FGM (Female Genetilia Mutilation)

 

I just could not understand why such a thing would take place, but after watching a few videos I got an understanding of why they do it. I myself would never do that it just does not make since to have that happen.

  I read an article on this sight: http://www.religioustolerance.org/fem_cirm.htm and it said Muslim women circumcise their girls because Sunnah the writings of the prophet Muhammad says that they must. The also say that they do it because when their husbands goes on a Jihad for a year, they do not want there women to be tempted to commit adultery.

In some African villages they believe that if you do not cut of the clitoris it will cause the whole family to die, so if a girl refuses to have the procedure done she is disowned and thrown out of the village.   The list goes on for why women in different countries perform FGMs on their children and why they allow it to happen to them copy and past the links below in your address box and watch.

Here is a couple of Video links:

                                                                  

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=122199&title=BBC_Documentary_FGM_in_Africa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mspMEMD8OeE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z-PnwJ0_xk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kNMC65pNsg&feature=related

Blog # 4 P.S. Mirena

Although,  I do not believe in oral contraception have decided that once I get married that I want to wait until 3 years after marriage to start a family, this way it allows me a significant amount of time to start a career and to make sure that I am emotional and finacially prepared for children.I suffer from bulimia and would hate to have a relapse during pregnancy and harm the baby; so my fiance and I have deciced to use Mirena. Mirena is a vaginal contreceptive that is inserted into the vagina and releseases hormones that kill the sperm; it can be left in side for up to 3-5 years and just like all other birthcontrol methods have side affects.




This is a picture of Mirena inside of the vagina.It reduces endometrium,it creates a mucus barrier,and it stops the sperm from fertilizing the egg. Just like an oral contreceptive it can reduce or stop periods, in some cases 1 out of 5 women will stop having a period.

Blog #4 God and Contraceptives

I decided to read an article from the supplemental readings, I found it quite interesting that there are a lot of people out there who believe that the Government is trying to use contraceptives to depopulate the minorities. In article titled The ‘natural’ body, God and contraceptive use in the southeastern United States
it spoke about Christians views of using contraceptives. Christians believe that it is Gods will for women to have a menstrual cycle and bare children and to interfere with that would be going against God; to put foreign substances into the body is unnatural"Menes and child bearing are apart of this natural order manifestation perhaps the deepest connection to life-generation of new life"(Woodsong, Shedlin, Koo, 2004). This beliefs is widespread amongst the southern African-American and Caucasian population, so this would interfere with the number of women willing to alter the natural order of thing. The article also mentions that it does not help that people do not trust the health related institutions. "HIV/AIDS resonate well with beliefs that government aims to reduce the size of minority population through the provision of subsidized birth control" (Woodsong, Shedlin, Koo, 2004).
     With that being said I have had my doubts about the government and birth control. I have always wondered why the pushed it so much if the side affects were so dangerous.There was a rumor going around that HIV/AIDS were ment to target the minorities inorder to depopulate them, I am not sure how accurate that is. This story is famous amoungst blacks because of the racial percecution. I do not believe in using oral contraceptives because I feel like mentration is a natural occurance and why should you tamper with that. However, I believe in teaching abstinece and condom usage; sex is not just about procreation, but a spiritual conncetion and if pregancy is not wanted all procautions should be taken.Condoms should be used to prevent the spread of STI, so I disagree with Christians and saying that condoms should not be used we as women should choose when and how we want to start a family.

Please go to DB!!!

Hi Classmates, I have spent all day working on a project and would like to get some feedback from you guys. The ppt is located in the extra credit forum, I did not see another way of posting it.


Thanks,


Kitara Wright

Blog # 3 Healthy behaviors in adolescents.

       In order to insure that adolescents are making informed health decisions, we have to appeal their intellect and their reasoning abilities. We as adults have get on their level of thinking; studies have shown that if teens believe that their peers are using condoms during sexual intercourse then they would be more incline to use them. 
      For parents I think it is important that they do no judge their children harshly when the child comes to them with mistakes they have made. They have to be able to calmly talk about the issue at had, because once that comfort level is broken teens will be more hesitant to come to their parents when they are in trouble. This is a very sensitive topic for me; in my early and late teen years I was sexually assaulted by my friends’ father and raped by my supposed boyfriend because we had different view of sex outside of marriage. I was afraid to tell my grandmother who cared for me the majority of the time; she was very old fashion and sometimes speaking to here about something of that nature was difficult. Although, my mother was around and we had a great mother daughter relationship I was unsure of how she would act once I told her, would she think it was my fault would she be able to look at me the same. I did not end up telling anyone until 1-2 years after the incidents occurred. Because I was not properly informed about proper help and the lines of communications in my family were kind of shady I held on to that and suffered in silence which caused me to develop an Eating Disorder. If religion is apart of your family make that a big part of teaching your kids morals, if it is not come done to their level, do not force them to do something educate them about it, talk it out be a friend and a parent.
      I read in an article a couple of days ago that peer educators are more successful than Adult educators. I think the government should provide training for teens to teach their peers about the dangers of risky behaviors, this not only helps the kids these peer educators are teaching, but it also gives these students special training in making informed decisions, clarifying the their values and acting on them; they are viewed as leaders in their community and by their peers. When teens are given a voice, it makes them feel important, it makes them feel like they do have control of their life, and therefore they would not feel the need to rebel as much. This also builds their self-esteem, this will lead to healthy eating habits, and healthy sex practice and they become more active in their community and their lives.

Mason,Hilliary. (September 2003). Peer Education: Promoting Healthy Behavior.

Retrieved from http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=444&Itemid=177

Blog # 2 Health care privliege or right?

      Unfortunately, to be able access health care or decent health care you have to be among the privileged. Our founding fathers said "Endowed with unalienable rights, among them, life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". In order to have all that our founding fathers intended us to have, affordable health insurance is a necessity.  The creation of the 8th amendment only guaranteed one group of people the right to health care and that is the humane treatment of prisoners in the U.S. I believe that physical and psychological health care is a human right, not only limited to the people in America, but people around the world.In American people are force women are force to choose sub par health coverage like HMO, which is very limited in what health services they will cover. Most will wait until the climax of their illness and to go see a doctor at that point their health is so far gone, the expenses are even higher, because the their primary sickness could have caused other complications, which leads to more medication that they cannot afford, and in return and lead to death.
    Poverty around the world is the leading cause of poor health, thousands or people are dying in India from curable illnesses; only the rich in India are given exceptional health care buy well known doctors, because the government only spends 8-10% GDP on health care a year.   In Africa women are force to die from HIV/AIDS, because the poverty level in southern Africa is so high, and women are so low in status, that if  both spouses have the virus the man is the one who will receive it because he will be able to take care of the children, but the wife would not because should would receive no help from family or government and the land would be taken from her. 40% of children in Africa will die from HIV/AIDS because the way wealth is handed out, the rich will receive the majority or health care.

  So is health care are right or a privilege, health care is should be a right, but only the rich receive the best.
 
Sources used:
http://wphr.org/2010/kflynnd/human-right-to-health-care/
Alexander, L.L., LaRosa, J.H., Bader, H. Garfield, S. (2010).Dimensions in womens's health. (5th ed.0 Sudbury, MA: Jones and Barlett.

Who should die?

I just finish reading the article entitled: International Women's Day Takes Stock of Women's Empowerment        

and there was a part that sadden me. Reading about an African family who both the Mother and the Father contracted the HIV/AIDS disease; the country is so plague by poverty that they had to choose which one of them would receive treatment. When it came down to it the father would be the one who would get the treatment. Women in Africa are so low on the totem pole that would have to give up their lives just so that their children could be taken care of after they have passed; if the husband were to become deceased the wife would lose the land, lose contact with family members, therefore,  unable to care for the children. It is not right that women should be treated this way, and what gets me is that men for ages try to use the Bible to justify their behavior and attitude toward women.

What can we do to help women in third world countries? I would really like to know.