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Safer to Give Birth Outside the US

Sun, 03/14/2010 - 14:43
Submitted by Carlin Ross

Thank you, ChrisOnline, for bringing this issue to our attention.  Amnesty International has just released their global numbers on maternal mortality (women who die during pregnancy and childbirth) and WOMEN IN THE US ARE DYING AT ALARMING NUMBERS.  We're 5x more likely to die during childbirth than women in Greece, 4x more likely than women in Germany and 3x more likely than women in Spain.  You're safer giving birth in 40 other countries - the US ranks #41 in maternal mortality. 

Why?  Because of our fragmented health care system.  Women don't have access to care - when they do there's negligence and the overuse of risky procedures - and then there's discriminatory care.  The darker your skin the more likely you are to die during childbirth.

Gandhi saidi that you can judge a culture by how it treats it's animals.  I would say that you can judge a culture by how it treats it's mothers.  Here we are giving life to the next generation - the greatest and most necessary act to ensure the perpetuation of out species - but instead of being worshipped and reverred we're discrimated against and left to die.

If I hear one more reference about death panels or killing grandma I'm going to scream.  F*ck grandma what about mom.  We spend more on healthcare in the US than any other country - we believe that our system is the best - and we can't even guarantee basic care.  We're not talking about bone marrow transplants here.  We're talking about pregnancy and childbirth.  This is not complicated medicine.  F*ck that this is established medicine.  We don't need any research.  We don't need any grant money.  There's no debate about "how" to deliver quality prenatal care. 

Women just don't matter: white, black, rich or poor.  And there's this underlying hostility towards pregnant women that keeps me from becoming a mother.  It's there.  I can feel it. 

I just read a piece in the NY Times about a study that found women are better investors than men.  We make fewer trades because we're not motivated by ego and take fewer risks.  This all translates into higher returns.  For example, a female CEO is more likely to pay a lower price when purchasing another company.  It's not about us it's about the numbers.  A little estrogen makes for a well reasoned decision.      

It would be so amazing if we could work together and create balance in our culture.  Rigid sex roles only perpetuate resentment and hostility between the sexes.  Can we just let go of the nuclear family ideal where men go to the office and women stay home and look pretty already?  It's killing us....literally.

Sex, Politics & More Sex

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Interesting connection between AI article and women in business

ChrisOnline's picture
Wed, 03/17/2010 - 01:13
ChrisOnline

So the idea is that a more comprehensive healthcare system would lead to better care. It should, and many primary care services would improve. That's critical.

But I'd be disappointed with a solution that included the same stuff, just more of it spread around when it comes to women's healthcare.

By referring to the greater potential of women investors, you remind me of my experience in the business world, in which more and more women are taking leadership roles.

In my experience as a young, up and coming consultant in the late 90s, working within a typical business structures can SUCK the intellectual creativity, and the more 'feminine' collaborative work style right out of a person. Many leaders in business value how a person "plays" the game, instead of what they bring to the table. Many times politics rule. One could call that a more 'masculine' style of business.

But honestly, the most political motivated "C-suite " person I ever hated working with was a women. At that same time the person I respected most was a man. He inspired me (some good power/sex fantseys as well, but I digress...)

More women doing the same old stuff that some men have already brought to the table changes nothing.

How does that relate to the poor results of the AI study for American healthcare?   We'll, it brings me back to my original thoughts that American women need to change our attitudes about our bodies, and how we experience the birthing process for example, before our statistical picture will look any better.

Some of the problem is on us, not the system.

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