05/12/2022

I choose this image because it shows Elizabeth cady Stanton succeeding in her work to guarantee freedom for women and slaves. she permanently altered the social and political landscape of the united states of America. her unwavering commitment to Susan b Anthony that’s beside her in the image is known as one of the leaders who fought for woman voting and rights and was a founding member of the suffrage movement. she also participated In the temperance and abolitionist movement.

Doing this week’s readings and watching the film was sort of interesting. What surprised me the most is that they don’t talk about menstruation in India because it’s considered u clean and taboo. When women are on their periods they aren’t allowed to step inside the temples because they are considered unclean and unholy. Which I find surprising. They also have little to no knowledge about how to take care of themselves during their periods. One thing in the film is that one of the women said that they had to leave school because they couldn’t handle being on their period and going to school.

I admire their passion to educate and break down the boundaries that prevent them from educating other young women about transitioning into adulthood.

As for the reading, I found it infuriating to know that POC is more likely to not receive the best treatment. It is sad to think about how many people are ignored when in pain because of their skin color.

DISCUSSION 12

The way the movie “Period: End of Sentence” was filmed is beyond incredible. It shows the bottom of India’s reality. Girls who had to drop from college because they feel embarrassed when they have their period. The crazy thing is that they didn’t have a private place to change their clothes or pads to use during their menstruation cycle. One of the things I realized while watching the movie is that most men and women have no idea what menstruation is, but what is very surprising is that women keep getting pregnant without men’s knowledge. Isn’t that crazy?. Sexual education is a very essential material that needs to be taught in schools and homes. Not only people will be more informed about the subject, but they will be more aware and respectful of women and the pain they go through every month. The good thing I learned from the film is how these girls took their issues in their society and turned them into motivation and an escape from reality. They are with. no doubt, very ambitious souls and energy but I can say that they were just meant to be in the wrong place.

Racism is being delivered everywhere in the world in so many ways and black women are the ones suffering the most. Obstetric racism is one of the serious types of racism because it is delivered in the most human place on earth which is hospitals. Leconte and her experience were very sad to read because she sounds very heartbroken and emotionally down about how bad doctors and nurses were treating her. As the writer mentioned in the article”She wanted to break out of the hospital. She wanted to be a mother in her own home, not in the hospital where they poked and prodded her.”There are many dimensions of obstetric racism such as diagnostic lapses, disrespect, coercion, and ceremonies. I can tell how sad she felt just by reading the poem. I can read and see the disappointment, sadness, and illness in her words.

Many people especially transgender people experience low-quality life. They are human beings and they can go through pain, condition, and illness like every other human being.I don’t understand why doctors will lower their respect and start discriminating and treating them poorly just because of their sexual preferences. All the experiences I have read and all transgender people’s comments are reasonable and thoughtful. They deserve access to all health sources and departments. I loved Helena’s comment when she said:”Transgender people deserve the same rights as everyone else, and further protections when it comes to vulnerable situations for them. This abhorrent proposed rule threatens the lives of my friends, my student, and their families.”

I was surprised to learn in the film that many girls drop out of school after getting their period. One women in the film spoke about struggling to change her clothes while on her period and attending school. Having to go out off her way because she couldn’t change around men. This issue forces many women to drop out of school and/or not be able to work. Because periods are “taboo,” women don’t have access to proper accommodations that would allow them to work and go to school while on their period. I was also shocked and saddened to hear a woman in the film say she was grateful for the opportunity to work making pads because she can earn the respect of her husband. These women are looked down upon and less respected by men because of not being capable of working. Although it is their patriarchal system that prevents women from working in the first place. 

The patriarchy is a theme in all of this week’s material. “A Birth Story” and “12 Reasons It Should Be Illegal for Doctors Not to Treat Trans People” talk about healthcare inequality because of gender. Women receiving lesser quality care than men and being stripped of their right of having health care. Men are given the power to make decisions about women’s healthcare and what care they are deserving to have. This maintains the power imbalance between genders and ensures the opression of women. It was also extremely shocking and saddening to read first-hand experiences about the horrible treatment people received when seeking medical help. By doctors and staff who you should be able to trust and assured you are in a safe place.

The way these stories are told reinforce my understanding of medical opression. Recently on social media stories of medical opression, especially for women of color during child birth, are being brought up and talked about more. Horrific stories, similar to the ones in the readings, of women of color being ignored by doctors and staff when they are in pain or are concerned about their baby. This week’s material supported my understanding of medical opression based on theses stories shared in the media. Continuing to spread knowledge and awareness of healthcare inequality based on gender and the repercussions of this issue.  

Although I had already seen the short film Period. The End of a Sentence, I remember watching it for the first time I was beyond baffled at the fact that the men in the village didn’t know what a period or menstration is. It really opened my eyes to the fact that men and women experience life so differently from one another and that it’s almost impossible to understand the other’s point of view. Rewatching it I was still confused as to why periods and menstruation were such taboo topics for the women living in the village, and it was really bizarre that some of them couldn’t even explain why the experience they have every month even occurs.

I’ve already been aware of obstetric racism, however I just wasn’t sure what the name for it was, nor that it was divided into seven different categories. More that anything I believe it’s ridiculous that medical ‘professionals’ can get away with treating poc differently without being held accountable or having their positions threatened. These people are in charge of our health, wellbeing and overall life. They should remain completely unbiased towards their patients so that they can receive the help they need. After reading the article I even decided to ask my mother how her experience of childbirth was when she had me because I wanted to know if she had experienced a form of obstetric racism. She told me she hadn’t thought about it at all until I asked which is crazy because that’s about twenty years ago but esssentially my mother had told the nurse the baby is coming and the nurse wasn’t really concerned, so my mom had to tell her to call the doctor. I honestly don’t think this is obstetric racism, maybe the nurse was just being lazy but also I feel like I might be glossing over it.

As for the last article, I had no idea about the Department of Health and Human Services debating about whether or not they should be able to legally deny care to transgender people. It seems like such a ridiculous clause, it almost feels like we’re going backwards in time instead of progessing forward. I don’t understand what the purpose of passing that law would do, or even why there’s being a debate about whether or not transgender people should essentially be allowed medical care. Health care is already hard enough to obtain as is. Also, reading a lot of transgender people’s experiences who had sent in their responses felt surreal because I already knew about the discrimination in the medical field but I didn’t think it was that common. If I had to put it into a ratio I would think it’s 1:6, but it appeared to be a lot more than that.

The most surprising part of this week’s readings and the film had to be the stigma surrounding menstruation in India. In Period: End Of Sentence, the part that floored me was that some, if not most of these women, had to drop out of their education journey because of the challenges and complications of menstruating without having the proper supplies. It is not right that having access to affordable menstrual products is considered a luxury. In my opinion, these products should be supplied at no cost, and there should also be nothing taboo about a woman’s period. There is a part of the documentary where they mention that women who are menstruating can’t enter the temples because they are believed to be dirty. They don’t even pray to any gods. In 12 Reasons It Should Be Illegal For Doctors Not To Treat Trans People by Diana Tourjée, what shocked me and will always shock me is how anyone can believe that a human being doesn’t deserve medical care. Regardless of how a person identifies, it is still a human right, or at least it should be. In A Birth Story, written by Dr. Dana-Ain Davis, what surprised me the most was that Leconté had to walk anywhere just a few hours after giving birth. Not just walking but pushing her newborn and her IV down the hall, and no wheelchair was offered while her husband carried all their belongings.

The connection between all three readings/film is how these people have experienced discrimination when it comes to healthcare. In the film a woman states, “The thing is when there is patriarchy, it takes time to talk about something related to women.” Menstruation is natural, and women shouldn’t be treated poorly because of it; men can’t just decide periods are a problem. In the reading by Diana Tourjée, Simon Chartrand writes, “I am a transgender person with a disability, and the proposed rule will compromise my unalienable rights. … I need constant access to healthcare, and I have experienced discrimination many times in the past”. I can’t wrap my head around the hatred people project toward others. If a person requires medical attention, there shouldn’t be a reason to deprive them of it, especially if they are disabled and need it more often. In the reading by Dr. Dana-Ain Davis, she writes, “Annoyed that he had to come down to the labor and delivery unit, he commented to one of the doctors, in front of LeConté and everyone in the room, “Why don’t you just give her a C-section? I am not coming down here again.” LeConté felt invisible and disrespected” about the anesthesiologist who administered too much epidural, causing her to feel dizzy. If the patient were not a black woman, she would not have been treated the way LeConté was.

The format in which the stories are shared impacts my understanding of medical oppression. The stories felt very personal, and I felt as though I’ve gotten to know these people and how they’ve been medically oppressed. The film showed me how different these women live and their struggles with something that naturally happens, such as menstruation. The clips where they were very obviously uncomfortable talking about it helped me grasp just how taboo the topic is to them. At one point during the film, it is mentioned that it isn’t a conversation between mother and daughter nor husband and wife.

After thorough analysis of the article “A Birth Story” Written by Dr. Dana-Ain Davis Obstetric racism, who would have imagined that among the many disadvantages faced by blacks and other people of color, obstetric racism would be a thing, LeConte’s experience is tragic yet not as an surprising example of what many black women and women of color face while receiving medical treatment, whether for neonatal, postpartum, or other reasons. Before reading this, I would not have thought racism was a problem in a hospital while giving birth in this day and age. Although, according to the story, it has been a problem since Jim Crow laws were enacted. It is not about the hospital. It’s not about being disgusted with your baby being black or them using racist language to describe a pregnant woman, it’s about how they were treated during the procedure or the acts taken. At the start of the article, it seemed as though the story would be about a single person who had insulted and inflicted suffering on a patient, but learning that at least three members of the medical staff had neglected and degraded LeConte is beyond anyone can ever truly imagine. LeConte had to deal with disrespect and abuse, she spoke up when she was in agony, but this did not lessen the level of coercion she faced. Worse, after suffering through the agony of being shot with too much epidural and two days of induction, she had to walk herself and her newborn to the postpartum area. 

The publication of Vice by Diana Tourjee sparked a debate on how the passage of a rule to allow discrimination against trans people in health care will harm and affect the lives of trans people in the United States. They allowed some folks to speak up about how they felt about being trans and losing their right to health care. Many of them are good working citizens, such as taxpayers, pediatricians, military personnel, and college students, who discuss why they need health care, how strongly they oppose this rule, and the discrimination they encounter.

It ultimately boils down to one thing, the importance of the feminist movement, the style in which the stories are told has an impact on my understanding of medical discrimination and/or other aspects of gender we have examined this semester. It is horrible to learn about the oppression and exploitation that women, particularly women of color, face. All of the things we’ve addressed have had an impact on how I perceive adequate education, because recognizing the root of the problem is the first step toward creating a better tomorrow. I can honestly state that knowing about the females in the Period. End of Sentence, having to work together was breathtaking because it shows how everything is possible when we stand together.

This week’s reading is pretty eye opening and very informational. I like when we have discussions about things I wasn’t aware of. I read 2 articles. The first one was about  A Birth Story told by  LECONTÉ J. DILL (the birth giver ) and the author who wrote her story is  Dr. Dana-Ain Davis. The main concept of the writing is obstetric racism and the racism Leconte J . Dill encountered during giving birth. As far as I understand before reading this I wouldn’t think racism is a problem in the hospital while giving birth in this time and age. Sadly according to the story it is , it was a problem since Jim Crow Laws Its not about hospital Being disgusted with your baby being black or them calling a pregnant women derogatory terms, It’s more about how they were treated during the process or the actions take. The article lists some ways Obstetric Racism occurs. This can occur through  “Neglection” ( not paying attention to the needs of the person), “Intentionally causing pain”  is another one When medical professionals fail to appropriately manage pain “Coercion” is When medical professionals perform procedures without consent or intimidate patients to make decisions that is basically giving somebody medicine they might not want and need by force. Obstetric Racism can occur in many forms like peer pressure and mistreatment. Leconte then went to explain how she feel like her experience giving birth at a hospital in brooklyn wasn’t the best. She felt mistreated. She experienced what you would call Obesteric Racism. If you read her poem and story she felt violated. she felt like she wanted to do this at home i believe with a team of women She trust . Instead They kept her their where she was “poked and probed” . What I find crazy is when she explained at the end of her birth that she had to “ walk to another room, pushing her newborn in the mobile crib and her IV, with her husband trailing behind her, carrying all of their belongings”. That insane. How could anyone be treated like that black white chinese it don’t matter. When a woman is giving birth she must be treated with the most care. Professionals should be there to make sure the operation runs smoothly and the patient is in good hands. 

The second article on vice by Diana Tourjee opened up a discussion about the passage of a rule to legalize discrimination against trans people in health care would harm & effect the lives of trans people in the united states . They let some people open up about how they feel being trans and about to lose rights to health care. Many of them good working citizens  like taxpayers, pediatricians, people in the military, college students talk about why they need health care , how much they oppose this rule , talk about the discrimination they face. Some go in very sick and don’t get the help they need because of the medical history they have. In general this is right because they are still human beings at the end of the day like straight men and women. They need medical support too. It  should be equal for everybody without much discrimantion for the choices people make.

The documentary period : the end of sentence was interesting. I find it bizarre how they feel about menstruation. The women seem like they feel like it is a week of shame and being impure. They can’t pray to their god or be around people. I find it odd how they don’t have access to good pads. I feel like that’s almost a necessity at this point of life most women shouldn’t be walking around bleeding and it being visible/ leaving spots on their clothes. Although they state pads exist they are just hard to get ahold of it just shouldn’t be. The girls seemed a little curious to what a pad even is when the interview asked and showed them . Hopefully things are getting better for them and they have more access to pad and materials to take care of themselves now that the concern has been put out their.

Embarrassing and disturbing, LeConte’s experience is a sad and not so shocking incidence many black women as well as women of color experience while receiving medical treatments be it for neonatal, postpartum, or whichever. Racism during birth, who would have thought amongst the many posed disadvantages to blacks and other people of color, obstetric racism would be thing. In the beginning of the Article, I thought the story would have been of a particular person who had disrespected and inflicted pain to a patient, but to recognize that at least three medical staff had neglected and degraded LeConte is beyond horrifying. The situation of LeConte is one I hope would bring awareness to similar situations. In the birth mom’s situation, she had her husband, two doulas and even an OB-GYN team. My point is, imagine someone, for instance a single mom who does not have much connection nor the people and most importantly a woman of color, she would have a very terrible experience. LeConte had to endure disprespect and abuse, she spoke up when pain was been inflicted on her but that did not reduce the level of coercion she received. Worst of all, after having to endure the severe pain of getting injected with too much epidural and two days of induction, she had to walk herself with her newborn to the postpartum room. How disgraceful of professional worker who have licence and sworn in by the state. It is quite shocking to discover, also discovering it is as a result a lot if women lose their lives is very heart breaking. Nobody sincerely deserves to endure abuse of this sought. Glad this brought to light, although LeConte had mix of emotions through her experience, I cannot say the same for other hospitals. I remember about a year ago around this time, my sister gave birth to my beautiful niece. I could essentially proclaim my sister had quite the opposite experience compared to what the main character of this story went through. My sister was a month late and her hospital advised it best she settled in the hospital and have her baby induced. This was during a time when Covid rules were still mandatory. They treated my sister with immense care, she could barely feel pain when she was being injected, had several nurses who constantly came to her aid even when she did not need it. She always rode in stroller, before and after birth and even had to beg them to let her be for some time to exercise. I sincerely hope there’d be medical staff as good and professional as those who attended to my sister.

What surprised me the most throughout the readings and viewing this week was being able to step back and think that all and any of these people/ women from each could be me and that the reason I am free from some of these oppressions is because I just so happened to come into the planet in the United States and as a second-generation Dominican person. These reasons are not good enough to have such disparities within our species. I have struggled with obtaining medical insurance before in my life but my encounter with any medical need and/or hospitals have never been like the experiences of Leconté J Dill’s birthing story or that of Transgender people so through these readings, I was able to put myself in the shoes of these patients which is what we all should be to Doctors when we visit or are in need of their services. Learning about the extreme stigma surrounding menstruation in rural India was just shocking to see how far behind these communities still are and how women are kept so extremely in the dark about how powerful we actually are. I was proud to see a community of women spreading their new-found knowledge with others and putting the pieces of their womanhood together. One woman even said something along the lines of it being because of generational Patriarchy and how in order to demand change you have to start somewhere, somehow spreading the truth of what you know. This is where I began to make connections between all the readings along with the film because it just really screamed out PATRIARCHY to me as this system is what allows entitled binary people to exclude others even though the reasoning behind the idea itself just does not hold up to the reality of the world we live in along with the medical advances acquired throughout. The fact that barely any adult male in Period: End of Sentence knew about a woman’s period is astounding but so telling of a society that has just deemed the male sex as superior and has kept the power of womanhood a secret to women themselves.

The format in which the stories are shared helped me see the oppression of women with more clarity and then how it surpassed the intersectionality of forms that I feel that I’m familiar with and portrayed that ongoing oppression of Black women and trans people. It helped me understand the importance of the Black Feminist movement that we’ve been reading about lately and also for everyone to speak out against this new rule proposed by the Department of Health which excludes the lives of transgender people. Although I was shocked by the lack of feminine knowledge and education in Period: End of Sentence, I was left hopeful by the broadening of their minds through the discussion of menstruation and what that means for women everywhere.