Maternal Health: Just the Stats

First in a series

Our country has just passed health reform (woohoo!). It was a long struggle that had to overcome a vicious partisan divide and public discontent. Now three weeks later, after people have taken the time to pat themselves on the back, it’s time to start thinking about what else we need to accomplish. All the problems with our health care system have not been solved by this reform. Some of the most serious ailments of the system continue to be under reported and rarely discussed within the political spectrum. Maternal mortality is at a stage of crisis in the United States. It’s an issue that has not been given much attention in the past and lacks extensive data and research. In early March, however, new attention was brought to the issue when Amnesty International USA published a report on maternal health, DEADLY DELIVERY: THE MATERNAL HEALTH CARE CRISIS IN THE USA as part of its ‘Maternal Health is a Human Right’ campaign. This in-depth report examines the state of maternal health in the United States and offers ways to improve the system. This is the first in a series on maternal health based off information from this report and other sources.

The title of the report labels the maternal health in the United States as a crisis. You might think that the language is a bit of a hyperbole, that we aren’t really in a crisis. Well, I urge you to take a look at the data and then reconsider. Before I begin to type out a series of horrific and startling numbers, I should probably clarify what maternal health and maternal morality are. Maternal health is comprehensive care including family planning, preconception, prenatal, and postnatal care. Maternal mortality occurs when a woman dies during or shortly after her pregnancy.

In the United States, two women die everyday from maternal mortality, the 41^st worst ranking in the world. Our maternal mortality rate is higher than any highly developed nation, but we spend the most on health care. Like people have been saying about the health care system for years… something doesn’t seem to fit. The disparity between the U.S.’s maternal mortality rate and the countries ahead of us is no small amount. Ireland has the smallest rate in the world at 1 in 47,600. America’s is 1 in 4,800. That’s almost 10X the difference. How can it be that a comparably developed country takes so much better care of its pregnant women?

The maternal health care crisis goes beyond maternal mortality and encompasses the numerous other health problems associated with pregnancy. Every year 34,000 women experience “near misses,” instances where a woman almost dies from a maternal health issue. Even though these women do survive, it is unacceptable that every single day 94 women face a serious risk of death, when we have the technology and resources to prevent many of these complications and problems. I wish I could say that that’s the extent of the problem, but the numbers continue to roll. 1.7 million women in this country, almost a third of the pregnant women in a given year, suffer from complications and adverse health effects from their pregnancy. In the past twenty years, these rates have not improved, clearly revealing the political and social apathy toward maternal health. Because the system is not working to protect them, Women in this country are becoming ill, dealing with life threatening health problems, and even dying.

Maternal mortality can effect any woman, but hidden in the general data are the racial and class disparities that make maternal health an issue of discrimination. The rates of maternal mortality are extremely disproportionate among minorities. Black women are four times more likely to die from pregnancy related illnesses than white women, and the lack of prenatal care that many women of color receive puts them at a much higher risk of developing a maternal health problem. Native American and Alaska Native women are 3.6 times more likely than white women to receive late or no prenatal care, and Latina women are 2.5 times more likely. Not receiving proper care throughout the pregnancy is dangerous to both mother and child and is often associated with maternal morality..)

Although they can be shocking, right now, these statistics are numbers that stand without a firm context. To have a comprehensive understanding of the issue, it is necessary to know what causes maternal mortality and why women are not receiving the proper care they need. These topics will be explored in the second part of the series to be posted later. Check back soon!

The Big Fuss About Sexting

§N Modern technology is changing the way people, especially teens interact socially. Youth, many of them perpetually clinging to their cell phones, checking facebook, instant messaging and occasionally still using email, are in constant communication with their peers. I hardly go anywhere with out my cell phone. What if someone calls or texts me? Although it may bother parents at the dinner table, cause a disruption during school, and be another step towards the ultimate destruction of face to face personal communication, only recently has texting posed an imminent threat for these teenagers. More specifically sexting. I’m sure by now everyone has heard of sexting, sending sexually explicit messages and photos via cell phone; it’s been splayed across the newspapers and internet enough.

The national media attention that sexting has received the past two years has sparked campaigns to try and prevent teen sexting, but like campaigns aimed to stop underage drinking or drug use, it will never eliminate the practice. Now, not everybody does it, current surveys report that 20% of U.S. teenagers have sent nude or semi-nude photos of themselves electronically, but, sexting has become a natural part of youth communication. For teens sexting can be flirting, fun, a from of seduction, general communication with someone you like or are attracted to, or even a joke. The physical distance created by mobile communication makes it easier for teens to be outgoing and provocative than in person.

Teens are not unaware of the potential harmful consequence of sexting. 75% of teens have said that sexually suggestive content “can have serious negative consequences.” Beyond the legal issues that have been excruciatingly highlighted the past year, there are social consequences including bullying and sexual harassment that can occur when explicit photos are shared. Yet even though they are aware of the consequences, teens continue to sext. It has become a part of their sexual expression and as a part of the culture, it is not going away anytime soon.

Explicit or suggestive photos of minors used for sexting do not always remain private, and when they have been made public there have been serious legal consequences. Teenagers across the country have faced charges of possessing, disturbing and producing child pornography, among others, including three teenage girls in Greensburg in January 2009. Prosecuted for taking photos of themselves or possessing photos their peers have sent them, teenagers face felony chargers and life time sex offender status in sexting cases.

Child pornography laws are designed to protect minors, the victims of exploitation. Teenage boys and girls taking and possessing pictures of themselves and then willing sending them to their peers are not exploiting or taking advantage or children or minors. Using laws that are designed to protect youth to prosecute them seems out of touch with the goals of child pornography laws. The media attention on the issue has caused a backlash against district attorneys who prosecute teenagers for sexting cases. Currently, U.S. legislators are working on legislation to make sexting a second degree misdemeanor for minors instead of a felony.

As our society continues to address this issue and adapt to the new ways teens are using technology to express themselves, it is important to remember that in most of these instances no one is being malicious. Teenagers make mistakes, but if no one is harmed why destroy their future? As a teenager, I also think it’s extremely important to keep youth engaged in the discussion about sexting. Without their perspective and side of the story, people are making decisions about an issue and topic they do not really understand. This is dangerous ground and poses a threat to cooperative efforts to try and reduce teen sexting.

Roller Derby: Strong Women, Strong Roles

Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania has recently become a proud sponsor of Pittsburgh’s only all-female flat-track roller derby league, the Steel City Derby Demons. The focus on strong, independent women makes an affiliation between these two great organizations a perfect fit.



If you aren’t familiar with the Steel City Derby Demons, let us tell you what all the fuss is about. They are currently ranked by WFTDA (The Women’s Flat-Track Derby Association) as sixteenth out of over 100 leagues nationwide. The SCDD consists of three teams. The Steel Hurtin’ is the A-team or varsity-level team. They play other top teams from around the nation such as Detroit, Philadelphia, Maine, and Houston. The other two teams, the B-Unit and the Blitzburgh Bombers, are the B-level teams. They play similarly matched junior-varsity leveled teams; most recently Toledo, West Palm Beach, and Rideau Valley from Ottowa, Canada.

The Steel City Derby Demons is a skater-owned and operated organization that was founded in 2006 by a group of hard-working women who wanted to get fit, make friends, and have fun. In addition to training to be top athletes in their sport, they also run every aspect behind the scenes. From building the website, to P.R. and marketing right down to renting the bouting venue and paying the bills, the roller girls do it all.

Today’s roller derby has eschewed the professional wrestling style of showmanship of the past to be reborn into a full-fledged highly competitive fast-paced sport. Nothing is faked here; although some of the flair from your mother’s roller derby has remained, such as the derby nicknames (‘Snot Rocket Science and Busty Brawler, to name a few) and the occasional pair of fishnet tights. Training for derby can be extremely grueling, and derby girls do it strictly for the love of the sport and that fleeting bit of glory to be snatched at the end of a victorious game. Roller derby is not a professional sport and no one gets paid.

Roller derby is played on a circuit track between two teams of roughly 12-14 players each. Four “blockers” from each team form the “pack.” It is their job to assist their “jammer” (or, point scorer) to pass as many of the opposing team’s blockers as they can in order to score points. At the same time, the blockers must also try and hinder the opposing team’s jammer from scoring points by blocking and checking her off of the track. Roller derby is unique in this way that offense and defense are played concurrently. This makes the game incredibly fast, with outcomes that can change on a dime.

Roller derby girls have often been portrayed as “counter culture” or “punk rock” in the media, but to try and categorize these women into such narrow stereotypes would be misleading. Members of the Steel City Derby Demons cover the whole spectrum when it comes to daytime jobs; examples of which are optometrist, lawyer, junior high school math teacher, nurse, graphic designer, and mother. However, the women of the SCDD and roller derby in general do share many qualities. They are strong, athletic, outgoing, energetic, and lots of fun, but they are definitely not all cookie-cutter copies. The SCDD celebrates diversity and the opportunity for women to lead extraordinary lives and hopes others can embrace those concepts too.


For more information about the Steel City Derby Demons, or to buy tickets, visit www.SteelCityDerbyDemons.com. Bouts are held every third Saturday of the month at Romp n’ Roll skating rink in Shaler off of route 8. Catch the next home bout on Saturday, April 17th, when the Steel Hurtin’ will play The Dutchland Rollers (Lancaster, PA) and Blitzburgh Bombers face off against the Dutch Blitz. Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania will have a table at this event.

Post by Planned Parenthood Volunteer and Steel City Derby Demon Heather Wood

Women's History Profile: Hatshepsut

Our own country has yet to elect a female president, but over three thousand years ago the Egyptian empire, one of the most powerful forces at the time, was ruled by a woman. Over the centuries, there were a number of female pharaohs, but Hatshepsut had the most successful rule of them all. Daughter of Thutmose I and married to Thutmose II, Hatshepsut became regent after her husband died. Thutmose’s son of another wife, Thutmose III, was supposed to take over as pharaoh when he grew older, but Hatshepsut declared herself pharaoh in 1473 BC. With the support of the important religious and political leaders and the people, she acted as pharaoh until 1458 BC.

Determined, brave and smart, Hatshepsut was a remarkable woman of the time. In order to maintain her standing the respect she received, Hatshepsut dressed as a male pharaoh, was called his majesty and wanted to be treated like a male. More than rejecting her sex and feminism, Hatshepsut was striving for equality and dignity which she achieved by being an extremely prosperous leader.

During her reign Hatshepsut maintained an era of peace and prosperity. By opening new trade routes, she increased the wealth in the region tremendously and caused innovations in architecture. The few military engagements that did occur during her rule were successful and lauded by the Egyptian people.

Under a cloud of mystery, the thrown eventually did pass to Thutmose III. The nature of the transfer is unknown as Hatshepsut disappeared from records in 1458. It may have been a hostile take over, or Hatshepsut may have died. After Thutmose III became ruler he literally wiped away Hatshepsut from the records, having her name, image and accomplishments chiseled off of walls, tablets and other records. Hatshepsut was literally written out of history but luckily enough information about her was preserved that people today know who she is.

This female pharaoh proved herself as a courageous, strong and good leader who was loved by her people. She survived being wiped out from history and deserves recognition today. Knowing this history may hopefully also influence the future. In the past our world has been lead by a number of powerful and great leaders including Hatshepsut who have proven their ability. If these women could have led empires thousands of years ago, the idea of a women leading our country as President should not be a radical idea.

Women's History Profile: Barbara Smith

In the world of discrimination, Barbara Smith has it all going against her. As a black lesbian she has been a victim of sexism, racism and homophobia, yet she doesn’t wither under this discrimination. Instead, she thrives as an activist and writer, especially in the context of black feminism.

Born in 1946, Smith grew up in segregated Cleveland and quickly realized how unfair the world really was. The Feminist movement in the 1960s drew her in, giving her a feeling of empowerment and a voice, but even in the women’s movement, Smith encountered racism that made her and other women of color feel unwelcomed. In response, Smith and others began to work with black feminism, a branch movement that recognized the connection between sexism, racism, classism and homophobia and was committed to work against all of them. Black feminism called for the liberation of black women and recognized their inherent value.

Smith had two very distinct projects that mark her activism in the black feminist movement. In 1977, she established the Combahee River Collective in Boston which became on of the most active and progressive organizations for black feminism. The Combahee River Collective Statement written by the group is an extremely important document for black feminism and defined identity politics. The statement proposed solutions to the many forms of discrimination people were encountering.

She also founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press as a publishing company for women of color who were usually ignored by mainstream publishers. Kitchen Table published political and literary works and was the first publishing company to ever be run by black women.

As a natural activist, Smith has not stopped working hard to end oppression and discrimination. She is currently continuing her activism in politics, working as a member of Albany’s City Council. Instead of choosing to accept her place in society, Smith fought for what she knew was right and fair.

BONUS: Barbara Smith attended the University of Pittsburgh for Graduate School started in 1971!!!

Women's History Profile: Betty Friedan

The modern feminist movement in the past fifty years has had its own goals. After achieving suffrage in 1920, women had succeeded in a major way for the cause, but forty years later society still maintained prominent gender roles and treated men and women differently in the work field. Betty Friedan (February 4, 1921 - February 4, 2006) was an American writer and activist whose work inspired the goals and ideals of modern feminism.

The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan’s most famous and recognized book, was published in 1963 and explained Friedan’s findings that women, especially middle-class suburban house wives, were undergoing an identity crisis, losing themselves in the gender roles society expected them to fulfill and the overwhelming poweress of their family. By conforming to the female ideal and limiting the development of their intelligence and employment, women were stifled and imprisoned. The message of the book, and Friedan’s claim that women were just as capable as men in any career spoke to women and got them yearning for change. The strong response The Feminine Mystique received helped create a transformation in the attitude women had toward their rights.

After her book became a bestseller and women around the country pined for change, Betty Friedan co-founded the National Organization for Women, NOW, in 1966 and served as the first president of the organization. Under her leadership NOW fought against sexual discrimination in the work force and openly supported the legalization of abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment. She stepped down in 1969 and began working on the Women’s Strike for Equality. This march, based out of New York City attracted tens of thousands of women. Pittsburgh became a part of the strike when four women participated threw eggs at a Pittsburgh radio station building. A DJ at the radio stationed had publicly dared women protestors to flaunt their liberation.

Once the strike ended, Friedan needed another project to work on and in the next five years founded the National Women’s Political Caucus, the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, and the First Women’s Bank and Trust Company. After achieving success on the abortion front with Roe v. Wade, Friedan focused the rest of her life on creating economic equality, giving women opportunities to succeed in the work force and receive the same compensation of men.

Betty Friedan was largely inspired by her mother, a strong women in her own standing, who worked as a writer in addition to acting as mother to support her family. The satisfaction her mother received from having a life and job outside of her own family, Betty’s mother was an example of why an independent identity is crucial to the well being of women. Betty used this idea in her writing and advocacy, and consequently inspired a whole new generation of feminists to fight for their rights. By writing about what she saw, Friedan gave a voice to a group of women that had been quieted by severe inequalities in society. When others began to use their voices, it became a loud scream demanding women’s rights and equality.

Women's History Profile: Margaret Cho

Just as a Disclaimer: this post was written by our crazy awesome blogging intern, Jodi and not by me!

“We have the power as woman to call ourselves beautiful.”

Margaret Cho, comedian, activist, fashion designer, writer and actress is on a mission. She wants to cure everybody of self-deprecation, make them realize just how beautiful they are. After her own self body image problems lead to eating disorders that almost killed her, Margaret Cho began to accept and love herself and her body and wants to spread that feeling to everyone. Recently, the concept of beauty, which she defines as “a feeling of goodness and happiness and that you don't have to change anything,” has become a central theme in her work. This past summer, she starred in the Lifetime sitcom, Drop Dead Diva, that centers on the idea of beauty and its context in society. Her passion in promoting self appreciation stems not only from her own personal experience, but her observations that society does not how to deal with women’s bodies, creating a constant sense of self criticism instead of appreciation and love.

Yet that mission is only the tip of the iceberg for Cho, who at forty-one years old has had a number of tours, records, DVDs, film credits and awards. One of the most successful comedians of the past two decades, Cho’s popularity exploded in the early 90s after becoming a hit on the college comedy circuit although she had been performing since she was 16. She quickly became the most booked comedian, doing over 300 shows in two years. Margaret Cho is a political comedian, recognizing activism as the very nature of herself. Her focus issues have been feminism, race, and GLBTQ rights.

For Margaret Cho, feminism is more than just a movement for equality, it is who she is, and she defines it on her own terms. “Feminism to me is like the oxygen that we breathe, it's so vitally important to life, because women ultimately make life happen, and so feminism is really a respect for living. It's a matter of respect for life and where life comes from and what life is and to respect women's rights and to respect women's wishes and what women want. And to respect the Earth and to really respect the planet and just respect life itself.” She’s an avid pro-choice activist and a huge supporter of Planned Parenthood.

As an Asian-American Cho is a strong advocate for racial equality and acceptance. In her comedy and blog she often comments on current race relations and hot topics of the day. Either with humor or wisdom, Cho can make larger issues and distant problems personal and understandable. She’s also been deputized as a marriage commissioner, and has performed a number of same sex marriages

Through her comedy and writing, Cho takes a stand on what she believes, not worrying about being controversial, raunchy or off color. Instead she’s just trying to be funny, make a solid joke, tell you what she thinks and then move on. By speaking her mind, standing up for women, their beauty and strength, Margaret Cho is a great example of a modern feminist. She makes you laugh, makes you think, and makes you feel beautiful.