I am not referring here to pregnancies that result from rape or abuse.)

Blog #4 Designing effective birth control programs

In the article from the Module 4 supplemental readings, Sex Education Attitudes and Outcomes among North American Women, authors Monnica Williams and Laura Bonner examined the results of an internet survey of approximately 1400 North American women with a mean age of 19.5 years. Twenty-four percent of the participants reported one or more unplanned pregnancies and 13% reported one or more abortions. Those who received sex education from parents and schools reported fewer pregnancies and fewer abortions than other groups. Among those receiving sex education in schools, there were fewer pregnancies reported when education consisted of combined contraception and abstinence or primarily abstinence. Overall, the participants in this study indicated they were more satisfied with sex education from friends, books and the internet than that received from parents or schools, although apparently, from the results of the data, the sex ed received from parents and schools was more effective since there were fewer pregnancies and abortions in that group. This is a very brief overview of the study but the results could be used to design more effective sex education programs. Young women who feel comfortable with obtaining birth control information from sources such as the internet and books will most likely not put off looking for the information they need due to reluctance to approach a parent or teacher for that information. The data in the study showed that the most favored method of obtaining birth control information was from friends. Of course, if the friends are young and mostly uneducated about birth control, then it becomes a case of the blind leading the blind. I think a really valid way of disseminating birth control information, including abstinence as an option, is through peer education. There are always mature and capable individuals in every population group who can be trained to teach their peers and to refer them to other sources, such as reliable internet sites and books, if further details are needed. The peer educators would need to be educated to recognize situations which would require the involvement of an adult supervisor or parent and trained in techniques to guide that individual into seeking parent or teacher assistance. Finding creative options for effective birth control programs for young people takes educators with open minds and the ability to visualize future effective programs, no matter what methods it takes to get there.

Blog #3 HIV/AIDS __ making it even harder to be a woman

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research (http://www.amfar.org/), is a nonprofit organization that supports AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and sound AIDS-related public policy. I remember in the early 1980’s when HIV/AIDS first made its appearance in the United States. I don’t remember this part, but according to amfAR, the media (and others) initially called it GRID – Gay Related Immune Deficiency, or “gay cancer”. We now know it was a mistake to tie the disease only to the gay population, but that was the early view of it. Although I have always been concerned about this health issue, it never really affected me personally until just recently when the 32 year old fiancé of my cousin’s daughter was diagnosed with pneumocystis pneumonia, an AIDS related opportunistic infection. He has full-blown AIDS, but never knew he was HIV+. He denies any IV drug use or homosexual contact, so it appears he contracted the virus from one of a great many casual heterosexual contacts during his twenties. So far, his young bride-to-be has tested negative for the virus, for which we are very grateful. But that doesn’t remove the grim fact that if he (and their relationship) even survives this crisis, their lives will be centered around living with and managing this diagnosis. On Dec. 31, 1981, there were 159 confirmed cases of AIDS in the US, with 121 deaths. Being HIV positive was an inescapable death sentence. In 1983, the CDC added a new member to the list of high risk individuals – female partners of men with AIDS. Also in 1983, there was a major outbreak of AIDS in both men and women in central Africa. In 1991, WHO estimated that there were 10 million people infected with HIV worldwide. In 1996, the U.N. estimated that 22 million people were infected. In 1999, despite somewhat less dismal news in the US, in more than 27 countries the HIV infection rate had doubled since 1996 and 95% of all HIV infected people lived in developing countries. At the end of the 20th century in the US, 23% of AIDS cases were in women but in sub-Sahara Africa, 55% of those HIV positive were female, most of whom still to this day have very little access to medical care or treatment. 2002 – worldwide, half of all HIV+ adults were women. 2004 – 15 million children had been orphaned by AIDS. Today, an unprecedented number of individuals are LIVING with HIV (good news) and more than half of them are women (bad news). The turbulent history of HIV/AIDS is relatively short and while things have improved for men, for women in developing countries the prognosis has gone downhill. In the US the story is taking a turn for the better because of the availability of preventive practices and drugs for treatment; unfortunately, in the rest of the world, the story is less than rosy, particularly for women and children. I am affected by the occurrence of AIDS in the US in a round about way and there is hope for survival. Globally, the HIV/AIDS epidemic lurks on every woman’s doorstep, and it’s still a merciless killer.

Blog #2 My opinion about the current state of health care in the US today...

There is no argument any where in the world that we, as a nation, are privileged to enjoy the finest health care available in the world today. The disagreeable fact is that many citizens of the USA cannot afford to access this excellent health care; some through no fault of their own and some because they choose to purchase other consumable goods rather than health insurance. I have a unique perspective from both sides of this debate – I worked in the healthcare industry for 25 years and enjoyed very good and very affordable employer sponsored coverage during that time period. However, from November of last year through today, I have been unemployed and unable to pay for either COBRA continuation or an individual health plan. I am one of the uninsured. After some research, I discovered that I can make an appointment to visit a Parkland Community Clinic in my city and that I will pay according to my income level. This is available to anyone. I have a car so I can get myself to the clinic but if I didn’t have a vehicle, the clinic is located on a bus line. I recognize that transportation could be a problem for someone who is disabled or a mother with several children who does not have childcare support. Accessing available health care resources may not necessarily be easy, but it is available. The key is to educate individuals about the resources that are available to them and provide support in applying for services. I do not agree with the concept of universal free health care for all citizens regardless of income, but I do believe that every child should have easy access to health care from date of birth through the time that they complete high school. Many parents do provide health coverage for their children through an employer health plan or by purchasing an individual plan, but for those children who don’t have health insurance, for whatever reason, health care should be available. One option for school aged children’s health coverage that I believe should be expanded is the school based health center. There are over 1,000 of these clinics in operation in the U.S. today and 89 in Texas (Texas Association of School Based Health Centers.http://www.tasbhc.org). This is a workable alternative and I believe that if children received adequate care and HEALTH EDUCATION, there would be a corresponding decrease in chronic health conditions and a greater respect for a healthy body as they become adults. Health care reform is a massive multi-faceted issue that cannot be resolved all at once, but it can be resolved one step at a time.