women's health

Reading through my blog archives, any reader will infer that I am a major proponent of healthcare reform legislation. Not only have I spoken out in support of a strong and robust public option, I have trashed any Senator/House Representatives who fail to put the American public’s health as priority; whether in siding with insurance companies, drug companies and various other industry special interests or being a Republican/NeoCon.

As an insider, I have a special perspective on this issue, one which has enabled me to know personally the financial predicament of the insured, mostly caused by run-away insurance costs and steadily diminishing coverage. I know, first hand, how truly fucked up this country’s insurance system really is. With this in mind, I have donated to, written about, volunteered for and re-tweeted countless pro-reform causes because I know how important this is. It is safe to say I have proven myself to be one of healthcare reform’s most ardent and devoted supporters.

The UN has announced it will spend $10.5 million to combat violence against women across the globe.

At first glance, this may seem like a lot of money-not only a lot of money but a lot of money for a very worthy cause. This article fromMs. Magazine Online

cites the statistic that roughly 70% of women worldwide experience violence from a partner within their lifetime.

According to the CIA World Factbook, there are 6,790,062,216 (July 2009 est.) people in the world. Out of this number, there are 3,377,071,728 women (2009 est.). 

Estimates state that 2,363,950,210 women are abused during their lifetime and now the UN pledges $10,500,000 to fight it, spending roughly $225.13 dollars per woman. The UN has not released any details about how this money will be allocated.

HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death and disease for women of reproductive age, according to health officials. A new report says much needs to be done to reverse that trend.

“Through the Millennium Development Goals and the 2001 Declaration of commitment on HIV/AIDS, all United Nation member states have committed to a series of actions and concrete…targets to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS,” he says.

However, the scorecard shows there’s much to be done to fulfill those commitments.

“There is widespread lack of accountability and transparency in national AIDS responses, meaning we do not have the information that we should about human and financial resources are being utilized and how well countries are meeting their agreed targets for the well-being of women and girls,” he says.

Economic downturn having an effect

“The current global financial crisis is affecting the will and ability of donors to sustain the high levels of funding that are necessary for an effective global response to AIDS,” he says.

An Arizona website paints a sordid picture: a mysterious nation, exotic young woman clinging to life in a hospital, and the vengeful attempted murder by the father who felt she had wronged him.  Her lifestyle, the website says, is the cause of her current almost-dead state, not the jeep or the driver (her father) who drove over her 5 foot 3 inch frame. 

You see, according to this website, in Iraq, families whose daughters don't fall in line with the culture or the conservative traditions of that family, dishonor the whole family and must be killed in the name of honor and respect.  What is more, the newspaper suggests, this attempted murder, isn't really a murder at all, you see, because the father was enacting his right to honor-kill his.own.daughter.  The cause?  She had become too Westernized.

MSNBC

FAIL

I don't know about anyone else, but the Pill makes me crazy.  So my birth control options are limited to the non-hormone variety.  I guess that means that forever and always I'll be stuck going after the "Cad"; the type of guy that won't ever marry me or help me raise our kids.  At least this is true according to a new study out of Britain.  The study finds women who take hormones for birth control are more apt to attract and be attracted to men who are more likely to settle down with them.  This is because they don't have the typical peak and valley of hormones during the month, which sees a rise in hormones around ovulation (fertility) and causes, in theory, women to go after the most masculine looking male.

The economic downturn and global recession are killing millions of people. Reuters with the highly disturbing story today: killing of women and children accused of being witches on the rise around the globe. The children, who are not directly accused of witchcraft, are driven from their homes to live on the streets after their mothers are taken into custody and killed for practicing witchcraft. The increased violence, poverty and destitution of children in the poorest countries are disproportionately affected. Although there is no direct cause for what's being called "the witch frenzy”, UN officials blame poverty, religion, and the global economic downturn; everyone is looking for a scapegoat.

Murder and persecution of women and children accused of being witches is spreading around the world and destroying the lives of millions of people, experts said Wednesday.

The New York Times reports:

On Tuesday, the Army will make Command Sgt. Maj. Teresa L. King, 48, commandant of its drill sergeant school here. It is a first: No woman has run one of the Army’s rigorous schools for drill instructors

Sgt. Maj. Teresa King is a hard core, no nonsense prototypical drill sergeant. She is also a woman and African American, a descendent of share croppers. Her ascent is even more important because of Army consolidation; she will now run the entire training operation for the United States Army.

Famous for their Smokey Bear hats, booming voices and no-nonsense demeanors, those sergeants transform tens of thousands of raw recruits into soldiers each year. It is one of the backbone jobs of the military, and having a woman in charge underscores the expanding role of women in the Army’s leadership.

I find this development to be especially meaningful. Her demeanor, her rise to leadership and her humble beginnings make her story truly inspiring.

-Sophia

From Amnesty International: Legislators will essentially ban abortions out right and deny in many cases, life saving treatment to women and girls. The mortality rate during child birth has risen in the last 10 years, in part due to the lack of medical care available and the lack of support from government entities.

Proposed changes to the constitution of the Dominican Republic could lead to a ban on abortions, putting the lives of women and girls at risk and potentially increasing maternal deaths in the country, Amnesty International has warned.

 

Article 30 of the constitution would introduce the inviolability of life from "conception to death" under the proposal. It is widely acknowledged that this will lead to changes in the country's Penal Code that could lead to a total abortion ban.

 

The Congress of the Dominican Republic is to vote on the proposed changes on Thursday.

 

If the article is approved as proposed, it would severely limit the availability of safe abortions, even in cases when a woman is suffering from life-threatening complications or is in need of life-saving treatment incompatible with pregnancy – such as that for malaria, cancer or HIV/AIDS.

This is good news. (to be taken literally)

CNN reports that an FDA panel voted in favor of approving the use of the HPV vaccine in boys ages 7 to 26 years:

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted Wednesday to recommend that the vaccine be made available to boys and young men aged 9 to 26 for protection against genital warts caused by HPV.

With the current FDA regulations allowing the use of this effective vaccine only in girls and women, comes the inference that women are responsible for HPV. The vaccine comes with risks, as do all vaccines, that women have had to accept in order to protect themselves and by extent, others, from dangerous forms of cancer and genital warts. If the FDA approves the use of Gardasil for boys and men, the responsibility for STI/STD prevention and sexual health is placed equally upon all parties having sex, not just us women.