Resolutions:

1) Be less angry.
2) No drinking when sad.
3) Cut back on smoking - oh wait, thanks to Gov. Perry and the $1.00 increase in cigarette prices this will be easy.
4) Save some money!

It's who, not what, you know - Opinion

It's who, not what, you know - Opinion

This opinion article is well written - he's an English senior. Narritive and edifying. Okay, and it's funny.

Raise Your Hand if You HAVEN'T Heard of Female Genital Mutilation.

Is there anyone out there raising their hand?

I first learned about female genital mutilation when I was a kid - about 12 - from 60 Minutes.

So since we all know about it, here are some links, starting with Wikipedia:
Different forms of Female Genital Mutilation

In 1998, the BBC wrote about how many untrained people were in charge of performing the operation.

NPR tell us about how an Atlanta Female Circumcision Case Stirs Concern

The BBC, again, reminds us the 'female circumcision' put women at risk for birth related problems, including obstruction and mortality.

And here's the WHO's PoV.

Maternal Mortality is determined as a pregnancy related death when pregnant or within 42 days of termination of the pregnancy.
An estimated 529,000 women die annually from maternal causes. For each woman who dies approximately 20 suffer injury, infection or disibilty.

So that is... 10 million women affected each year?

Most often women die because of post partum hemorrage, but along with that, sepsis, abortion related complications, obstructed labor (the same kind that causes Obstetric Fitsula), and even hypertansive disorders related with pregnancy.

Death could be prevented if obstetric care and equipment were available so that a C-section could be preferomed, or a hemorrage stopped.

Women at a higher risk have stunted height from malnutrition in childhood, are Anemic, or have undergone female genital mutilation. The same factors affect the survival rate of the child, resulting in an estimated 8 million infant deaths each year.


www.safemotherhood.org, "Maternal Mortality"

According to Reproline, Every Minute:

380 women become pregnant
190 women face unplanned or unwanted pregnancy
110 women experience a pregnancy related complication
40 women will have an unsafe abortion
1 woman will die from a pregnancy-related complication.

According to www.UNFPA.org, a woman living in sun-saharan Africa has a 1 in 16 chance of dying in childbirth or pregnancy. A woman in a developed nation's chance of mortality is only 1 in 2,800. Of those previously mentioned 529,000 deaths annually, 95% of those were in Africa and Asia.

UNFPA.org's suggestions for progress in reducing maternal mortality:

Meeting the existing demand for family planning services would reduce maternal deaths and injuries by 20 per cent or more.

According to reproductive health benchmark set by the ICPD+ 5, by 2005, at least 40 per cent of births should be assisted by skilled birth attendants where maternal mortality is very high, and 80 per cent globally.

Targets for the percentage of assisted births have been set at 50 and 85 per cent, respectively, by 2010, and 60 and 90 per cent by 2015.

Evidence shows that maternal mortality can be reduced without first achieving high levels of economic development. In fact, maternal mortality itself constrains economic development, because of its severe impact on the lives of young children, the family and society in general.