As a follow-up to my previous post on International Women’s Day, here is a selection of past posts related to non-U.S. women’s health. Many of them make mention of news stories, films, or situations that are worth a look.
As noted in this previous post, researchers presented news of a dramatic decline in breast cancer rates at a recent conference, and suggested it was linked to a reduction in women using hormone replacement therapy. The Kaiser Network has a summary of reactions to the news. Other reaction pieces:
In response to the Executive Order requiring HPV vaccination for Texas schoolgirls, legislation has been proposed in the state that would prohibit HPV vaccination status from being used as a condition for public school enrollment. Other legislators are expressing concern that the issue wasn’t properly reviewed and asking the Governor to rescind the order, as evidenced in this Dallas News piece – ” State Sen. Jane Nelson (R), chairwoman of the Senate’s health and human services committee, said lawmakers should have been allowed to hear from doctors, scientists and patients before the state implemented such a sweeping mandate. ‘This is not an emergency,’ said Ms. Nelson, R-Grapevine. ‘It needs to be discussed and debated.’”
The New York Times has published an editorial in response to the study summarized here last week that found some physicians would withhold treatment, referrals, and information from patients when they had personal objections to certain legal procedures. In part, the editorial states:
“About 14,000 fewer women were diagnosed with the disease than had been expected, researchers reported Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.”[AP] – News outlets are reporting that a 7% drop in breast cancer rates in the U.S. in 2003 may be tied to women going off of or electing not to have hormone replacement therapy in menopause. The findings were presented at a conference this week, so they are not yet available in a peer-reviewed publication with complete data.
Today’s New York Times Magazine has a lengthy piece on women in war, beginning with a profile of Suzanne Smith, a 21-year-old Army specialist who went AWOL rather than be redeployed to Iraq. Swift claimed to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, and was pressured to have sex with her commander during her previous deployment. The piece reports that “a 2003 report financed by the Department of Defense revealed that nearly one-third of a nationwide sample of female veterans seeking health care through the V.A. said they experienced rape or attempted rape during their service. Of that group, 37 percent said they were raped multiple times, and 14 percent reported they were gang-raped,” and cites findings that women subjected to sexual assault are more likely to develope PTSD.
From the New York Times:
Free Condoms on the Subway? And Who Says New Yorkers Aren’t Friendly?
Via Feministing, Emergency Kindness is a network to get emergency contraception from those who can get it to those who need it. The site includes info on Plan B, how the network works, how to volunteer, and a blog.
From Florida, in today’s New York Times: “She was an Atlas of the exurbs, hoisting a 210-pound barbell over her ponytailed head and holding it there, arms just barely aquiver, while the high school gymnasium exploded in cheers. At that moment on a recent Saturday, Jessica Reynolds, 17 and weighing in at 261 pounds, broke the state record for girls’ weightlifting, a high school sport sanctioned only in Florida…” According to the report, no other state has officially adopted weightlifting for girls, as the Florida High School Athletic Association did in 1997.
Texas has passed legislation to require all girls ages 11-12 to receive the HPV vaccine before entering 6th grade. Some have responded to this by claiming that the government is taking control away from parents, and that this is simply a money-making venture for Merck, producer of the Gardasil vaccine, the only currently approved HPV vaccine. Merck certainly has a financial interest in having as many girls as possible vaccinated, and this New York Times article suggests the company is actively lobbying state legislatures to require vaccination. However, the executive order signed by the TX Governor makes no specific mention of Merck; it refers only to “HPV vaccine.” When other companies get their vaccines (which are already in development) approved, Texas parents and doctors would be able to choose among them. Likewise, parents may opt out of the program on behalf of their children, by this provision: “The Department of State Health Services will, in order to protect the right of parents to be the final authority on their children’s health care, modify the current process in order to allow parents to submit a request for a conscientious objection affidavit form via the Internet while maintaining privacy safeguards under current law.” I can understand the concerns about the vaccine from a long-term effects standpoint (it’s a new vaccine) – that, to me, would be the primary concern, along with keeping an eye on the company’s lobbying efforts. However, “taking control away from parents” hysteria is a bit overblown, as parents clearly have a provision for opting out and not vaccinating their children, which is not restricted to religious reasons. The parents may simply have to be informed of risks and benefits before making the decision, and I don’t think that’s such a bad thing.