new Fed. guidlines have women pre-pregnant all the time

[donsu]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/15/AR2006051500875.html?referrer=emailarticle


Forever Pregnant
Guidelines: Treat Nearly All Women as Pre-Pregnant


New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves -- and to be treated by the health care system -- as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon.

-snip-

While most of these recommendations are well known to women who are pregnant or seeking to get pregnant, experts say it's important that women follow this advice throughout their reproductive lives, because about half of pregnancies are unplanned and so much damage can be done to a fetus between conception and the time the pregnancy is confirmed.

The recommendations aim to "increase public awareness of the importance of preconception health" and emphasize the "importance of managing risk factors prior to pregnancy," said Samuel Posner, co-author of the guidelines and associate director for science in the division of reproductive health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which issued the report.

-snip-

Nearly 28,000 U.S. infants died in 2003, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The infant mortality rate increased in 2002 for the first time in more than 40 years to seven deaths per 1,000 live births, but it did not change significantly in 2003. Birth defects, low birthweight and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) were the leading causes of infant death in 2003, according to NCHS.

-snip-

The CDC report also discusses disparities in care, noting that approximately 17 million women lack health insurance and are likely to postpone or forgo care. These disparities are more prominent among minority groups and those of lower socioeconomic status, the report states.

The NCHS data also reflect these disparities. Babies born to black mothers, for example, had the highest rate of infant death -- 13.5 per 1,000 live births. Infants born to white women had a death rate of 5.7 per 1,000.
-snip-
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I think Samuel Posner, co-author of the guidlines for the CDC should get his nose out of where it doesn't belong.

when you read the article they keep listing the things a woman should'nt do before and during preg. tobacco, alcohol but never mention mercury in seafood.

I can't put it in words yet but this new guideline business smells bad. can someone else describe what smells bad?

[waiting for hope]

1. It's the precursor to banning abortion all over,

denying women the right to comprehensive health care (HPV vaccine, mammograms etc) in order to keep us barefoot and pregnant...:mad:

[Warpy]

2. Women by and large are sensible creatures who will tell the GOP

nanny state to go fuck itself.

In any case, these guidlines are appropriate for both sexes and at any age.

They simply can't be compelled, and targeting them to only half the population and only during childbearing years is typical GOP lunacy.

Life is risk. We can't make the world safe for every bay-bee, and even if we could, forcing half the population into asceticism and denying them the right to their own bodies is a greater evil than birth defects that are rare, while preventable.

[Mandate My Ass]

3. It's sickening in *so* many ways

First of all, it basically says women are nothing but life support for a uterus.

Then it puts the blame for the disgracefully high infant mortality rate in this country squarely on the shoulders of women, rather than the gluttonous for-profit hospitals and insurance companies.

That's just for openers. There's another thread floating around somewhere with about a hundred posts in it. It was posted yesterday. I'll see if I can find it.

[BlooInBloo]

4. Shorter federal guidelines: ur pwn3d!

Why a woman would vote for a republican is beyond me.

On the other hand, I'm not really known for my deep understanding of women on ANY topic - lolol

[Cerridwen]

5. One problem

This "policy advisory" can be used to deny women employment in fields in which they may "damage" or put "at risk" their "potential" fetus.

It may be used to justify refusing to sell certain products to any woman as she is always "potentially pregnant."

How does a "forever potentially pregnant" woman get birth control in any form as it may harm her "potentially pregnant" self and any potential fetus?

Will poor women be held liable for poor pre-natal care since they can't afford the expensive health care? What about holding them liable for pre pre-natal care as they are always "potentially pregnant?"

This takes us back to the idea of woman are physically and emotionally "weaker" than men are and puts in place many ideas from the Victorian era of the fragile female.

It opens the door for many forms of discrimination against women as we will now be treated as "forever pregnant."

[alarimer]

7. Women were denied access to certain professions

and sometimes still are (to those jobs that are considered high risk-working with certain chemicals for example) simply because they MIGHT become pregnant.

[donsu]

6. thank you all for describing the smell. my throat was filled with anger

and I couldn't find the words.

[ceile]

8. too angry to respond....

must have cigarette, shot of whiskey and cheeseburger.....then I will feel better.

[prole_for_peace]

9. they need to get off me.. i DO NOT want children

and even if i accidentally got preganant i would not have it. i am tired of women being treated like walking incubators.

[LeftyMom]

10. Jesus this is stupid

I don't need the government to tell me that as a female of childbearring age I can get pregnant and ought to take care of myself in case that happens. I learned that in high school health class, and it's common sense anyhow. For that matter, I'd take equally good care of myself if I couldn't get pregnant (as is the case at the moment.)

I'm not "prepregnant" though. :wtf: Prepregnant = not fucking pregnant!!!

That said, emphasizing preconception health care isn't a bad idea for planned pregnancies. I'd just rather that something were done to reduce the ratio of unplanned pregnancies rather than telling women to restrict thier activities as they would if they were pregnant just in case they get knocked up. For that matter it'd do a lot of good to offer us all, pregnant or no, a safer and less polluted world to live in and decent health care, but that takes money and effort and it's a lot easier to just tell women to stay away from soft cheeses and cat shit I guess.

[area51]

11. So, all women of child-bearing age are "pre-pregnant".

That must mean that all women of child-bearing age are to immediately have access to universal healthcare, right, I mean, b/c the fetus is über-important. <crickets chirping> :eyes:

[Mandate My Ass]

12. Nope

This is about poor women being blamed for our disgraceful and mercenary healthcare system. Just as Katrina victims were blamed for gov't letting them die, poor women will now be blamed because our infant mortality rate is closer to the third world than other industrialized nations, particularly "Old Europe." :eyes: