forthegirls.info
The Issue
There are a lot of factors that impact mothers.
Take the time to learn and understand them.
Post Partum Depression
Across the world, about one in seven women develop postpartum depression, a medical condition that many women develop after giving birth. It includes uncontrollable feelings of sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion. PPD is being spread really fast across the world due to the increase in social media usage, lack of social support for mothers, and unhealthy lifestyle habits. If left unnoticed, PPD can spiral and become an ongoing depressive disorder leading to many issues within the mother, such as reluctance in breastfeeding, problems with bonding with their babies, and an increased risk of suicide. Many mothers that are on a low socioeconomic level suffer immensely from postpartum depression, as the stress of a newborn on top of the other stresses to make ends meet can be overbearing. In addition, when looking at the racial aspect of the matter, racial and ethnic minorities and foreign-born moms in the US are less likely to seek mental health care during postpartum, while needing it most.
The main way to reduce the rates of depression is to offer as much support to mothers as possible. This includes assisting women, both in physical and mental ways. For example, it would be beneficial to help women in need with their finances as it reduces a major burden. In addition, providing therapy to mothers who need it would also be very helpful as it gives them an opportunity to release stress from their lives.
“Moreover, another review involving 143 studies from 40 countries found a broader variety of PPD prevalence rates, ranging from 0.5% to around 60%” (Wang et al., 2021c).
Abortion Rights
In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court upheld a woman's constitutional right to choose abortion and other medical treatments on January 22, 1973. In June 2022, the Supreme Court repealed this constitutional right to abortion, making it illegal in many states. However, this choice has negatively affected women since abortion allows people to make their own financial and personal decisions. Despite being “pro-life,” banning abortion has not stopped abortions. Although many women still undergo abortions, they must do so in dangerous and illegal ways. Unregulated and unclean abortions can cause infection, bleeding, and organ damage. Since safe abortions have been taken away, many women still have little option but to get them. Removing this essential human right forces women to birth unsupportable children, which perpetuates poverty and hinders social and economic growth by restricting their educational and career chances. Some argue that surrogacy or adoption are always options. While this is true, these folks disregard the mental side. Many moms would struggle to give up their kid since their lifestyle or physique is unsuited to nurture them. This may induce these moms to keep their kid and nurture them in an unsuitable setting, which would harm both mother and child. In addition, many women are too ill to have children, thus denying women abortion is devastating. Therefore, the freedom to decide on an abortion would benefit all moms since it would allow them to make their own decisions based on what they think is best for them.
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To support abortion rights, one can donate to independent abortion shelters and those seeking abortion care, raising awareness and advocating for abortion rights in your community, and urging and petitioning for your lawmakers to act on abortion rights.
​Access and Education of Contraceptives
There are many issues regarding the limited access and education of contraceptives:
Limited Access: In highly populated and less affluent places in the world it is more difficult to have safe and effective contraceptives. This directly increases the rate of unsafe abortion and unwanted pregnancy which degrades the country's maternal health. Granting access to these 3rd world countries is difficult because of the wall built from economic differences.
Limited Education: In places in the world with strict governments like Russia education about contraceptives is limited. In turn the STI rates are much higher since the use of contraceptives is inhibited. STIs can even pass to baby witch affects not only women but the entire population.
Misinformation: The stigma behind contraceptives specifically oral birth control makes them look unappealing and causes women to pick having unsafe intercourse over the factual side affect of gaining weight. It is proven that contraceptives shots and implants can cause weight gain it it proven that birth control pills have no effect on the weight of women taking them.
Maternal Mortality
The Main Issue: Poverty during pregnancy makes it difficult for women to find adequate care that is affordable because of financial constraints, lack of insurance, limited transportation, and lack of education.
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Race: Both in the US and worldwide, Black women are the most disproportionately affected by maternal mortality. This is mostly caused by systemic racism and unequal access to quality care. In the UK, Afro-Caribbean and African women experience maternal mortality rates two and seven times higher, respectively, than Whites in the UK.
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Solutions: Many countries bridge the gap between SES, like Japan. There are several health care plans depending on one’s SES, and affordable, quality food to prevent obesity in mothers.​
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Due to COVID-19, maternal mortality in the US largely increased, and the healthcare system became further fragmented. In Nigeria, many maternal deaths are caused by toxic pollutants and a lack of healthcare infrastructure.
