Eye On Modesto

Thoughts and observations about Modesto and Stanislaus County

Archive for the tag “Womens Rights”

23 Sep 2012
1 Comment

More Voter Suppression By The GOP

By Gaetana Drake

Pennsylvania’s new voter ID laws will require many women to show two forms of identification in order to vote.  Women whose names have changed due to being married now need to show a state-issued ID card (issued by the Department of Transportation) and a separate government-issued ID card or driver’s license (issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles). 

Because of the centuries long tradition of women taking the last name of their husband when they marry, they are now forced to pay for two separate forms of identification just to vote.  For low-income women, this is an additional financial burden to voting.  Because the approved forms of identification come from two different state departments, women are now required to visit both of those departments to get the necessary identification.

One accepted form of ID comes from the Department of Transportation.  In Pennsylvania, nine counties do not have an office for the Department of Transportation.  In thirteen of their counties, the Department of Transportation office is only open one day a week.  This will require women (many of whom are elderly and don’t drive) to travel to another county (on the correct day) in order to obtain their IDs.

Additionally, the state has 31,000 poll workers – who can chose to enforce the law at their discretion.  It’s going to be chaotic in Pennsylvania on election day!

In addition to this latest restriction, consider this:

Viviette Applewhite is a 93 year old African American woman who was born 1919 in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love (not much brotherly love going on there right now)!  She worked as a welder during WWII and raised a daughter who has worked for various government agencies.  Ms. Applewhite marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and has voted in every election for 50 years.  She has been unable to obtain a photo ID required by Pennsylvania’s new law and will not be allowed to vote in November.

Wilola Lee, is a 59 year old African-American woman who was born in Wilkerson County, Georgia, a very rural area.  She was raised by a grandmother who moved her to Philadelphia (again, the City of Brotherly Love) in 1957.  She has lived there ever since.  She raised two children, one of whom now works for the Pennsylvania state government.  Ms. Lee worked for Philadelphia Public Schools for several years and has even been a poll worker in Philadelphia.  For years she has been trying to get a birth certificate that she needs to get a photo ID.  But the state of Georgia has told her that they have no record of her birth.  After voting for over 30 years, she will be denied her right to vote this November.

Grover Freeland is a 72 year old African-American man born in Buffalo, New York.  He is an Army veteran with an honorable discharge.  He has not had a driver’s license since the 1980s.  He has a photo ID known as a “veteran’s card” which contains coded sensitive information, such as his medical records.  Unfortunately, the state of Pennsylvania does not consider this an acceptable form of identification.  He has been unable to get a birth certificate from the state of New York.  Come November, this veteran of America’s armed forces will be denied his right to vote.

Gloria Cuttino is a 61 year old African-American woman who was born in Summerville, South Carolina.  She has lived in Philadelphia for decades and raised her children there.  One of her children is a Philadelphia police officer.  She has worked for years on behalf of local candidates for elected office.  This is a woman who is very involved in our political process.  She has been trying for over a year to get a birth certificate from South Carolina – who claims they have no record of her birth.  A pro-bono attorney has determined that the only way she can get a “delayed” birth certificate is to seek census and other records, which will cost approximately $100, then employ an attorney in South Carolina to petition the court (additional expenses).  It is unlikely that Ms. Cuttino will be allowed to vote in November.

Ms. Nadine Marsh is an 84 year old caucasion woman who was born in Pittsburgh in 1928.  She was one of ten children whose father worked for Bethlehem Steel.  She has never driven a car, so has no driver’s license.  She and her family have tried for several years to get a birth certificate for her.  They have gone in person to the Department of Vital Records, but have been told that her birth record does not exist.  Ms. Marsh will be unable to vote in November.

Ms. Dorothy Barksdale is an 86 year old African-American woman who was born at home in Halifax County, Virginia in 1926.  She, too, has never driven and has no approved ID.  However, she was allowed to work as a poll official in Philadelphia where she has lived for many years.  She has tried for three years to obtain a birth certificate from Virginia, but has been advised that they have no record of her birth.

There are thousands of other American citizens just like the ones mentioned here.  Many of us don’t understand how someone couldn’t have the appropriate forms of identification.  After all, you need identification to do almost anything these days.  But my own grandparents probably couldn’t vote this year…my grandfather did not drive the last several years of his life and probably never had a birth certificate having been born in a rural county of Indiana.  My grandmother never drove and was born in rural Tennessee.  Millions of American citizens were born before detailed birth records were kept.  That does not make them any less American than you or I.

I’d also like to point out that all of these people (and some organizations estimate that 5 million eligible voters will be turned away at the polls in November) have during their working lives, contributed state and federal taxes to our government.  Now their government is denying them the right to vote.

We should all be ashamed of what is going on here in America.  If the purpose is to prevent illegal aliens from voting, why are we preventing men who put their lives at risk for our rights and women who raised their children to be proud Americans from voting?  It is shameful and un-American!

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13 Sep 2012
1 Comment

The War Goes On…and on….and on…

English: Hobby Lobby store in Stow, Ohio

English: Hobby Lobby store in Stow, Ohio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Gaetana Drake

The most recent attack on American women comes from a nation-wide chain of craft stores.  Hobby Lobby has over 500 stores in 41 states and employs over 13,000 people.  The chain is owned by the Green family, who has now filed a lawsuit concerning insurance coverage for birth control.

Twenty-six states already required insurance to cover birth control prior to the Affordable Care Act being passed.  There have been no lawsuits filed in those states requiring such coverage.  The majority of the states that have this requirement, have an exemption for “religious” employers.  Maybe I’m mistaken, but I believe that by “religious” employer, they are referring to a business whose basis is religion.  A religious bookstore, for instance.  Most of these states have had these requirements in place for many years, without a problem.  It’s just since the far-right extremists started this war on women, that other employers are trying to deny basic health care coverage for women.

Hobby Lobby doesn’t have a problem with all birth control methods.  They are objecting to the ones they believe cause “abortions”.  That includes the pill and the IUD.  These methods don’t stop an egg from being fertilized, they simply prevent the fertilized egg from implanting itself in the lining of the uterus.  They also happen to be the most commonly used and most effective forms of birth control.

The Affordable Care Act has exemptions for “religious” employers, those being ones whose primary purpose is the promotion of their religious beliefs.  I just don’t see Hobby Lobby falling under that category, do you?

I’ve been in the Hobby Lobby store in Modesto.  It’s a great store.  It certainly doesn’t give the impression of being a “religious” store.  I had planned to purchase some Christmas decorations there.  I’ll be doing that shopping at Michaels now.  I will not spend my hard earned dollars at a place that denies basic health care coverage to the vast majority of its employees.

I wonder what the next step will be?  Will there be a religious test to work at Hobby Lobby?  What other parts of their religion will this family try to force onto its employees?

If you work for a business owned by a Mormon family, will they deny health care coverage for the illnesses caused by tobacco and alcohol use?  The Mormon faith doesn’t allow the use of alcohol and tobacco.

Many people argue that the problem is letting the government mandate what an employer can or can’t do.  The government already mandates that an employer can’t sexually harass an employee, or discriminate based on the many protected categories (race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity….).  In many religions practiced right here in the U.S., females are considered subservient to males.  Would we allow that religious belief to spill over into the workplace?  The government “mandates” many things that benefit us all.  Overtime pay and safe work environments, to name just two.

I have nothing against any religion.  But I believe religion should be practiced in your church and your home.  Not the workplace, particularly when it is to the detriment of your employees.

Women make up 51% of U.S. citizens.  We also make up 53% of registered voters.  I think it’s a safe bet to say they make up over 65% of Hobby Lobby employees.  I wonder how those employees feel right now.

I may be a bit misguided here, but I would think that any employer would look at this from an economic point of view.  I used to work for an employer who did not provide coverage for birth control.  I actually kept track of how many unplanned pregnancies occurred in our workforce each year.  We would cover the pregnancy, the hospitalization, the well-baby check-ups and continue coverage for the child up to the age of 19.  The employer had a “self-funded” insurance plan, meaning that we simply paid a company to administer the plan, but up to a certain dollar amount, the employer paid the medical bills incurred by employees.  We could have saved tens of thousands of dollars every single year I worked there if we had just covered birth control.  We could have saved additional payroll expenses by not having to have replacement workers for the women who were on leave to have babies.

It is so much less expensive to cover birth control than it is to cover unplanned pregnancies.  It’s simple economics.  You save money and you have happy employees because they are able to control their reproductive lives.

Guess when my former employer finally decided to cover birth control?  You got it…when Viagra came on the market!  And why was that?  Because Viagra was something men wanted!  Well, pay attention – women want birth control!

And on a side note – Rick Berg, a candidate for the Senate from North Dakota….voted for a bill that would sentence women who have abortions (and the doctors who provide them) to life in prison.  Life in prison without the possibility of parole!  With no exception for rape, incest or the life or health of the woman!  Do you still believe there is no war on women?

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12 Sep 2012

“What’s on America’s Mind” Please Join us Tonight at 7:00PM

A montage I (Valente Q.C.) made with pictures ...

A montage I (Valente Q.C.) made with pictures that I took for the Infobox in the Modesto, California Article. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Todays topics include a Salida annexation update including Modesto Councilman Joe Muratore’s recent incursion in Salida.  A conversation about Salida MAC Modesto City Council response to  the Grand Jury report about SCAP and NSP2 money. and of course national issues we should all be concerned about especially women.

Wednesday nights at 7:00 PM Pacific

Please join us. Our call in number is 347-215-9414

104.9 FM is our flagship station

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/centralvalleyhornet/2012/09/13/whats-on-americas-mind-with-emerson-drake

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06 Sep 2012

Sandra Fluke – A Young Woman To Be Admired

By Gaetana Drake

If you watched the Democratic National Convention last night,  you had the opportunity to listen to a speech given by Sandra Fluke.

Ms. Fluke is the young woman that Rush Limbaugh called a slut and a prostitute because she advocates for insurance coverage of birth control.  Ms. Fluke was denied the opportunity to testify before a congressional panel formed to discuss birth control.  I’d like to remind all of you that this was a panel comprised of MEN only!  Ms. Fluke finally got to testify before an informal panel and voiced her opinion that insurance should cover contraceptives.

The birth control pill is used not only to prevent pregnancy, but for a variety of medical reasons.  To regulate menstrual periods, to reduce the growth of ovarian cysts, to help relieve pain from migraine headaches, to treat severe acne, and to treat endometriosis.

The argument is being made that birth control is a “recreational” drug and therefore the government shouldn’t force insurers to cover it.  Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes are purely recreational activities, yet insurance covers the medical treatment for all the  illnesses and diseases caused by engaging in these activities.

The average woman spends 30 years of her life trying to prevent pregnancy.  Birth control is preventive health-care, just like mammograms and pap smears and high blood pressure screenings.

If you don’t believe there is truly a war on women in this country, you simply haven’t been paying attention.  Consider the following:

*Personhood amendments proposed that would ban the birth control pill and the IUD, the most commonly used and most effective methods of contraception.

*Todd Akin (R) believing that women don’t get pregnant as a result of “legitimate” rape because the female body can “shut down” that function.

*Steve King (R) saying “I’ve never heard of a child getting pregnant from statutory rape or incest.

*Federal Judge James Leon Holmes, a Bush appointee, said in an article published circa 1997: “Concern for rape victims is a red herring because conceptions from rape occur with approximately the same frequency as snowfall in Miami.”

*Dr. Richard Dobbins, who works in the emergency department at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Kenton, Ohio told the Columbus Dispatch in 2006, “I think that life begins when the chromosomes of the sperm and egg line up”.  Dobbins also questioned the need for emergency contraception in rape cases, saying that most women “are not fertile during assault or do not become pregnant because the trauma prompts a hormonal response that prevents ovulation.”   I wonder….do rapists only rape women who are not in their “fertile period”?

*In 1995, Republican Henry Aldridge told the House Appropriations Committee:  “The facts show that people who are raped – who are truly raped – the juices don’t flow, the body functions don’t work and they don’t get pregnant”.

*Representative Stephen Freind, (R-Delaware County) said “the odds that a woman who is raped will get pregnant are ‘one in millions and millions’.  The reason, he said, “is that the traumatic experience of rape causes a woman to ‘secrete a certain secretion’ that tends to kill sperm.”

*Texas oilman Clayton Williams once ran against Ann Richards for Governor of Texas.  During the campaign he said “Rape is like the weather, if it’s inevitable, relax and enjoy it.”

*Idaho Senator Chuck Winder (R) has made this unusual comment. “I would hope that when a woman goes into a physician, with a rape issue, that the physician will indeed ask her about perhaps her marriage, was this pregnancy caused by normal relations in a marriage, or was it truly caused by a rape.”  Apparently in his mind, it’s part of “normal relations in a marriage” for a husband to rape his wife.

*The GOP has finalized it’s  party platform for this election.  It includes NO exception for federal funding for abortions for victims of rape or incest.  They are finally being honest enough to tell us that their goal is to overturn Roe v. Wade.  Mitt Romney has said he would sign a “personhood amendment” which would effectively ban the birth control pill and the IUD.  These are the most commonly used and most effective forms of birth control.

*Requiring a trans-vaginal probe (unpaid by insurance because it’s not medically required) prior to an abortion.  One male politician had the audacity to say if a woman didn’t want to watch, she could “just close her eyes.”

*Wanting to change the Affordable Care Act to allow any employer to suddenly decide he has a “moral” objection to birth control and deny coverage.

*Requiring three visits to a doctor prior to an abortion.

*Failing to renew the Violence Against Women Act, because it now includes protections for lesbians, illegal immigrants and mail-order brides.

*Censoring elected female representatives for daring to say “vagina” while men are passing legislation that controls our vaginas.

*Requiring physicians to lie to their pregnant patients about the effects of abortion, saying that it causes a higher rate of suicide (no study has ever shown that) and that having an abortion can cause cancer.  The truth is that carrying a pregnancy to term while you’re still a young woman tends to prevent cancer, but that does not equate to “having an abortion may cause cancer.”

*Re-defining “rape” to “forcible” rape in a proposed bill that would deny any federal funding of abortions for rape victims.  Date rape, statutory rape, rape in a case where a woman is under the influence and unable to give consent….no longer considered rape in their minds.

*Representative Mike Kelly (R-Fl), stated “I know in your mind you can think of two times America was attacked.  The first was December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor Day.  The second was 9/11, the day we were attacked by terrorists.  I want you to remember August 1, 2012, the attack on our religious freedom – that is a ‘day that will live in infamy’ along with the other dates”.  Representative Kelly believes America has been attacked because insurances are now required to cover birth control.

*Republicans voted down the Fair Pay Act and Mitt Romney has said he would repeal the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  Mind you, this act isn’t forcing employers to provide equal pay for equal work, it just gives women a legal recourse if they find they have been unfairly paid.

*Republicans have refused to renew the Violence Against Women Act.

*Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey (R) has complained that the republican party is having to “cater” to women.

Ms. Fluke was viciously attacked by Rush Limbaugh over the course of several days.  He repeatedly called her a slut and a prostitute, and even suggested that she should videotape her sexual activities so he could watch them.  As a result of his vicious attacks, she received an incredible amount of support from the average American.  Every one of us could imagine our daughter being verbally attacked for something as simple as standing up for what’s right.

Sandra Fluke is a graduate of Georgetown Law School.  She is intelligent.  She is articulate.  She is proud.  She walked onto the stage at the DNC with her head held high and received a standing ovation.  She stood up to the male chauvinists like Rush Limbaugh and showed them that they could not silence her.

She is a young woman to be admired.

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12 Aug 2012
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Is Robert Bork Right For America?

By Gaetana Drake

It’s good to understand one of the most important reasons we should all vote and that is because the President of the United States nominates Supreme Court Justices.  The Supreme Court makes decisions that effect our everyday lives.

Mitt Romney has chosen Robert Bork as co-chair of his Judicial Advisory Committee.  This means Mr. Bork will be suggesting to Mr. Romney names of possible future Supreme Court Justices and federally appointed judges throughout the country.   Mr. Bork was nominated by President Reagan to be a member of the Supreme Court, but the nomination was not approved. 

Here are some of his beliefs:

In 1963 he wrote an article for The New Republic called “Civil Rights – A Challenge”.  He claimed that laws requiring desegregation were a violation of the freedom of business owners to associate only with the people they chose.  His argument was “the natural right not to associate with others in commerce should not be overridden in the interests of civil rights, social justice, or most significantly, the interests of the moral order.”   

Republican led states are trying to impose severe voter restriction laws. Mr. Bork has a record of defending the constitutionality of poll taxes and literacy tests in state elections.  Obviously, the right-wing believes he is the man they need to help restrict voters’ rights in America.

Mr. Bork also believes that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned.  He would also give individual states the power to prosecute women and doctors who violate abortion laws.   By using Mr. Bork as “judicial advisor”, it is obvious that any future Supreme Court nominee would have to pass the anti-choice litmus test.  Mr. Bork has denounced the Supreme Court’s protection of a constitutional right to privacy in decision-making, the basis of Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized a woman’s right to use birth control.

United States v. Virginia is the Supreme Court’s 7 – 1 decision which required the Virginia Military Institute to stop discriminating and to admit its first women cadets.  Thousands and thousands of female soldiers have since served bravely and honorably, but Mr. Bork has attacked that decision for producing the “feminization of the military.”  He wrote, “radical feminism, an increasingly powerful force across the full range of American institutions, overrode the Constitution in United States v. Virginia.  VMI is only one example of a feminized Court transforming the Constitution.”

In 1971 Mr. Bork argued that the First Amendment protects only political speech, not art or science or literature.  He continues to promote censorship to deal with what he calls the “rot and decadence” of American society.  In a 1997 interview with Michael Cromartie, he expressed such disgust with the state of American culture that he said he was in favor of a return to censorship boards in America.

Rather than allow states to make their own decisions on the issue of same-sex marriage, he has advocated a constitutional amendment that would permanently define marriage as between “one man and one woman”.  He would also prevent individual states from offering gay couples equal benefits of any kind.

In 2005 the Supreme Court decision in Roper v. Simmons, struck down the death penalty for juvenile offenders.  Bork called the decision a “new low” for the Court.  Between 1990 (when the Court last considered this issue) and 2005, there were only seven countries other than the United States that executed juvenile offenders.  They were Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and China.  Mr. Bork, however, found nothing cruel and unusual in executing minors.

And finally, Mr. Bork once ruled that an employer may require its female workers to be sterilized in order to reduce employer liability for harm to potential children, in cases where employers used toxic chemicals.  He also believes politicians should be able to ban birth control.

Poll taxes, literacy tests, forced sterilization in order to maintain employment, executing minors, censorship boards, corporate powers over individual rights, repealing civil rights and making criminals out of doctors and women…..is Robert Bork right for America?

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08 Aug 2012

“What’s on America’s Mind” Tonight at 7:00 PM Pacific

Tonight we’ll discuss the Hammett Road Interchange and its relationship with the North County Corridor,  and the Salida Annexation. We’ll be discussing the six questions we asked the Board of Supervisors yesterday, and the questions we asked the Modesto City Council less than a few short hours ago. On the national scene we’ll discuss the fake Wheaton College outrage and Mitt Romney allegations, the Continuing War on Women, and the dangers of fracking.  All of these topics and more at 7:00 PM Pacific Time. 

The call in number is 1-347-215-9414 

A question for everyone: Do you want to be able to set your drinking water on fire as it comes out of the tap?

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/centralvalleyhornet/2012/08/09/whats-on-americas-mind-with-emerson-drake 

104.9 FM K-GIG Modesto   Our Flagship Station

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07 Aug 2012

It’s Still A Man’s World….Will It Ever Change?

By Gaetana Drake

President Obama will be speaking in Denver on August 8th.  Georgetown University Law School graduate Sandra Fluke will be introducing him.

You may remember Sandra Fluke from Rush Limbaugh’s characterization of her as a “slut and prostitute” and his desire for her to film her sexual encounters for him to watch.  All of this started when Ms. Fluke was denied the opportunity to speak before a congressional panel discussing birth control.  Remember, this was a five-person panel composed of only men (who refused to hear any testimony from women).  Ms. Fluke was able to speak at other forums and advocated for insurance coverage for birth control.  Keep in mind that most insurance plans voluntarily cover the little blue magic pill for men (Viagra), but until 8/1/12, when portions of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act went into effect, chose not to cover birth control.

Apparently, Mr. Limbaugh isn’t the only male who believes that sexually active women are sluts.  There have been many comments made on-line concerning Ms. Fluke’s appearance in Denver.  The vast majority of them refer to her in sexually explicit terms.  Terms you wouldn’t want someone to use when discussing your mother, sister or daughter.  I am always appalled at how many people believe a sexually active adult female is something to be denigrated.

It’s unfortunate that we don’t have comparable terms for men who are sexually active.  Instead, they get bragging rights for their conquests.  They get “high fives” and slaps on the back from their buddies.  They are considered normal, healthy men.  At the very worst, they are called a “player”.  That term hardly has a negative tone.  And all the while, the very women they are having sex with are called “whores and sluts”.

It’s unbelievable that in the year 2012, we are still having to fight for our right to use birth control.  It’s also unbelievable that we still consider sexually active adult women to be sluts.  Haven’t we evolved more than that?  Will women ever achieve true equality to men?

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01 Aug 2012

“What’s on America’s Mind” Tonight at 7:00PM Pacific

Tonight we’re going to discuss the Tie between the Salida Now,  StanCOG, North County Corridor, and the Hammet Road Interchange.  We’ll drive by the Modesto Budget Committee meeting and dwell on the very real War on Women.  Please join us Wednesday at 7:00PM Pacific time. Or don’t forget all of our shows are available in the Central Valley Hornet Archives.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/centralvalleyhornet/2012/08/02/whats-on-americas-mind-with-emerson-drake

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25 Jul 2012
1 Comment

“What’s on America’s Mind” Tonight at 7:00PM Pacific

Tonight we’ll be discussing the Bee’s inability and John Holland’s unwillingness to convey what is happening at local meetings,  Our County Supervisors view on the Water sales, what’s happening in New Hampshire regarding freedom of Speech and local authorities trying to stifle it, and last but not least how Women’s Issues are playing out on the national stage.  It’s starts Wednesday night at 7:00PM Pacific time.

You can call in and just listen to the show or join in the conversation by calling 1-347-215-9414

You can always catch any of the shows in the archives.

And of course a big Thank You to Brad over at  104.9 FM K-GIG who broadcasts Central Valley Hornet Shows.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/centralvalleyhornet/2012/07/26/whats-on-americas-mind-with-emerson-drake

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16 Jul 2012
1 Comment

The Most Dangerous Place To Give Birth

By Gaetana Drake

Here in the United States we have the highest infant/maternal mortality rate of any industrialized country.  But listen to the stories of two women who live in Gabu, Guinea-Bissau, located in Africa.

Gabu is considered the most dangerous place in the world for a woman to give birth.  A woman here has a 1 in 19 chance of dying as a result of pregnancy or childbirth, compared to a 1 in 2,100 chance in the U.S.

Most births still take place in villages, and if something goes wrong the woman can be hours away from medical help.  Cell phones (if someone in the village has one) work sporadically, travel by boat depends on the tides and automobiles are rare and expensive.  A journey of just a few miles can take hours.

When a woman arrives at a hospital or clinic, she is not treated until her family pays up front for any necessary medication.  The clinics do not have pharmacies and a family member will be told what medication the woman needs and be sent to purchase it before treatment can begin.

Generators are used only for storage.  Mid-wives work by flashlight or candlelight.  There is no power for refrigeration to store blood donations or to run incubators for premature babies.

Cultural practices make it even more difficult for women.  It is common for girls to marry as young as 13.  Unicef estimates that 7% of girls under the age of 15 are already married and mothers.  Most of the women of the region have undergone female mutilation.

Aissato Sanha is spending the last few weeks of her high risk pregnancy in a bed near the surgery room.  Her room is filled with women in labor.  She tells the nurse she is 18, but the nurse believes she is probably 15.  Her water breaks early in the morning and she goes into labor.  By the next day her baby is no closer to being born and the hospital director determines that she needs a Cesarean section for her and the baby to survive.  But first her mother must go to the pharmacy to buy the necessary medications.  When Aissato’s son is finally born he is missing part of a leg and his fingers are webbed.  One eye socket is completely obscured by a cleft palate and his head is abnormally large.  The massive deformaties were not discovered during the pregnancy because ultrasounds are not part of pre-natal care in this region.  The baby will go home with the family, but in many cases, severely deformed babies are neglected and die.

Fatumata Djau stayed home to give birth to her fourth child.  The placenta does not deliver normally and hours later she is at a maternity ward, losing a lot of blood.  Her brother is sent to buy medicine to stop the bleeding, but comes back with the wrong one.  He goes off to the pharmacy again, while his sister continues to hemorrhage.  Fatumata goes into convulsions and cardiac arrest.  CPR fails.  She leaves behind 4 daughters and a 75 year old husband.

Outreach teams operated by Catholic Relief Services have helped cut the mortality rate in the past two decades by going into remote villages and determining which women have high risk pregnancies and providing training for mid-wives.  However, the one thing they won’t do is provide birth control education.  Women in remote villages don’t know there is such a thing as birth control.  They grow up knowing they will probably have many more children than they can care for and will more than likely die in childbirth.  Remember, young girls are given to older men in arranged marriages.  They do not have legal, political or financial power.  They are subjugated to men.

For some reason many people equate “population control” or even birth control with “extermination”.  The world is over-populated.  Thousands of people die every day from starvation and lack of clean drinking water.  Is it humane to allow this to continue?  Isn’t it more humane to help women control their reproductive lives so they don’t die?  So they don’t have to watch their children die?

We should all support the effort to bring birth control to third world countries.  Lives depend on it. 

 

 

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