Domestic Trafficking in the US

I've been meaning to read this article for a long time but school got in the way. I think it sums up the trafficking situation of young, US citizens really well.

Article available from the New York Times

Pushed

I just finished reading this AMAZING book called Pushed: The Painful Truth about Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care by Jennifer Block. Some parts of it scared me, some parts made me so angry and some parts made me really excited to start a family (but not yet ;) ). Of course it was biased towards natural birth, but it brought up a lot of interesting points on both sides of the issue. I was already familiar with a lot of what was said, but I also learned a lot of new stuff:

*If you are having twins or your baby is breech, you are very likely to have a c-section whether you want it or not. Delivering breeches vaginally has become so rare that a lot of doctors don't even know how to do it--which is one of the criticisms I've heard about Canada's decision to begin allow vaginal breeches last week. However, the book provides extensive reasoning as to why delivering vaginally for both of these, and VBACs as well, can be very safe.

*There is an extensive illegal midwife network out there. You live in a state that doesn't allow midwives? Well there are probably practicing ones in your area anyway. It's just more secretive and they don't sign the birth certificates--on paper you delivered at home unassisted. These women give up a lot for their jobs: they are on call 24/7 and they even risk going to jail.

*I already knew I couldn't just walk into a hospital and allow all the routine interventions they use (EFM, lithotomy position, no moving, no eating, episiotomies, pitocin/amniotomy or other methods of induction, epidurals, forceps/vacuum, IVs, directed pushing, c-sections, lots of vaginal exams, no immediate skin-on-skin contact and breastfeeding, formula supplementation, no rooming-in, etc.)--but this book kind of drove home the point that unless you are really lucky in your choice of physician/on-call doctors and nurses, you don't have a lot of choice in what happens to you once you check in. Hospital regulations will stipulate that you can't move or eat and that you have the IV and exams, and really, what can you do unless you have merciful nurses and doctors? I'm starting to think maybe even a doula isn't enough. I'm thinking of birthing centers now, assuming I'm low risk and all that, since I think you have a lot more say over what happens to you there. Eventually I think home birth would be a great option too. All I know is that I am absolutely terrified of going to the hospital, having unnecessary interventions that slow or stop my labor, and then being sent in for a c-section for "failure to progress" or because my time limit is up.

It is so important to know your options and be aware of what is out there. Informed choice! I'm not trying to sound radical or offend anyone, but this is an issue I've been thinking a lot about in the past few months. Every woman should have a wonderful birth experience. All too often we hear that it doesn't matter what happens as long as the baby is healthy and yes, that is the ultimate goal: a healthy, beautiful child. But why do women have to suffer so much and often so needlessly for it? Some women who have terrifying birth experiences actually develop Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, besides those who have Post Partum Depression. A c-section is major abdominal surgery with all kinds of risks and simpler interventions like episiotomy still require long, painful recoveries, sometimes with lasting side effects. And yes, I know I might be singing a different tune when I'm this position myself, but I think it's like what they tell you about being chaste and keeping the Word of Wisdom when you're in Young Women's: just do your homework and make the decisions beforehand and it's a lot easier when the moment of choice comes.

No Real Surprise

Out of all the Millenium Development Goals, the two that are lagging behind the most are goals 4 and 5: decreases in maternal mortality and child mortality. I think economic goals probably receive more attention because they contribute to the overall economy of a country more fully in the short term--however, maternal and child mortality play huge, albeit subtle, roles in the economy. When mothers die others must take care of her children, which may take them out of or reduce their time in the paid labor force. Children are the promise of any society and when they die so does the future: future laborers, future visionaries, future inventors...More effort needs to be put into these two goals; President Obama is busy reworking the healthcare system and I hope he factors maternal mortality into his plans.

A Victory for Turkish Women Against Domestic Violence and Why it Probably Doesn't Mean Anything

This week the ECHR ruled that Turkey failed to protect a woman against her abusive ex-husband, whose behavior eventually led to the murder of her mother. He claimed that he killed her because she had threatened his honor by taking his family away and leading his wife into an "immoral way of life." I don't know what he meant by that, but I am so tired of women's bodies and sexuality being used as tools to justify men's violence and the oppression of women.

While this case may be extreme, statistics show that 4 out of 10 Turkish women are beaten by their husbands, including 1 out of 10 pregnant women. Pregnancy is one of the most vulnerable times in a woman's life and she is especially susceptable to problems such as domestic violence. Domestic violence is also bad for the fetus, both in terms of the mother's stress levels/ psychological state as well as the possibility of injury. Men who commit violence against their pregnant wives show that not only do they not value her, but they do not care about their children at all. But I digress...Perhaps the saddest statistic is that 40% of Turkish women believe they deserve to be beaten. I wish I could just shout out to the women of the world (and have them believe me) that there is NO JUSTIFICATION for domestic violence. Ever. It doesn't matter what happens, whether a wife burns dinner or has an affair--violence is always wrong. This goes for the women as well.

The ruling for the case, which is Opuz v. Turkey, said that "discriminatory judicial passivity in Turkey created a climate that was conducive to domestic violence." Those are harsh but very straightforward words. According to the article, "Legal experts said the ruling sets a precedent throughout Turkey and Europe for governments to protect women from domestic abuse." Precedent is good, but my line of works has made me rather cynical. The upside to this case is that Turkey is interested in joining the EU and knows it has to make many, many changes before it has the slightest chance of being able to accede.

The downside is that that probably isn't enough. I read CEDAW reports all the time for work. They laud the accomplishments of the country and try to make it sound like a paradise (if the country is Myanmar, they just come right out and tell you it's a paradise for women). Yet there is almost never any change. Countries create lots of programs and pass lots of laws, but it is much rarer to see an actual change in practice. Mechanisms such as CEDAW are self-reporting and so you are much more likely to see exaggeration of good things and minimalization of bad things. Case in point: according to Myanmar their maternal mortality ratio is 1. One! The best countries in Europe aren't even that low.

So to conclude, I am glad that the ECHR has taken this opportunity to address a really important issue and I hope it leads to some change, even if just in the short-term. However, until there are real, tangible consequences, little positive change is likely to be enacted for Turkish women.