#and more women’s healthcare in the under funded and under research way

[abigailspinach]

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[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

The cost is set to go far beyond human suffering, yet almost five years into the pandemic, not only are there still no treatments for long Covid, there aren’t even any diagnostic tools – and we don’t seem overly interested in finding them.

The jig is up. People are catching on that “mild” Covid-19 may not be so mild, and that the mysterious lingering symptoms they’ve experienced after catching the virus, such as fatigue and brain fog, may just be connected. For others, this will be the first time that they put two and two together. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but strap in for what comes next.

Recently, RNZ ran a piece outlining the estimated $2bn per year economic cost of long Covid in New Zealand and signalling that further research would be needed to determine a more precise figure. The average reader would assume that this research is under way or has at least been planned and funded. Human suffering aside, such a hit to productivity would surely raise alarm bells across the political spectrum!

I say this solemnly: yeah… nah.

Almost five years into the pandemic, not only are there still no treatments for long Covid, there also aren’t even any diagnostic tools – and we don’t seem overly interested in finding them.

At present, a long Covid diagnosis relies on a patient finding a doctor with up-to-date knowledge, who will believe their symptoms, and who will spend time investigating further to rule out other possibilities. This mythical trifecta is out of reach for most people, particularly women, who are affected by immune conditions at far higher rates, but have their symptoms written off as hysteria; and Māori and Pasifika, who face barriers to healthcare, and have their symptoms written off as laziness. Obtaining accurate data on prevalence under these circumstances is simply impossible.

In this way, and several others, long Covid mirrors ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis), a brutally debilitating biophysical condition, though the oft misused term “chronic fatigue” doesn’t quite convey that. Around half of long Covid sufferers meet the criteria for ME/CFS, which by the World Health Organization’s scale has a worse disease burden than HIV/Aids, multiple sclerosis (MS), and many forms of cancer. But again, there are no treatments.

I suffer from ME/CFS myself. My illness predates Covid-19 and came on after an infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV). I went from a fit and active young man to debilitatingly sick and fatigued, with several unexplained symptoms.

Pre-pandemic there was estimated to be more than 25,000 people in New Zealand suffering from ME/CFS, and only one specialist in the country, working one day a week, who has since retired (well earned, bless her). For years I had been praying for any sort of diagnosis, even if it was bad, so that I could get on the path to recovery. I got the diagnosis – but for a disease with no path to recovery.

As the pandemic unfolded, patients and advocates in the ME/CFS community warned that a tsunami of disability was approaching. They were of course ignored, as they have been for decades, and are now joined by masses of long Covid sufferers facing the reality that the medical profession has no answers for them, except perhaps euthanasia.

Frustrated with my lack of options, I connected with cellular immunologist Dr Anna Brooks, who had become a leading expert on long Covid, so I assumed that her biomedical research would be well supported. Alas, she detailed the uphill grind that it’s been to gain traction compared to other countries, and that generous donations, usually from patients themselves, had been the driving force of funding.

Together we founded DysImmune Research Aotearoa, with the goal of developing diagnostic tools leading to treatment for post-viral illnesses like long Covid and ME/CFS. In layman’s terms, we collect blood samples, analyse differences in cells, and put together an immune profile. My priority is ensuring that Māori and Pasifika patients and researchers are at the table and taking action into our own hands.

We’ve made a small start, and we have some incredible collaborations lined up, with far-reaching implications for community health. We’re in the process of seeking partnerships to take things forward. The expertise exists, it’s here in New Zealand. Still, the barrier to progress across the research space is the urgency for resourcing. It is dire to say the least.

Without some long-term project certainty, it’s difficult to pull the necessary teams together. While study after study illuminates more horrifying long-term effects of Covid infections, and prevention has been completely abandoned, research and development for treatments for long Covid is tanking. The private sector is at the whim of the quarterly financial report, and with no guaranteed short-term profit in treating us, it has very little incentive to take the risk.

So, barring some philanthropic miracle, only government can fill this gap. Yet where Australia had set aside A$50m specifically for long Covid research, and the US Senate considers a billion-dollar long Covid “moonshot” bill, New Zealand has allocated nothing. We’re fast asleep at the wheel. No other country can determine how many of our people are impacted by post-viral illnesses. No other country can address our specific needs.

Since this government is focused on ambition, productivity and fast-tracking, I assume they’d want to be world leaders in research, warp-speed some projects, and get long Covid sufferers back into work, no? This is what we are calling for. Not surveys. Not “talk” therapy and positive thinking. Biomedical research.

Put the money down and commit to this. Seize this opportunity to right decades of neglect. There are tens of thousands of us fighting for our lives, and millions more around the world. You think it won’t be you, then after your next inevitable Covid-19 reinfection, it is, and you’re left to wonder why nobody stepped up.

Government, iwi and whānau ora groups, health organisations, philanthropists – reach out. Let’s work.

Rohan Botica (Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is a lived-experience researcher and co-founder of DysImmune Research Aotearoa.

[monriatitans]

Autism Speaks is the most popular autism research organization in the U.S. They have support from loads of autism moms and people who work with autistic kids. But they’ve had a very controversial past with attempts to raise awareness like the infamous “I Am Autism” and “Autism Every Day” videos. But they’ve also been criticized for using the puzzle piece logo, promoting applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and searching for the cure to “the autism epidemic.” Today we’re going over the many reasons (past & present) that Autism Speaks is trash. ___________________________________________________________________________________ 

I made a couple mistakes in the most recent video. 

I criticized Universal Healthcare + some people thought I meant I don’t support it at all. I am a socialist at minimum and in full support of universal healthcare. I left out the context of UK Do Not Resuscitate Orders on disabled people. I for some reason assumed everyone would know what I was talking about, and because of that I said it in a very misleading way. Firstly, the UK was accused of putting several disabled (autistic/learning disabilities) people on DNRs specifically in 2020/2021 during covid. Leaving that out made it seem like a current thing, I apologize for that. Secondly, this only allegedly happened. According to this report https://www.inclusionlondon.org.uk/wp... several disabled people responded to a survey saying they were put on DNRs or asked to sign them (when they shouldn’t have been). But we only have their word. It is not an objective fact that this happened, it’s just what disabled people say they experienced. The English NHS clarifies that this is not supposed to happen in this statement,https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronaviru... and says any of those questionable DNRs from 2020/21 were put under review. I apologize for not making that clear. I said Autism Speaks worked with Sesame St on creating Julia, which they didn’t. Autistic Self-Advocacy Network worked with them to create Julia, then left when Autism Speaks got involved later. The only mother in the video I was calling a bad parent was the one who talked about wanting to k*ll her daughter. The rest was a criticism of how autism speaks, framed the video, edited it, and what prompts they gave the moms to talk about. I should have made that more clear. 

Thank you for all of the support on the video, and especially thanks to the commenters who pointed out these flaws. This correction will appear as a pinned comment on the original video, a community tab post, and in the description of the video. ________________________________________________ 

BETTER ORGANIZATIONS: Autistic Women & Non-binary Network Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered Autistic People of Color Fund Autistic Self-Advocacy Network https://communicationfirst.org/ _________________________________________________________________ 

SUPPORT ME: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foster.the.... Cash App: https://www.cash.app/$fosterthefrog _________________________________________________________________ 

SOURCES: Autism Speaks Founders: https://www.autismspeaks.org/our-founder Autism Speaks Mission: https://the-art-of-autism.com/autism-... Autism Speaks Q&A: https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-s... Daughter’s Death Puts focus on toll of Autism: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...   Autism Speaks Budget: https://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/ Autism Genome Project: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16078... Forced Sterilization in the US: https://lawblogs.uc.edu/ihrlr/2021/05... Ivar Lovaas Feminine Boy Project: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article Non-Speaking Autistics on ABA Therapy: https://autisticstrategies.net/nonspe... Autism Speaks Interventions: https://www.autismspeaks.org/interven... Cure Autism Now: https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/fea Autism Speaks & AGRE: https://www.autismspeaks.org/about-agre Autism Genetic Research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Autism Speaks Research: https://www.autismspeaks.org/research Videos: Autism Every Day:   • Autism Every Day   I Am Autism:   • I Am Autism comme...   I Am Autism Transcript: https://autisticadvocacy.org/2009/09/...

[bethestaryouareradio]

Body Autonomy: The Effects of the Dobbs Decision and the Repeal of Roe vs. Wade

“There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.” - W.E.B Dubois

In this episode of Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio,  teen host, Hannah Sahota, passionately discusses the Dobbs Decision's repeal of Roe v. Wade and its profound implications for women's bodily autonomy. Providing a historical backdrop, she underscores the significance of landmark cases that paved the way for reproductive rights

The Roe v. Wade decision, a watershed moment in 1973, recognized the right to choose abortion as protected under the 14th Amendment's right to privacy. Hannah emphasizes the positive outcomes, including reduced maternal mortality and safer abortion practices.

Transitioning to the Dobbs Decision of 2022, she vehemently criticizes the conservative justices involved and condemns the resulting abortion restrictions in various states. Hannah raises concerns about the negative consequences, such as a potential surge in rape-related pregnancies and the exacerbation of health inequalities.

The host strongly challenges the pro-life stance, accusing conservative justices of prioritizing outdated ideals over women's rights. She advocates for comprehensive research on women's health and questions the empathy and understanding behind the pro-life position. Introducing "The Hotseat" to her segment, Hannah meticulously scrutinizes the backgrounds of Supreme Court Justices involved in the Dobbs Decision, exposing allegations, controversies, and potential conflicts of interest. The podcast also delves into the FBI's investigation into the People of Praise (PoP), revealing disturbing claims of abuse cover-ups within the Christian sect connected to Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Expressing frustration with the Dobbs Decision, Hannah calls for a reevaluation of the Supreme Court and urges the appointment of empathetic and transparent individuals to ensure a fair and unbiased justice system. This episode as voiced by a young woman serves as an earnest call to action for protecting women's autonomy, safety, and access to reproductive healthcare.

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[mirandamckenni1]

Liked on YouTube: A Closer Look at Autism Speaks || https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIvAbbVznl0 || Autism Speaks is the most popular autism research organization in the U.S. They have support from loads of autism moms and people who work with autistic kids. But they’ve had a very controversial past with attempts to raise awareness like the infamous “I Am Autism” and “Autism Every Day” videos. But they’ve also been criticized for using the puzzle piece logo, promoting applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and searching for the cure to “the autism epidemic.” Today we’re going over the many reasons (past & present) that Autism Speaks is trash. ___________________________________________________________________________________ I made a couple mistakes in the most recent video. I criticized Universal Healthcare + some people thought I meant I don’t support it at all. I am a socialist at minimum and in full support of universal healthcare. I left out the context of UK Do Not Resuscitate Orders on disabled people. I for some reason assumed everyone would know what I was talking about, and because of that I said it in a very misleading way. Firstly, the UK was accused of putting several disabled (autistic/learning disabilities) people on DNRs specifically in 2020/2021 during covid. Leaving that out made it seem like a current thing, I apologize for that. Secondly, this only allegedly happened. According to this report https://ift.tt/DgJ5GFP several disabled people responded to a survey saying they were put on DNRs or asked to sign them (when they shouldn’t have been). But we only have their word. It is not an objective fact that this happened, it’s just what disabled people say they experienced. The English NHS clarifies that this is not supposed to happen in this statement,https://ift.tt/rw0kEgf and says any of those questionable DNRs from 2020/21 were put under review. I apologize for not making that clear. I said Autism Speaks worked with Sesame St on creating Julia, which they didn’t. Autistic Self-Advocacy Network worked with them to create Julia, then left when Autism Speaks got involved later. The only mother in the video I was calling a bad parent was the one who talked about wanting to k*ll her daughter. The rest was a criticism of how autism speaks, framed the video, edited it, and what prompts they gave the moms to talk about. I should have made that more clear. Thank you for all of the support on the video, and especially thanks to the commenters who pointed out these flaws. This correction will appear as a pinned comment on the original video, a community tab post, and in the description of the video. ________________________________________________ BETTER ORGANIZATIONS: Autistic Women & Non-binary Network Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered Autistic People of Color Fund Autistic Self-Advocacy Network https://ift.tt/cg5fKzU _________________________________________________________________ SUPPORT ME: Instagram: https://ift.tt/OZ1EnQk Cash App: https://ift.tt/Gw14mhn _________________________________________________________________ SOURCES: Autism Speaks Founders: https://ift.tt/br4L078 Autism Speaks Mission: https://ift.tt/BYdPZyJ Autism Speaks Q&A: https://ift.tt/fy6wKJG Daughter’s Death Puts focus on toll of Autism: https://ift.tt/WQux6RG Autism Speaks Budget: https://ift.tt/6i8YQEP Autism Genome Project: https://ift.tt/becTr6F Forced Sterilization in the US: https://ift.tt/MaPe2uw Ivar Lovaas Feminine Boy Project: https://ift.tt/PmrZL5d Non-Speaking Autistics on ABA Therapy: https://ift.tt/P7UKj5Q Autism Speaks Interventions: https://ift.tt/0kK5jqv Cure Autism Now: https://ift.tt/eSjlQqs Autism Speaks & AGRE: https://ift.tt/zdgo79r Autism Genetic Research: https://ift.tt/cCKWwXB Autism Speaks Research: https://ift.tt/ywhd01z Videos: Autism Every Day: https://youtu.be/O0vCz2KWMM0 I Am Autism: https://youtu.be/9UgLnWJFGHQ I Am Autism Transcript: https://ift.tt/p2ImNiP

[sanemyamen]

Walking Assist Devices Market is Booming Worldwide | Gaining Revolution In Eyes of Global Exposure

Latest study released by AMA Research on Global Walking Assist Devices Market research focuses on latest market trend, opportunities and various future aspects so you can get a variety of ways to maximize your profits. Walking Assist Devices Market predicted until 2027*. Walking Assist Devices helps users to walk more efficiently based on the inverted pendulum model. These devices are designed to be used in walking therapy/training under the guidance of a doctor and/or therapist. As per the sources, 24 million Americans are unable to walk a mile in 15 minutes. Also, 18% of women and 9.6% of men aged over 60 years have symptomatic osteoarthritis. This rising occurrence of disabilities in walking is driving the demand of the market. Some of Key Players included in Walking Assist Devices Market are Invacare Corporation (United States),Ossenberg Gmbh (Germany),Besco Medical Co.,Ltd (China),Meyra Group S.A. (Poland),Sunrise Medical, Inc. (United States),Drive Medical (United States),Betterlifehealthcare Ltd. (England),Ottobock (Germany),Permobil Inc. (Sweden),Gf Health Products, Inc. (United States),Electric Mobility Euro Ltd. (United Kingdom),Comfort Orthopedic Co. Ltd (Taiwan),Levo Ag (Switzerland),Karma Health Care Ltd. (India),Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (India),Pride Mobility Products Corp. (United States)

Market Trends: Growing Technological Advancements & Product Leasing

Drivers: The Rise In The Elderly Population

Increasing Number Of Accidents Leading To Sever Leg Injuries

Increasing Demand for wheelchairs in Hospitals

Challenges: Availably of Low Cost Counterfeit Products

Opportunities: Prevalence Of Debilitating Neurological Diseases

Increasing Government Healthcare Expenditure and Funding

The titled segments and Market Data are Break Down by Type (Powered Walking Assist Devices, Manual Walking Assist Devices), Sales Channel (Online, Offline), Device Type (Gaits Belts & Lift Vests, Canes, Crutches, Walkers, Wheelchairs, Power Scooters), End User (Personal Use, Hospitals, Ambulatory Nursing Homes, Other)

Presented By

AMA Research & Media LLP

[tiapandayblogs]

What is the difference between Charity & Philanthropy?

https://childhelpfoundation.in/blog/assets/images/posts/philanthropy-31-01.jpg

The major difference between charity and philanthropy is that charity is more perceived as being an emotional, immediate response whereas philanthropy is more strategic and built on rebuilding. On a similar note, Charity aims at relieving the pain of a particular social problem whereas Philanthropy focuses on addressing the root causes of the problem.

An excellent example of charity would be the distribution of painkillers to malaria-affected patients. On the other hand, in the same scenario, a philanthropic organization would sponsor the education of the people in the affected areas and support medical research teams in finding a cure for malaria. Charity is giving, whereas Philanthropy is acting and changing a system for a better world.

The best way to describe the difference between charity and philanthropy is by using a very common phrase, "Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime".

Here is a list of the top five Charitable Trusts in India:

Child Help Foundation (CHF): Child Help Foundation (CHF) is a pan-India non-profit, non-governmental organization, that is registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950, in the year 2010. They are a child-centric organization that works holistically to cater to the development of all the factors that directly or indirectly affect children. They work in alignment with the adopte Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. It functions for us as a roadmap to bring effective change in society. Emergency Medical Support, Swastha se Shiksha Tak, Mini Science Center Projects, Baby Feeding Centers, Roti Ghar Program, Village Development Program, and Humanitarian Relief are among the most effective initiatives that we have implemented.

Child Rights and You (CRY): Recognized as India’s most trusted NGO, Child Rights and You (CRY) works tirelessly to ensure happier and healthier childhoods for India’s underprivileged children. CRY addresses children’s critical needs of healthcare, nutrition, education, and protection from child labor and child marriage by working with parents, teachers, Anganwadi workers, communities, district and state-level governments, and the children. In the last 42 years, CRY has impacted the lives of over 3 million children across 19 states in India.

Smile Foundation: Smile Foundation is an NGO based in New Delhi, India. It was established in 2002 and was in 25 states across India. As of 2017, the Foundation reaches approximately 4 lakh children and their families. The Smile Foundation aims to provide free quality education to underprivileged, marginalized children. Their development program targets sectors like education, health, livelihood for women, etc. Some of their programs are Smile on Wheels, Mission Education, and Smile Twin e-learning.

Give India Foundation: Give India is a non-profit, non-governmental organization in India. It is an online donation platform and aims to provide channels and resources to trusted non-governmental organizations across India. As a web portal, it helps raise funds and contributions from individuals in India and worldwide and then distributes these donations to trusted NGOs.

SEEDS: The full form of SEEDS is the Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society. SEEDS is a 26-year-old organization that is active across India and Nepal. The goal of SEEDS is to protect the people exposed to disasters. Their dedicated team partners up with local and central governments, companies, and other nonprofits to reach out to families affected by earthquakes, floods, cyclones, climate emergencies, and pandemics. SEEDS specializes in disaster preparedness, disaster response, and rehabilitating homes and community infrastructure.

On a concluding note, Charitable Trusts or Philanthropic Institutions both work on the overall development of the society, region, and the overall country. We as a child-centric organization work holistically towards the betterment of all

Source - https://childhelpfoundation.in/blog/posts/What-is-the-difference-between-Charity-Philanthropy

[pro-birth]

It’s so manipulative and toxic how women have to scramble over themselves to assure their “appreciation” for birth control’s part in “sexual liberation” whenever they mention issues with BC. If a disclaimer is not made on a post discussing BC problems, then people hound it for being “unrealistic” or “ungrateful” or even just plain sexist, all because BC is a sacred cow that can never be criticized for the sake of women’s equity.

Like, no, women were not liberated by birth control: they still got discriminated against for being pregnant, still got sexually harassed, still got raped by their husbands, still endured bad sex because “clitoris” is a bad word (and BC can interfere with sexual pleasure), etc. Discrimination still happened, and we’re still reckoning with the failure of our previous generations.

So many problems got swept under the rug because pregnancy and fertility were made the scapegoat for women’s problems. “You’re not getting hired/accepted into school/respected as a political force because you get pregnant -- take this pill with serious consequences for your health and social well-being, and you’ll finally be free of your own biology!!!”

Really????

Being able to safely avoid a pregnancy is absolutely a part of women’s health, and having access to safe, holistic methods even more important. Being able to make an informed decision on all options available is important. I am not against those things. So don’t even come at me thinking I hate pregnancy prevention and safe access to it.

But that is NOT what women have, even in first world nations in many ways, because not ALL of their options are available. Way too few doctors know about ALL options for family planning (such as fertility awareness based methods), and they also discount women’s voices concerning issues with birth control.

The birth control industry not only has a strong monopoly over women’s health (which influences what medical professionals learn in school), but also has a long racist, sexist history that still harms people today. Side effects of birth control are only just now being taken seriously and research is still pending! After 70 fucking years of treating women like guinea pigs whose health and sexuality is considered second to sexual availability to men! This is the liberation we fought for???

This doesn’t even get into how options for menstrual/reproductive issues like endo or PCOS don’t go beyond “use potent artificial hormones” unless you want a baby, and even then the mainstream fertility treatments are also subpar. Safe and effective non-hormonal birth control and fertility health options exist, but they are NOT common, and it is BECAUSE of the birth control industry’s grip on medicine that they are not more accessible. It is BECAUSE of the devaluation of female biology that BC has caused that women’s medicine suffers. I’m supposed to shut up and lie about how awesome it is that we have birth control for this????

And not only that, but family rights in the workplace and in academia are still a battle being fought today because women are expected to not only use birth control or get an abortion to remain unpregnant in that sexist environment, but to also overwork and overburden themselves to act like they don’t have kids at home to take care of if they want to barely keep up with their childless compatriots. Smoke breaks? Cool! Wanting a stool to sit on while heavily pregnant when working check out lines? Wow you obviously don’t take your job seriously, no raises or job security for you! This is something I am being pressured to celebrate???

There was even a recent article on how breastfeeding Olympians are being told that they can’t take their nursing babies with them to compete (which thankfully was overturned). We’re still acting like women’s biology and their motherhood are subpar and unnecessary, we still have to pressure and waste energy on convincing sexists that we deserve accommodation. In 2021. Because birth control made fertility the problem and potent hormonal casrtration the solution. You really want me to sit there and force a smile for this shit????

Could you imagine how different things would have turned out if fertility awareness were normalized in medicine rather than hormonal methods? If simply not marrying, or abstaining from sexual activity, were also normalized as options? If doctors were given the same funding and support for researching female biology rather than how to suppress it? Would our societal treatment be different? Would our medical care have been decades ahead from how it is now? Would there be less generational trauma for BIPOC women who were subjects of deadly BC trials? Would it have helped with gender relations in the bedroom, schoolroom, workroom?

We don’t know, we can’t know, because even today, our biology is regarded with minimal regard, if not contempt: BECAUSE OF BIRTH CONTROL’S MONOPLY ON OUR BODIES AND HEALTH. You want me to claim I should be grateful for that shit???

I won’t be “””thankful””” for birth control unless birth control becomes a discussion and invitation to ALL methods of family planning and reproductive medical options, and does NOT treat ovulation, pregnancy, and birth like a disease and malformation of female biology. I’m not going to apologize for saying so, because the only thing that bootlicking does is gloss over the very real harms BC has caused.

I will not be thankful for birth control until it’s part in the medical, sexual, and social subjugation of women is finally admitted to and addressed effectively for real changes. Even then, it still won’t be my cup of tea and I am NOT obligated to pretend that I am “grateful” for it.

If you feel the same, then reblog and share your stories. Don’t be silent for the comfort of others. Women need to get their voices back without the demand for “apologies.”

And before someone bitches about how privileged I am to say this when women in third world countries are dying from lack of contraception access: look up neo-imperialism’s effects on forced birth control and eugenics in those countries. Read the stories of women who were told IUD was their only option, who were refused access to fertility awareness, who were unable to get healthcare when they got horrible side effects from their BC, and/or were unable to have their implant removed because the clinic demanded money for it. Like I said: we don’t owe birth control SHIT if this is how it’s used against women.

[sokos]

Different forms of biphobia according to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission - "Bisexual invisibility"

For reference WMSMW means women who have sex with men and women, and similar for men.

❝ Bisexuals experience high rates of being ignored, discriminated against, demonized, or rendered invisible by both the heterosexual world and the lesbian and gay communities. Often, the entire sexual orientation is branded as invalid, immoral, or irrelevant. Despite years of activism and the largest population within the LGBT community, the needs of bisexuals still go unaddressed and their very existence is still called into question. This erasure has serious consequences on bisexuals’ health, economic well-being, and funding for bi organizations and programs. [...] Despite the overwhelming data that bisexuals exist, other people’s assumptions often render bisexuals invisible. Two women holding hands are read as “lesbian,” two men as “gay,” and a man and a woman as “straight.” In reality, any of these people might be bi―perhaps all of them. The majority of research lumps data on bisexuals under “gay” or “lesbian,” which makes it difficult to draw any conclusions about bisexuals and skews the data about lesbians and gay men. “Thus any particular needs of bisexuals are eclipsed and conflated. Only a handful of studies separate out bisexuals and/or report on their bisexual-specific findings. Fewer compare bisexuals to people who are not bisexual.” [...] Bisexuals find themselves erased in history. Many famous people―such as Marlene Dietrich, June Jordan, Freddie Mercury, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Walt Whitman―have been labeled as lesbian or gay for their same-sex relationships, yet their long-term relationships with different-sex partners are ignored or their importance minimized. This disrespects the truth of their lives for the sake of a binary conception of sexual orientation. It also makes it more difficult for bisexuals just coming out to find role models. This historical erasure also extends to activists. Rather than acknowledging the decades of hard work bisexuals have done in the LGBT movement, many gays and lesbians have accused bisexuals of trying to “ride their coattails.” In fact, bisexuals have often been leaders in the movement. In just one example, it was a bi woman, Brenda Howard, who organized the one-month anniversary rally in honor of the Stonewall uprising. Then a year later, she organized a march and celebration that turned into New York’s annual pride parade and inspired countless other pride celebrations around the world. [...] Often, the word “bisexual” shows up in an organization’s name or mission statement, but the group doesn’t offer programming that addresses the specific needs of bisexuals (see the chapter on organizations and programs serving bisexuals). Even when an organization is inclusive, the press and public officials often fall back on the “safety” of saying just “gay and lesbian.” There is even a growing trend of talking about the “gay, lesbian, and transgender” movement. But words matter. Invisibility matters. Bisexuals find themselves excluded in other ways as well.

Bisexual invisibility is one of many manifestations of biphobia. Others forms of biphobia include:

- Assuming that everyone you meet is either heterosexual or homosexual.

- Supporting and understanding a bisexual identity for young people because you identified “that way” before you came to your “real” lesbian/gay/heterosexual identity.

- Automatically assuming romantic couplings of two women are lesbian, or two men are gay, or a man and a woman are heterosexual.

- Expecting a bisexual to identify as gay or lesbian when coupled with the “same” sex/gender.

- Expecting a bisexual to identify as heterosexual when coupled with the “opposite” sex/gender.

- Believing that bisexual men spread HIV/AIDS to heterosexuals.

- Believing that bisexual women spread HIV/AIDS to lesbians.

Thinking bisexual people haven’t made up their minds.

- Refusing to accept someone’s self-identification as bisexual if the person hasn’t had sex with both men and women.

- Expecting bisexual people to get services, information, and education from heterosexual service agencies for their “heterosexual side” and then go to gay and/or lesbian service agencies for their “homosexual side.”

- Feeling bisexuals just want to have their cake and eat it too.

- Assuming a bisexual person would want to fulfill your sexual fantasies or curiosities.

- Thinking bisexuals only have committed relationships with “opposite” sex/gender partners.

- Being gay or lesbian and asking your bisexual friends about their lovers or whom they are dating only when that person is the “same” sex/gender.

- Assuming that bisexuals, if given the choice, would prefer to be in an “opposite” gender/sex coupling to reap the social benefits of a “heterosexual” pairing.

- Assuming bisexuals would be willing to “pass” as anything other than bisexual.

- Believing bisexuals are confused about their sexuality.

- Feeling that you can’t trust a bisexual because they aren’t really gay or lesbian, or aren’t really heterosexual.

- Refusing to use the word bisexual in the media when reporting on people attracted to more than one gender, instead substituting made-up terms such as “gay-ish.”

- Using the terms phase or stage or confused or fence-sitter or bisexual or AC/DC or switch-hitter as slurs or in an accusatory way.

- Assuming bisexuals are incapable of monogamy.

- Feeling that bisexual people are too outspoken and pushy about their visibility and rights.

- Looking at a bisexual person and automatically thinking of her/his sexuality rather than seeing her/him as a whole, complete person.

- Not confronting a biphobic remark or joke for fear of being identified as bisexual.

- Assuming bisexual means “available.”

- Thinking that bisexual people will have their rights when lesbian and gay people win theirs.

- Expecting bisexual activists and organizers to minimize bisexual issues (such as HIV/AIDS, violence, basic civil rights, military service, same-sex marriage, child custody, adoption, etc.) and to prioritize the visibility of “lesbian and/or gay” issues.

- Avoiding mentioning to friends that you are involved with a bisexual or working with a bisexual group because you are afraid they will think you are a bisexual.

The implications of bi invisibility go far beyond bisexuals wanting to feel welcome at the table. It also has a significant impact on bisexuals’ health. Here are just a few examples from recent largescale studies :

Writing the rest under Read More...

- Bisexual people experience greater health disparities than the broader population, including a greater likelihood of suffering from depression and other mood or anxiety disorders.

- Bisexuals report higher rates of hypertension, poor or fair physical health, smoking, and risky drinking than heterosexuals or lesbians/gays.

- Many, if not most, bisexual people don’t come out to their healthcare providers. This means they are getting incomplete information (for example, about safer sex practices).

- Most HIV and STI prevention programs don’t adequately address the health needs of bisexuals, much less those who have sex with both men and women but do not identify as bisexual.

- Bisexual women in relationships with monosexual partners have an increased rate of domestic violence compared to women in other demographic categories.

In the 1980s and 1990s, bisexuals were vociferously blamed for the spread of HIV (even though the virus is spread by unprotected sex, not a bisexual identity). However, a 1994 study of data from San Francisco is also worth noting: it found that at that time, bisexually identified MSMW (men who have sex with men and women) weren’t a “common vector or ‘bridge’ for spreading HIV from male partners to female partners due to high rates of using barrier protection and extremely low rates of risky behavior.” Yet scapegoating continues. Sometimes it is explicit, as in the misleading hysteria about men on the “down low” infecting unsuspecting female partners, particularly in the African-American community. Other times, the negative message is communicated in subtle ways. For example, in the 2008 San Francisco Department of Public Health HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Annual Report, MSMWs are not mentioned at all, their data most likely absorbed into information about MSMs. The only time the word “bisexual” appears is as an infection source for heterosexual women.

In a 2010 study using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from Washington State, Compared to lesbians:

Bisexual women had significantly lower levels of education, were more likely to be living with income below 200% of the federal poverty level, and had more children living in the household.

- Bisexual women were significantly less likely to have health insurance coverage and more likely to experience financial barriers to receiving healthcare services.

- Bisexual women were more likely to be current smokers and acute drinkers.

- Bisexual women showed significantly higher rates of poor general health and frequent mental distress, even after controlling for confounding variables.

Although we have some information about the health of bisexual people and of men and women who have sex with more than one gender, there is still much that we do not know. It is important for researchers to employ methodologies that group bisexuals together, or that group together people who have sex with partners of more than one gender; rather than only the more common practice of grouping gay and bisexual men or lesbian and bisexual women together, never separately examining attributes of and needs of the latter. Why? Because bisexual women’s issues are not always the same as lesbian issues, even for bisexual women who only have sex with partners of the same gender or for "lesbian-identified" women who have sex with men as well as women. Bisexual men’s issues are not always the same as gay male issues, even for bisexual men who only have sex with partners of the same gender or for gay-identified men who have sex with women as well as men. Likewise, heterosexuals’ issues are different from those of bisexuals, even among heterosexually-identified MSMW and WSMW. Why would health issues be different for people who share similar lived experiences but use different sexual orientation labels? Some of the issues would be similar, including some concerns related to sexual health. But because of biphobia and bi-invisibility, which affect bisexuals on an immediate, personal level, bisexuals may have very different health experiences. These differences may result from increased stress and experiences of discrimination in general, and/or more specifically from experiencing biphobia from healthcare providers.

There are health issues that are specific and generalizeable to bisexuals as a group and health issues that are specific and generalizeable to people who have partners of more than one gender as a group. This literature review shines a spotlight on specific challenges related to HIV and STI prevention among bisexuals, WSMW, and MSMW. Unfortunately, existing research on this topic is scarce. Much of it lumps bisexuals into either “lesbian” or “gay male” categories, making it difficult to draw any conclusions about bisexual health. Data on bisexual women’s sexual health is less prevalent than men’s, particularly data on WSMW. Additionally, not all researchers take into consideration whether their study participants identify as bisexual, MSMW, WSMW, or something else. It is important to recognize that many, if not most, bisexual people do not come out to their health care providers or to researchers due to judgments that silence, stereotypes that shame, and assumptions that erase bisexual identity. When a woman is partnered and says she is using birth control, there may be an automatic assumption that she is monogamous and heterosexual. A man in a same-sex relationship is assumed to be gay and therefore not in need of information about sex with women. When a man says he is married or partnered, there are often no subsequent questions asked about other sexual partners. Health care providers need to become aware of how to serve this often-overlooked community and its unique concerns, looking at a patient’s sexual behavior rather than simply a patient’s sexual identity

Little information is available about female sexual health, especially in regards to WSMW. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health 1998 is a perfect illustration. The report featured statistics about both the male and female study participants, all of whom were receiving treatment for HIV. However, the researchers identified all women as simply “women,” with no sexual orientation descriptors. In contrast, the men in the study were categorized as either gay men, bisexual men, or heterosexual men. One study that actually does highlight bisexual women’s health is a 1996 study by Cochran and Mays, which found that bisexual women are more likely than lesbians to use latex or plastic barrier protection for oral sex with women. More recent research [found], like Cochran and Mays, that among WSW and WSMW, having larger numbers of female partners is positively correlated with having vaginal infections, specifically bacterial vaginosis, trichomonas vaginalis, and herpes.

In a study published in 2003, Ciccarone et al. reports that 40 percent of HIV-positive gay and bisexual men have had sex without disclosing their HIV status to their sexual partners, usually within the context of a “casual dating” or a nonexclusive relationship. The study does not distinguish between its gay and bisexual participants, which makes it impossible to extrapolate data specific to the bisexual cohort. Nevertheless, HIV prevention programs working with HIV-positive clients should take relationship context into account when discussing disclosure and behavior. Crepaz and Marks studied safer sex practices and disclosure of status to partners, among HIVpositive men. They found no differences between men who have sex with women (MSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), and MSMW regarding which group was more likely to practice safer sex techniques and/or disclose serostatus to their partners. Unfortunately, their reporting confuses these groups (MSW, MSM, and MSMW) with sexual orientation identities

Case et al. found that bisexual women were twice as likely to have never given birth compared to heterosexual women. However, among women who had given birth, bisexual women were twice as likely as heterosexual women to have done so during their teenage years. Not giving birth may put bisexual women at greater risk for ovarian and endometrial cancers, and teenage pregnancy also has health implications

In 1996 Cochran and Mays published a study that analyzed sexual behavior and HIV risk among young lesbians and bisexual women. Participants were recruited at gay pride events, potentially excluding bisexual women who are in different-sex relationships and who socialize in heterosexual communities. The researchers found that, while the overall majority of women do not use barrier protection during oral sex with women, those participants who do use barriers during oral sex with women are most likely to identify as bisexual. Despite that finding, Cochran and Mays reported that “high-risk sexual experimentation… is most likely to occur among teenagers who do not yet consider themselves to be lesbians.” It is important to note, however, that bisexual identification is not necessarily transitional, simply “experimentation,” or a teenage phase. Researchers should be aware of unintentional implications that bisexually-identified clients are not “yet” gay or lesbian and/or are necessarily engaging in high-risk behavior.

Cheryl Dobinson and colleagues explain that disclosure is important for bisexual clients for many reasons, including: "…the desire to be seen as a whole person, with bisexuality being part of who they are, to increase comfort levels and understanding, so proper diagnoses can be made and relevant information given, so providers can be sensitive and understanding to the issues being faced, for appropriate resources referrals, and generally because it is important for mental health and emotional wellness". Clients who experience homophobia, biphobia, or ignorance when dealing with health care providers may not receive appropriate information about sexual health, with some physicians “equating bisexuality with having multiple partners, not receiving appropriate information about safer sex with male and female partners, voyeurism, inappropriate jokes or comments, bisexuality being seen as the problem, and being told that you’re either gay or straight.” For example, women who identify as lesbian to their health care provider may not be given any information on safer sex techniques with men because it may be assumed that the client’s only sexual activity in the past and in the future is solely with women. This kind of misinformation has especially devastating effects on youth who are just beginning to explore their sexuality. Bisexual youth are becoming sexually active without being provided with the information they need to responsibly and safely engage in sexual activity. ❞

Bisexual people also experience economic discrimination based on their sexuality, lack of institutional support, and other forms of biphobia. You can read more about these stats and surveys by clicking on the link above.

[beauty-grace-outer-space]

What exactly did the Obama term justices do for poor people or the black community? Can you name something or did they just dress cool? Obama is a war criminal.

Hi there. I’m going to be really honest, I’m surprised you sent this non-anonymously. So I’m going to cover a few things here...

1. Why are you talking about Obama? The issue right now is Trump and McConnell. 

2. I’m not really going to answer your question because (and I’m not talking to you anymore, but) when people send questions like this, dear followers, they don’t want answers. They’ve made up their mind. They could do the research if they want to, and they won’t. 

Now, if they had asked nicely, I would be happy to talk about the Affordable Care Act, and the healthcare provisions that the Obama administration put forward for lower-income citizens. I’d love to discuss the protections they put in place for lower-income housing, as well as the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), the Administration’s cornerstone foreclosure prevention program, and the anti-discrimination laws and protections they set. up. We could talk about The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and how under Obama they reduced their annual mortgage insurance premiums, and increased the loan amount available for families to buy homes.       I’d have lots to say on President Obama’s JumpStart Our Business Start-up (JOBS) Act resulted in a major shift in securities laws that meant the emancipation of capital for minority and women-owned businesses, and the ways that he helped free up laws around crowdfunding so that individuals and small companies could raise funding to kickstart their companies and products. We could definitely talk about My Brother’s Keeper, an organization Obama founded to specifically focus on improving the lives of young African American males which raised $200 million in five years for programs focused on young men of color. We could talk about how Obama added over 44 million jobs (the majority of which Trump has lost due to mishandling the coronavirus) and his initiatives to get long-term unemployed citizens back to work. We could talk about his legislation to help make college more affordable, and to allow more grant funding for students. We could discuss how in 2013, the administration announced it would set fees on Small Business Administration loans to zero, and the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 which narrowed the penalty for minor drug offenses, and the task force he established in 2015 to roll back the use of certain military equipment by local police—a Black Lives Matter related demand. We could talk about The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) which were expanded to encourage work and help low-income parents afford the costs of raising a family, providing about 16 million families a year with a tax cut averaging $900.  We could talk about how Obama signed an executive order requiring federal contractors to offer their employees up to seven days of paid sick leave per year.

We can talk about how he fought to have Congress raise the federal minimum wage.  We can talk about all of this, and so much more!! I would LOVE to. 

But for now, the issue is that Trump-- a literal fascist-- is president, and with the passing of RBG (may her memory be a blessing), he’s in a position to stack the Supreme Court which would change the leaning of the highest justice system in the land for a generation. Not to mention that Mitch McConnell said in 2016, when Obama proposed a nominee in March, that it was “too close to an election” to hold a vote on a presidential nominee to the Supreme Court, but is now saying they will hold a vote on Trump’s pick as soon as possible (with 45 days to the election).  So instead of nitpicking about the people who aren’t currently holding political positions of power, let’s do something about the ones who are.  Call your senators. Demand that they hold off the vote until after the election. Honor RBG’s last wishes.  Capitol Switchboard:  202-224-3121 Find your representatives. 

Finds your senators.  Oh yeah, and @tamxmaxt? (Talking to you again, now). Shut the fuck up. 

[westcoastcure99]

The Hemp Community and Healthcare Marijuana Controversy

Hashish is also acknowledged as pot, grass and weed but its formal recognize is really hashish. It comes from the leaves and flowers of the plant Hashish sativa. It is regarded as an unlawful compound in the US and a whole lot of countries and possession of marijuana is a legal offense punishable by regulation. The Fda classifies cannabis as Program I, substances which have a truly large possible for abuse and have no confirmed overall health-connected use. Much more than the several years several scientific studies assert that some substances found in hashish have medicinal use, particularly in terminal illnesses this form of as most cancers and AIDS. This commenced a intense dialogue over the execs and downsides of the use of wellness treatment cannabis. To settle this discussion, the Institute of Medicines unveiled the well-known 1999 IOM report entitled Cannabis and Medicine: Assessing the Science Foundation. The report was comprehensive but did not give a extremely obvious minimize confident or no answer. west coast cure The reverse camps of the wellness-associated hashish situation usually cite portion of the report in their advocacy arguments. Nonetheless, even even though the report clarified many items, it never ever at any time settled the controversy following and for all. Allow us research at the concerns that support why wellness care cannabis should be legalized. (1) Cannabis is a typically taking place herb and has been utilised from South The usa to Asia as an natural medicine for millennia. In this doing work day and age when the all regular and organic and organic are vital wellness buzzwords, a normally taking place herb like marijuana may possibly be considerably far more fascinating to and safer for customers than synthetic drugs. (2) Marijuana has effective therapeutic future. Several scientific studies, as summarized in the IOM report, have seen that cannabis can be employed as analgesic, e.g. to manage pain. A pair of investigation confirmed that THC, a marijuana factor is successful in dealing with extended-phrase distress skilled by most cancers individuals. Nonetheless, reports on acute discomfort this type of as individuals skilled for the duration of surgery and trauma have inconclusive scientific studies. A quantity of research, also summarized in the IOM report, have demonstrated that some cannabis variables have antiemetic residences and are, for that purpose, efficient towards nausea and vomiting, which are frequent facet implications of most cancers chemotherapy and radiation remedy. Some scientists are particular that cannabis has some therapeutic possible from neurological conditions this type of as several sclerosis. Distinctive compounds extracted from cannabis have sturdy therapeutic feasible. Cannobidiol (CBD), a crucial ingredient of marijuana, has been demonstrated to have antipsychotic, anticancer and antioxidant homes. Other cannabinoids have been revealed to quit huge intraocular anxiety (IOP), a key threat aspect for glaucoma. Drugs that include energetic components current in cannabis but have been synthetically made in the laboratory have been accredited by the US Fda. One particular certain instance is Marinol, an antiemetic agent indicated for nausea and vomiting linked with most cancers chemotherapy. Its energetic part is dronabinol, a synthetic delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). (3) A solitary of the major proponents of medical marijuana is the Cannabis Protection Undertaking (MPP), a US-largely based firm. Numerous wellness-connected specialist societies and businesses have expressed their support. As an circumstance in position, The American Faculty of Physicians, suggested a re-evaluation of the Plan I classification of cannabis in their 2008 area paper. ACP also expresses its robust help for evaluation into the therapeutic placement of cannabis as properly as exemption from federal jail prosecution civil liability or specialist sanctioning for physicians who prescribe or dispense well being treatment marijuana in accordance with condition regulation. In the exact same way, protection from lawful or civil penalties for clients who use health care hashish as permitted underneath point out policies. (four) Wellness treatment marijuana is legally employed in a good deal of designed international areas The argument of if they can do it, why not us? is one more robust stage. Some nations around the world, which includes Canada, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Israel, and Finland have legalized the therapeutic use of cannabis under stringent prescription control. Some states in the US are also enabling exemptions. Now listed here are the arguments from health care hashish. (one) Deficiency of understanding on security and efficacy. Drug regulation is based mostly on defense extremely 1st. The safety of marijuana and its factors even now has to really initial be set up. Efficacy only comes next. Even if hashish has some useful effectively being outcomes, the advantages should outweigh the hazards for it to be considered for healthcare use. Except if of course hashish is verified to be much better (safer and a whole lot much more powerful) than prescription drugs at current obtainable in the market place area, its acceptance for wellness treatment use could be a extended shot. According to the testimony of Robert J. Meyer of the Place of work of Wellness and Human Vendors getting accessibility to a drug or medical treatment method, without having comprehension how to use it or even if it is successful, does not advantage any individual. Merely possessing receive, without getting simple basic safety, efficacy, and sufficient use data does not aid victims. (two) Unfamiliar chemical elements. Wellness care hashish can only be easily offered and cost-effective in herbal type. Like other herbs, cannabis falls underneath the classification of botanical goods. Unpurified botanical items, even so, come across many difficulties such as entire lot-to-great offer regularity, dosage perseverance, efficiency, shelf-daily daily life, and toxicity. In accordance to the IOM report if there is any long term of cannabis as a drugs, it lies in its isolated areas, the cannabinoids and their artificial derivatives. To totally characterize the distinct factors of cannabis would cost so considerably time and income that the expenditures of the medicines that will occur out of it would be way way too higher. At current, no pharmaceutical firm appears fascinated in investing income to isolate significantly a lot more therapeutic parts from cannabis earlier what is beforehand supplied in the market place place. (a few) Attainable for abuse. Hashish or hashish is addictive. It may possibly not be as addictive as difficult prescription drugs this type of as cocaine even so it can't be denied that there is a probably for content abuse related with marijuana. This has been revealed by a amount of reports as summarized in the IOM report. (four) Deficiency of a protected provide program. The most recurrent type of shipping and delivery and delivery of cannabis is by way of cigarette using tobacco. Considering the current tendencies in anti-making use of tobacco legislations, this kind of shipping will by no means be acknowledged by well becoming authorities. Reliable and protected supply plans in the sort of vaporizers, nebulizers, or inhalers are even now at the screening stage. (five) Symptom alleviation, not mend. Even if cannabis has therapeutic outcomes, it is only addressing the indicators of specified ailments. It does not manage or treatment method these conditions. Presented that it is efficient towards these signs and symptoms, there are at the moment medicines obtainable which work just as correctly or even better, with out possessing the side consequences and threat of abuse associated with cannabis. The 1999 IOM report could not settle the discussion about health care marijuana with scientific proof available at that time. The report certainly discouraged the use of smoked cannabis but gave a nod in direction of marijuana use by means of a overall health-connected inhaler or vaporizer. In addition, the report also suggested the compassionate use of hashish under rigorous well being care supervision. In addition, it urged much more funding in the examine of the basic protection and efficacy of cannabinoids. So what stands in the way of clarifying the inquiries released up by the IOM report? The overall well being authorities do not search to be fascinated in getting an additional assessment. There is limited details supplied and no subject what is supplied is biased in the direction of safety difficulties on the adverse repercussions of smoked hashish. Data presented on efficacy largely arrive from study on artificial cannabinoids (e.g. THC). This disparity in info tends to make an objective threat-benefit evaluation challenging. Medical scientific scientific studies on cannabis are variety of and hard to perform many thanks to constrained funding and rigid guidelines. Owing to the reality of the challenging legalities involved, truly handful of pharmaceutical businesses are investing in cannabinoid investigation. In a lot of scenarios, it is not apparent how to define healthcare cannabis as advocated and opposed by a number of teams. Does it only refer to the use of the botanical items hashish or does it consist of artificial cannabinoid components (e.g. THC and derivatives) as correctly? Artificial cannabinoids (e.g. Marinol) offered in the market are extremely expensive, pushing gentlemen and women toward the significantly more cost-effective cannabinoid in the kind of hashish. Of education system, the worry is additional clouded by conspiracy theories involving the pharmaceutical sector and drug regulators.

[msclaritea]

"Trump supporters say, 'We suffered 8 years under Barack Obama.' Fair enough. Let’s take a look. 

The day Obama took office, the Dow closed at 7,949 points. Eight years later, the Dow had almost tripled.

General Motors and Chrysler were on the brink of bankruptcy, with Ford not far behind, and their failure, along with their supply chains, would have meant the loss of millions of jobs. Obama pushed through a controversial, $80 billion bailout to save the car industry. The U.S. car industry survived, started making money again, and the entire $80 billion was paid back, with interest.

While we remain vulnerable to lone-wolf attacks, no foreign terrorist organization has successfully executed a mass attack here since 9/11.

Obama ordered the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.

He drew down the number of troops from 180,000 in Iraq and Afghanistan to just 15,000, and increased funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

He launched a program called Opening Doors which, since 2010, has led to a 47 percent decline in the number of homeless veterans. 

He set a record 73 straight months of private-sector job growth.

Due to Obama’s regulatory policies, greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 12%, production of renewable energy more than doubled, and our dependence on foreign oil was cut in half.

 He signed The Lilly Ledbetter Act, making it easier for women to sue employers for unequal pay. 

His Omnibus Public Lands Management Act designated more than 2 million acres as wilderness, creating thousands of miles of trails and protecting over 1,000 miles of rivers. 

He reduced the federal deficit from 9.8 percent of GDP in 2009 to 3.2 percent in 2016.

For all the inadequacies of the Affordable Care Act, we seem to have forgotten that, before the ACA, you could be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition and kids could not stay on their parents’ policies up to age 26. 

Obama approved a $14.5 billion system to rebuild the levees in New Orleans.

All this, even as our own Mitch McConnell famously asserted that his singular mission would be to block anything President Obama tried to do. 

While Obama failed on his campaign pledge to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, that prison’s population decreased from 242 to around 50. 

He expanded funding for embryonic stem cell research, supporting ground breaking advancement in areas like spinal injury treatment and cancer. 

Credit card companies can no longer charge hidden fees or raise interest rates without advance notice.

Most years, Obama threw a 4th of July party for military families. He held babies, played games with children, served barbecue, and led the singing of “Happy Birthday” to his daughter Malia, who was born on July 4. 

Welfare spending is down: for every 100 poor families, just 24 receive cash assistance, compared with 64 in 1996. 

Obama comforted families and communities following more than a dozen mass shootings. After Sandy Hook, he said, “The majority of those who died today were children, beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.

”Yet, he never took away anyone’s guns.....

He sang Amazing Grace, spontaneously, at the altar.

He was the first president since Eisenhower to serve two terms without personal or political scandal. 

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

President Obama was not perfect, as no man and no president is, and you can certainly disagree with his political ideologies. But to say we suffered? If that’s the argument, if this is how we suffered for 8 years under Barack Obama, I have one wish: may we be so fortunate as to suffer 8 more.

"by Teri Carter, Lexington Herald-Leader

People who have underestimated Obamacare won’t remember what it was like before, but I do. Year in and year out, people asked when the government would do something about Healthcare. Up to then, the parties would give and take bits without much movement. As an aside, someone recently said ‘why would a a country ever completely give free Healthcare or Education, since those are two perks they use to replenish Military ranks?’ Seriously, that is a pretty entrenched tradition for us to get passed. Many countries operate the same way.

Barack went further than any President had since Eisenhower in giving the country it’s first major Healthcare package, and I would bet he went as far as he did because he hoped someday, that Americans would realize as a whole that they deserved it. There was an article years ago that predicted that in trying to get rid of Obamacare, the Republican party would destroy itself. I’d like to find them and tell the writer that were pretty spot on.

[irispublishersmedicaljournals]

Iris Publishers-Open Access Journal of Clinical & Medical Sciences

Authored by  Mohammad Kamrujjaman* IntroductionDown syndrome (DS) is a genetic condition that results in some level of learning disability and a particular range of physical characteristics. Learning disability can affect a person to learn very new things into their every aspect of their life including at school [1]. Therefore, children with DS can have difficulty in learning new things, understanding information, communicating properly, confronting a complex situation, and/ or coping independently. In addition of learning disabilities, children with DS may have various kinds of health-related problems such as CHD (Congenital Heart Disease), vision problems, hearing loss, infections, hypothyroidism, blood disorders, poor muscle tone, sleep disorders, gum or dental problems, epilepsy, digestive problems, mental and emotional problems, and so on [2]. Hence, a different type of supporting services like educational, emotional, financial, recreational rather than medical services is needed for dealing with DS children. DS can be detected from mother’s womb to after birth. There are many screening programmes which can be carried out during pregnancy. During this screening programme, every mother should get proper guidelines and idea about what to do if the outcome is positive or negative. Education can be provided to the children with DS either at special school or mainstream school according to the parent’s desire or the present condition of that child. As children with DS have associated health problems as well as they require special care, their parent’s may face financial problem to look after them. Therefore, children with DS require supporting services from being their mother’s womb till lifelong. United Kingdom is a country of 63,136,000 populations. Among them, almost 60,000 people are living with DS as every year one in every 1000 babies are born with this condition [3]. Unfortunately, Bangladesh does not have studies to say how many people are suffering from the chromosomal disorder like a DS. But some organizations who work with children with DS has estimated that about 200,000 individuals are suffering from DS in Bangladesh, this estimation has been made based on the global trend that one in every 800 children born with this chromosomal abnormality though. The children with DS begin to get their services from a different type of health care providing institutions as prenatal screening and diagnostic test. Supporting health care services can be public funded and/ or private hospital, clinic, and diagnostic centre. As the prenatal screening or diagnostic test is to be done on the pregnant woman, therefore proper, realistic, unprejudiced knowledge about the test should be provided to them before going to test. Thus, prenatal screening and diagnostic test is related to health care providing institutions, health care providers, professionals and services provided information about test and DS, and government policies. Therefore, this study will be looked at all the services regarding prenatal and diagnostic test both in UK and Bangladesh in order to compare their services. Mother of a child with DS may face various problems when she noticed that she has given birth a child with DS. Yildirim et al. [4] state that this situation exposes mothers to intense stress and emotional problems such as denial, anxiety, anger, guilt, unexpected crisis, avoidance of facing external world’s attitude, disappointment, decrease in selfconfidence and self-respect. As individuals with DS have associated medical problems, so referral and getting access to specialized professionals according to their problems need to be done. Supporting services may take useful steps to do this. Specialized education and interventions can greatly benefit children with DS [5]. All children place a financial burden upon their parents because of their special needs for therapy, toy, medical procedures, and additional care. Except for financial supporting services, it may be difficult for a nation without universal health care systems in order to raise a child with DS. The research will explore the services for the children with DS and their families which are provided by the both UK and Bangladesh in order to get a comparison study. By exploring the services, the research will be looked at the gaps, advantages, disadvantages, similarities between these two countries’ services and trying to find out the potential reasons which are lie to know the present condition of the supporting services which are mostly used and accessed by the children with DS ages from 0 to 18 years and their families. Literature ReviewPre-natal diagnosis for down syndromePrenatal diagnosis can be done in two ways- one is called prenatal screening test and another is a prenatal diagnostic test [6]. In 2001, the UK National Screening Committee recommended that all pregnant mothers are offered to screen for DS [7]. Some studies [8,9] have concluded that due to lack of proper knowledge about screening can make a pregnant woman to make decisions for either invasive testing or termination. Midwives, GP, paediatricians can provide information about screening, test, and its outcome. The study, which was conducted by the Hwa et al. [10] concluded that trained counsellors improved the women’s knowledge about the test and encouraged informed choice. Nagle et al. [11] concluded that detailed information about specific testing could increase the knowledge and satisfaction of pregnant women. Unfortunately, Bangladesh does not have any provision for prenatal screening as well as test for detecting DS antenatal. Bangladesh government has just started a pilot project in 2012 for detecting the number of an individual is being disabled [12]. Therefore, services like health institutions (public or private or charity) and its staff (Midwives, Doctor, Nurses, Healthcare Assistants and so on), and public or electronics media could take part in spreading knowledge to the society, particularly to the pregnant women about DS and its outcome and what they should do after getting a baby with DS.Post-natal diagnosis and supportThe children with Down syndrome can be diagnosed immediately after birth by observing some distinctive features on baby’s countenance [13]. Children are usually under the care of a paediatrician from birth, who will screen for heart defects and watch out for any other health risks known to be associated with Down syndrome [14]. DS child may be checked more often than other children to pick up developing problems as early as possible [1]. In the UK, health visitors visit every new born baby’s house routinely to observe baby’s developmental progress. According to babies’ development, they provide essential information to the parents. Children with DS shows weaning problems, delayed teething, dry skin, temperature control abnormality, sleep problems, unable to hold breast and improper toileting [15]. More than 70 percent of the population in Bangladesh currently lives in rural areas [16]. However, the Bangladesh Government and Non-government organizations are trying to strengthen the public health sector by taking some initiatives. It must be recognized that Bangladesh has a well-structured health system with three tiers of primary health care as Upazila Health Complexes (UHC) at the sub-district level, Union Health and Family Welfare Centres (UHFWC) at the Union (collection of few villages) level, and Community Clinics (CC) at the village level and these are backed by the District Hospitals providing secondary level care and the tertiary hospitals of various kind in large urban centres [17]. In addition, Shishu Bikash Kendra (Child Development Centres) has been established in district hospitals and these centres in government tertiary medical colleges perform early assessment and diagnosis for children identified with potential disabilities including DS and they also treat disabilities and offer training and support for parents which are now located in 10 government medical hospitals, 3 in Dhaka and 7 outside and also plans call for replication in all 17 government hospitals and 20 district hospitals [18].Emotional supportAll the mothers having a child with DS had shown a negative reaction about their child’s condition and made them shocked and fearful. Although several participants described the various resources and emotional support like support from medical staff, parents of DS children, charity organizations were significant for the coping of adjustment process with DS children [19]. The Down’s syndrome Association in UK provide all kinds of emotional support to the parents of DS children. ‘Contact a Family for a Disabled Child’ is another charity organization that provides emotional support to the parents of DS children. There are many regional DS groups in the UK which provide emotional support to the parents of DS children [14]. In contrast to UK, there is no either public or private emotional support service in Bangladesh which could potentially provide emotional support to the disabled children or their families. Although, there is one centre named Shishu Bikash Kendra (Child Development Centres) situated in some government tertiary medical colleges which provide some sort of emotional support and training to the parents who have a disabled child including DS [18]. Beside this, there are some NGO’s provide emotional support to the parents, for example; Handicap Bangladesh, Muslim Aid etc. Due to lack of emotional support, people with disability and their family believe that it is their fate and disabled children are inferior to able-bodied children and disabled children do not have right to participate in any socio-cultural activities [17]. As a consequence, the family may keep their disabled children away from society and sometimes disabled children considered as family’s burden as they are unable to earn money for their family. In Bangladesh, a survey conducted in rural areas shows that emotional problem was the most embarrassing problem where 50% respondents stated that they are hated and avoided by the well-bodied peoples as a consequence about 50.4% respondents don’t participate in any community activities [17].Referral to the specialist professionalsSpecialist professionals (Cardiologist, Endocrinologist, Physiotherapist, Occupational therapist, Speech therapist, Psychologist, Educator, etc.) are necessary for children with DS in order to deal with their problems as they show many problems. In the UK, every person has got a family doctor called as General Practitioner (GP) with free of cost [6]. The However, general practitioner is responsible for dealing with children’s daily health issues and health visitors visit family homes in the early years to check on children’s health and development. They provide help, advice and practical assistance about the care of very young children, child development, sleep patterns, feeding, behaviour and safety [20]. Paediatrician usually refers a DS child to ear, nose and throat consultant (ENT consultant), audiologist, cardiologist/ cardiac surgeon, neurologist, ophthalmologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, oncologist, physiotherapist (PT), occupational therapist (OT), speech and language therapist (SALT). PT, OT and SLT provide essential support, advice and information to the parents as well as to the children at home or at hospital or clinics and the rest of the specialists which mentioned above are usually provide necessary support at the hospital [20]. In Bangladesh, specialized rehabilitation services for disabled children are provided by the Government under the direction of the Ministry of Social Welfare (MOSW) and by non-government organizations (NGOs) [18]. “Hope for Life”, “Muslim Aid Bangladesh”, “Centre for Rehabilitation of the Paralysed’ are some of the known NGO’s working with disabled children in Bangladesh to provide the rehabilitation services like physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy. Jatiyo Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation (JPUF) has established 68 onestop service centres in 64 districts by the favour of Ministry of Social welfare and the World Bank for the children with disabilities to provide essential advice, physiotherapy, occupational or speech therapy, assistive device, mobility or hearing or vision aids and referral to specialist professionals with free of cost [21].Education for children with down syndromeWeakness and strength of DS children in the educational context: One major difficulty of most children with DS demonstrate is in language development. Laws & Bishop [22] reported that the language abilities of children with DS were significantly compromised in comparison to their non-verbal cognitive level. Rosner et al. [23] compared the social competence of individuals aged 4 to 49 with DS, Prader-Willi syndrome or Williams’ syndrome. Nevertheless, when compared to their typically developing peers, children with Down syndrome are typically more likely to demonstrate behavioural difficulties, such as non-compliance and stubbornness [24]. Therefore, proper educational strategies, intervention, and skilled teachers and supporting staff can educate a child with DS.Inclusive education for children with DS: Successful inclusive schools describe the crucial significance of parents’ participation in the process of their child’s inclusive education. Baker et al. [25] indicate from three meta-analyses that a small-to-moderate positive effect of inclusive education exists in terms of social and academic outcomes for children with special needs. Research has found that learners with learning difficulties who attended inclusive classrooms did not show high levels of loneliness and that a remarkable increase was evident in the number of reciprocal relationships that they formed [26,27]. In the UK, the Code of Practice defines the essential framework of Government guidance on the treatment of children with special educational needs. Department for Education and Department of Health [28] has set out a number of ‘fundamental principles’ in the Code of Practice. In the UK, LA’s responsible for SEN services that provide support for children in the family home, at nurseries and playgroups and in a range of school settings. There is virtually no access to preschool education in Bangladesh for children with disabilities, except for programs designed and implemented through non-governmental organizations. For example, BRAC and Save the Children’s have run a project since 1997 known as preschools or early childhood programs that serve children with disabilities. These programs has been serving to children at the “pre-primary” level, which includes children ages 5 to 6 or 7 years of age [29].Financial support for children with DSExisting studies indicate that mother’s possibility to work outside at home may be decreased if she has a disabled or sick child [30,31] and father’s work hours can be reduced due to looking after a disabled child Therefore, financial support either from government or charity or private organization can be helpful for the parents having a Down syndrome child in order to meet their child demands as well as they can provide enough time to look after their children. In the UK, a wide range of financial assistance is available for the parents of a disabled child including Down syndrome and anyone can be eligible to have those aids. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in UK is responsible for providing all types of benefit. Anyone can claim for getting Disability Living Allowance (DLA) if he has a child under-16 with disability [32]. DLA is a tax free benefit which is usually paid every 4 weeks. The rate DLA is made up of 2 components (parts) namely; care component and mobility component. The weekly rate varies from £21.80 to £82.30 depends on how disability or health condition affects one’s daily life. In addition, if anyone needs financial help in order to meet their essential needs then they can contact with the financial advisors of Down Syndrome Association, which is a charitable organization works for the welfare of the family and children with DS. On the other hand, Bangladesh government provides allowance only to an insolvent person with disability. This allowance programme has been started from 2004-2005 budget sessions with 24.99cores BDTK [33]. This budget has now reached to 240.00 cores BDTK in 2014 - 2015. An individual with disability would get 200 BDTK per month in the beginning of this allowance programme which was in 2004-2005 session. Now it has increased to 500 BDTK per month for a person [12].Social support for children with DS and their familiesDunst et al. [34] defined social support as being a multidimensional construct that includes physical and instrumental assistance, sharing of information and resources, and as providing emotional and psychological support. Therefore, the summation of these above definitions provided the definition of social support as emotional, psychological, financial, institutional, informational support which can come from family members, friends, teachers, any public or private institutions, and professional states. In the UK, local authorities (LA) provide essential support, advice and help to the disabled children and their parents in order to meet their needs [20]. Parents or disabled children do not even need to do register to get the support from LA. It is a programme which is arranged in a way by which children with disability can develop their personal and social progress as well as parents can get some rest from their caring responsibilities [35]. Social workers can provide practical help, advice, information and support to get access into the supporting services for all disabled children or their parents or even whose do not have internet access or unable to browse or unaware of ‘local offers’. Apart from those public social supporting services, the UK has a lot of private or charitable organizations which provide social support both to the parents and disabled children. ‘Contact a Family’ runs a helpline for family members and parents to get in touch with other parent carers of disabled children living nearby [36].MethodologyBangladesh and United Kingdom were selected for the literature review. The literature review was the main source to justify the following research questions. These are:a. What health services are available for children with DS?b. Is there any emotional support service receivable by the parents having children with DS?c. Is there any educational service for educating children with DS?d. What financial support is available for the children with DS and their families?The literatures were collected from many sources such as websites, international or national organizations, public and private organization’s published report, provision and strategies, e-books, journals, articles and books. It is a social science research method refers to the analysis of documents that contain information about the phenomenon one wish to study [37]. Here, phenomenon refers to the services existing both in Bangladesh and UK to provide support for the children with DS and their families. Documents present a good source of text data [38]. The literatures related to DS children aged from 0-18 years and their families were selected for review. The literatures were mainly collected from two countries - Bangladesh and United Kingdom in order to answer the research questions as this research doing a comparison of services providing by these two countries for the children with DS and their families. A number of computer and electronic sources were used to identify studies relevant to the research questions. These included Willey Online Library, PubMed, Google Search, Google Scholars, Government websites, International and National organization’s website, Non-government organization’s website, Private and charity institution’s website. Beside electronic database, manual searching of literature were used to answer the research questions. Ethical consideration is very important for undertaking a social research. Therefore, ethical approval for this present research had to be sought and gained from the University of South Wales Faculty of life Sciences and Education Research Committee. The author also has checked that all the documents had sought for ethical approval. It is sometimes assumed that secondary or documentary analysis of data raises a few or no ethical considerations. However, therefore the researcher will be reliant on the consent that is being gained on the literatures.FindingsThe principal purpose of this present research was to compare the services which are provided by the both UK and Bangladesh for the children with DS and their families. The present research has also identified some potential reasons which may help to better understand the services and supports most needed and accessed by the children with DS and their families. These are described below:Government provisions and servicesIn the UK, the National Screening Committee advises ministers and the NHS of four UK countries about all aspects of screening and supports the implementation of screening programmes including DS screening [39]. The purpose of this screening is to offer all women a screening test for DS and to provide information so that they are able to exercise informed choice. Having this opportunity provided by the UK Government, all the pregnant women in this country can make an independent choice about their proceeding pregnancy, whether to considers termination or planning for the welfare of their child. This Government provision increases knowledge and understanding of the UK pregnant women about DS than the Bangladeshi pregnant women who are completely unaware of the DS condition. The public running school for disabled children are very limited as well as there is virtually no access to pre-school education in Bangladesh for disabled children. Only two Government schools for intellectually disabled children are obviously not enough for educating the entire disabled children including DS. Lack of enough public funded educational institutions, deficiency of inclusive educational settings is the main problem in getting proper education of the DS children in Bangladesh. However, the amount is good enough to meet the daily expenses of an individual as it varies from £21.80 to £ 82.30 weekly [32]. Whereas in Bangladesh, Government allowance is only given to the insolvent disabled individual. If any disabled children belong to a solvent family then he will not be eligible to get this allowance in Bangladesh. The allowance is only 500 BDTK per month (500 BDTK= 6.43 USD) which is too less for maintaining living expenses in anywhere in Bangladesh. Although, the allowance has increased from 200BDTK to 500 BDTK per month [12] but it is still not enough. Therefore, Bangladesh Government needs to focus on raising the public fund regarding disabled children and their families. In contrast to UK, there is no public organization or agency in Bangladesh for providing any kind of social support. Having no social support, the family often sees the disabled children as a burden [18] as well as most of the disabled children are socially isolated and anxious about their disability [17]. Therefore, deficiency of Government provision concerned with social support, recruitment of social worker and joined up working among different stakeholders are identified as the gap between these two countries regarding to social support.Private or charity or non-government organization’s servicesThere are a lot of charity organizations in the UK, which deal with the DS children and their families. Some of these charity organizations either work with the DS children or their families. These charity organizations are mainly run by the donation. These charity organizations have a lot of branches and a lot of workers all over the UK. They provide information, support, services, and advice from the birth of a disabled child till their entire lives. Unlike UK, the NGO in Bangladesh provide services to the disabled children after their born. There are no public services concerned with specific emotional support in the UK. However, private or charity organizations are playing the main role of providing emotional support to the parents of DS children in UK. The parents of a disabled child in UK can easily contact another parent having a child with disability through the charity organizations websites or phone call and can share their feelings, experience, emotions. Apart from this, these organizations have special advisors for providing emotional support through consultancy with free of cost. Here, literacy and availability of internet offer them to get access into these sources easily and quickly. Unfortunately, there are no services either public or private which could provide emotional support to the parents of a disabled child in Bangladesh. Due to lack of emotional support, the parents of a disabled child make them socially isolated, often see their disabled children as their burden and even it may lead parent’s separation [17]. There are 40 schools (units/branches) that provide special education and vocational training and other programs for children with intellectual disabilities, in addition to the National Institute for the Intellectually Disabled (NIID) and the BRAC schools. It is clear that Bangladesh Government does not have any authorised agency or body as LA’s in UK which can monitor all the school activities and also transparent that NGO’s are the main providers in Bangladesh for educating the disabled children, unlike UK. Most of the charity organization has a financial advisor who provides essential information to the parents of disabled children in order to get proper and accurate financial support from the Government. Anyone can get social support from any charity organizations either with the help of social workers or by phone call or doing registration over the internet. Compared to UK, Bangladesh has some namely financial support providing NGO’s. There is even no social support providing service except one that is situated in the capital of Bangladesh.Trained professionals and staffA major problem is the lack of skilled and trained personnel to support inclusive practices and training in behaviour and classroom management techniques in Bangladesh. Obstacles include low job satisfaction for primary school teachers due to poor salaries and high student-teacher ratios, high numbers of staff vacancies, rising workloads, low levels of awareness about disability and sensitivity to children with disabilities, limited technical support for inclusive education, and lack of monitoring to ensure policies are carried out [18]. The shortage of trained professionals and staff has also seen as a problem in the health sector of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Health Watch has concluded that Bangladesh suffers from shortages and misdistribution of staff, a skill mix imbalance, a negative work environment and a weak knowledge base all of which impact the availability and quality of health services received by children with disabilities [40]. Qualified practitioners constitute a low percentage of all health care providers and the country lacks sufficient numbers of doctors, nurses and health technologists according to WHO standards and averages for low-income countries [41]. Unlike Bangladesh, the UK has 2.8 physicians per 1000 people [42] as well as total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2013) is 3,311 [3]. These statistics confirmed that the UK Government spends too much money behind the health sector including training of health sector professionals and staffs regularly.Literacy and usage of internetStromquist [42] states that literacy skills are fundamental to informed decision-making, personal empowerment, active and passive participation in the local and global social community. These statistics show that almost half of the population in Bangladesh cannot read and write. Due to a lack of empirical support, it is not possible to estimate the exact number of literate parents having children with disabilities. It is assumed that about half of the families with disabled children are not literate; therefore almost half of the population does not know about their rights and responsibility which they supposed to have from Government and other sectors. This statistic also shows that most of the people in the UK have access to the internet. For this reason, every Government and charity organizations provide every kind of information about their services through their websites. Therefore, children with DS and their families can get any kind information whether it is related to health, education, finance, emotional and social support from the internet very easily and quickly. Unlike UK, internet usage by the population 15 years and over has showed that only 1.49% used internet at the national level, and the corresponding figures were 2.00% for males and 0.97% for females while in the rural areas, only 1.13% used internet (1.52% males and 0.73% females) compared to 2.61%, 3.50% and 1.72% for both gender in the urban areas [43]. If any Bangladeshi service providing agency would provide their information through the internet then it would not probably be reached to the entire population whether or not related to disabilities. Therefore, Bangladesh Government should take a step to provide education in all areas as well as further study should be carried out to recognize the proper media in order to provide information about DS.Management and co-ordinationManagement and coordination mechanisms have been established at different levels to support planning, monitoring and cooperation within the Bangladesh Government and among NGOs and parents [18] Whereas in the UK, Section 25 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on local authorities that should ensure integration between educational provision and training provision, health and social care provision, where this would promote wellbeing and improve the quality of provision for disabled young people and those with SEN [28]. Furthermore, under the Section 26 of the Act, the Local authorities and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) must make joint commissioning arrangements for education, health and care provision for children and young people with SEN or disabilities. Therefore, only one governing body as LA’s are responsible for ensuring that there is effective coordination and management among all the sectors. The Bangladesh Government could overcome from their management and coordination problem if they had only one governing body which would deal with the disability-related all sectors as UK has LA.Access to servicesLack of accessibility is to be a major barrier to use of services which are available for children with disabilities in Bangladesh. Public transportation also presents barriers to accessing services and schools, especially for wheelchair users who cannot ride buses and trains independently. An Infrastructural barrier is also one of the key obstacles for the inclusion of children with disabilities in education. Lack of accessible toilets also forces many children to drop out of school, especially girls. Leonard Cheshire Disability [44] states that It has been noted that in many cases in developing countries like Bangladesh, disabled children especially girl children do not go to school since they are unable to use the toilet facilities. Infrastructural accessibility in the school buildings and overall accessible environment is required for children with disabilities. When there are no access roads, and transportation then it becomes very challenging for a child with disability and their families to get proper services in Bangladesh. On the other hand, all the services in the UK related to health, education, finance, emotional and social support for children with DS and their families are easy to get access. The children with DS and their families do not often need to go to the hospitals or rehabilitation centres for getting proper health services as health visitors monitor the developmental progress of a child at a regular basis in the UK. Finance, emotional and social service can also get easily by the parents with DS children with the help of the social worker who is available in every location of the UK. The Government of Bangladesh has introduced some initiatives to improve the situation concerned with disability; for example, Executive Order from the Office of the Prime Minister, 2002 highlighted a number of activities to reduce barriers to public transportation, The 2010 Education Policy addresses inclusion of children with disabilities, and the Comprehensive Early Childhood Care and Development [45].ConclusionIt has found that there are many gaps between these two countries public service providers for children with DS and their families. A lack of Government provision, insufficient health service centres, transportation of babies to get proper health services, lack of enough public funded educational institutions, deficiency of inclusive educational settings, shortage of public funds, deficiency of Government provision concerned with social support, and recruitment of social worker were identified as the main gap which are lying between these two countries. Lack of trained staffs and teachers has found as another gap between these two countries schools concerned with DS children. Although, Bangladesh has less trained SEN professionals and staffs in every sector, unlike UK. Bangladesh is far away from UK in term of literacy and usage of the internet. Illiteracy and lack of using internet has made Bangladeshi populations especially children with DS and their families unaware about DS and its outcome and uncertain about existence of services available for them. Lack of accessibility is another major barrier to use of services which are available for children with disabilities in Bangladesh. Many schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centres, Government offices are not accessible to children with disabilities due to the location. Therefore, public transportation is the only way to get access to those organizations. Due to high transportation cost, poor families are unable to afford. In addition, the infrastructures of schools are not disabled friendly in Bangladesh, unlike UK. Almost all the schools are disabled friendly in the UK and most often the children with DS and their families do not need to go around for getting proper services from different stakeholders. When there are no access roads, schools and transportation, trained and enough professionals and staffs, and proper management among stakeholders then it becomes very challenging for children with Down syndrome and their families to get proper services in Bangladesh.

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A Modest Proposal for the Modern World

   It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great nation, or travel to others, when they see the streets, the roads, and tenement-doors crowded with gig-workers of all kinds, found in three’s, four’s, or six’s, all in thrift-store-bought clothes, and refreshing LinkedIn every five minutes.  These ... adults, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood and advance their careers, are forced to employ all their time searching for four hours labor to pay interest on student loans and rent on run down boarding houses, instead of being accountants, designers, speech-writers, historians, and musicians.

   I think it is agreed by all parties, that this prodigious number of underemployed adults is due in no small part to the prodigious number of unintentially old adults, who, through no fault of their own, have lived far beyond what was once believed to be the natural life span of a man, and who, through their own mismanagement, have not the savings or security to retire the field and spectate on the great game that is our magnificent capitalist economy; and therefore whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of making these old adults give up their postings and leave for the young and hungry the incomes of their posts would deserve to have his statue made of finest stone and his placard inscribed in gold.

   But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for the old adults still reaping the benefits of their postings for the fifth decade: it is of a much greater extent, and shall take in the whole number of adults past their seventy-third birthday, who now take safety and surety from the young either by holding on to positions of monetary reward or by claiming public benefits for more than one decade.

   As to my own part, having turn my thoughts for many years, in between looking for gigs of my own, upon this important subject, and maturely weighted the several schemes of our projectors, both government and private, both liberal and conservative, I have always found those projections to be grossly mistaken in their conclusions.  It is true, an aged man requires less food, space, and amenities than a young one, but the aged men I see do in fact elect to use more than even three young men!  And I see no harm in allowing a period of years, certainly no more than ten, for a man to relax and enjoy the fruit of his labors while he still has strength of limb to do so.  But it is precisely when this strength fails him, when all his prodigious wealth is turned to pills and potions and prolongings, that I propose he should instead think of how he might contribute to the betterment of society.

   There is likewise another advantage to my scheme, that it will prevent that slow spiral and decay that all fear and which many know as The Long Goodbye: the loss of memory, of fellowship, of freedom that makes of a man a shell of who he once was.

   The sheer number of souls in this land being usually reckoned upwards of 100 million, of these I calculate there may be 15 million so-known aged adults, from whom I would subtract two million as those who live with family and instead of being burdensome instead provide support in the form of cooking, child-care, cleaning, and other non-economic benefits, but this being granted, there will remain 13 million aged adults.  The question therefore is, how this number shall be brought to see the common sense of their retirement, which, as I have already said, under the present situation of affairs, is utterly to blame for the stagnation and infantilization of the young adults of the nation.  For the young can neither gain entry to those fields for which they have been trained nor advance if they were lucky enough to receive an entry level position, often requiring a minimum of five years of relevant experience, without the removal of the top of the hierarchy so that those of middling age may advance and free up postings for the young.

   I am assured by our bankers and economists, that a man of years, but no more than 60, is a valuable worker, a sharp mind, and a driver of the great machine of industry, but that a man beyond that is all too often trapped in his way, antiquated in his approach, and full of rust in his gears.  He does not aid his employer or his field by remaining on the pitch and should instead be sent home to enjoy his last few days on this earth out in the fresh, which is just reward for spending so few of his days before then out of sight of his desk, calendar, and fluorescent-lit office. 

   I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection.

   I have been assured by a very knowing Chinese of my acquaintance in Seattle, that an old, decrepit man, is, at 73 years old, past his prime as a man and in his prime as kindling, his muscles having disappeared and his frame instead filled out with fat, for the fires of our power plants, though of course he must first be humanely put down and drained of all congealing fluid.

   I do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration, that of the 13 million aged adults, already computed, all may be be disposed of by exsanguination and immolation to decrease our reliance upon foreign energy suppliers and reduce the burden on our governmental support structures while increasing the availability of profitable and desirable postings for the young men and women of our nation.

   I have reckoned that a man in this country will weigh 165 pounds upon retirement, most of that muscle and bone, but, if given ten years of leisure, he will weight 225 pounds and most of it will be burnable fat.

   I grant that these men will be somewhat rare in more healthy climes, but those climes are well suited to supplying energy through solar or wind anyway and do not rely upon fuel-burning plants to create electricity.

   The supply of these gentlemen will be guaranteed, as our country has very fine healthcare and is able to ensure that any man of standing is able to live to see 70 at the least, provided the man himself cooperates with his health and is not subject to fast living.  This measure will also have the benefit of freeing our healthcare industry to more readily focus on those great problems faced predominantly by the young, who have no money with which to fund such research today, as opposed to those minor affections endured by the old, such as erectile dysfunction.

   I have already computed the output of such a man’s frame, and have found it to be about the same as three gallons of foreign-bought oil; and I believe no gentleman would object to his own immolation if he knew it meant we would be free of foreign interest and beholden to none other.  Thus our cities will be alight, our young burning with ambition, and our industry steaming along.

   Those who are more lean, as some men become in their age instead of fat, may still take solace in knowing that in joining with all others, they have not failed their country, but instead carried out the finest duty we could ask of them.

   As to the collection of these men, our hospitals and hospices are already equipped for the administering and transportation of them, and our doctors and nurses well know their needs and complaints.  Have no fear, these men shall receive only the finest of treatment as their wick burns down.

   A very worthy person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased in discoursing on this matter, to offer a refinement upon my scheme, He said, that many wives of this nation, having lately been discouraged from cooking traditional, Julia Child-esque meals, might find new life and vigor in the knowledge that those meals would be most desirable by the government, and that cookbooks, programs, and community classes on preparing hearty and vigorous meals should be a priority of any scheme that seeks to make use of the old.  I heartily agreed and thanked him for such enlightening advice, and assured him that I would roll out such an addendum the moment my scheme was adopted.

   I have perhaps too long expounded on the potential of this scheme, and therefore shall return the the meat of it: I think the advantages my proposal are obvious and many, as well as of the highest importance.

   First, as has already been observed, it will great reduce the number of underemployed gig-workers as the positions at the top will be emptied, soon to be filled by those in the middle, leaving open the middle for the bottom to grab, and opening the bottom postings for the young and hungry.

   Second, the ramshackle neighborhoods and dilapidated boarding houses will be done away with as those newly employed shall find newly vacated housing units in far nicer neighborhoods, leaving the slumlords to refurbish or demolish their slums.

   Third, whereas it is always good to reduce our dependence on others for power, our use of foreign oil will go down and our global power will go up.  For surely no harm ever came of disentangling ourselves from the business interests of other nations.

   Fourth, the children of the aged will be relieved of the overpowering burden and heartbreak of The Long Goodbye and will instead know the day and time to make their farewells.

   Fifth, the taxes exacted by our government shall decrease as there will no longer be a need to maintain a man’s livelihood for three decades after he is no longer working.

   Many other advantages might be enumerated, should the time be taken to fully explore the ramifications of this proposal, but for brevity’s sake I will not do so here.

   I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged, that a number of people will thereby much lessened in the nation.  This I freely own, but as the population will decrease proportionately across all states, no state shall gain advantage and no seats of Congress will be reapportioned, saving perhaps those of Florida.  

   Therefore I ask that none talk to me of whatever faux destractions they may conjure for my plan, lest they have some other scheme that would do so much good for the nation.  

   I profess in the sincerity of my intentions, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country, by advancing trade, providing for the young, reliving our tax burden, and giving some pleasure to those stuck in the middle.  I have no grandparents.  I have no children who would benefit from these measures.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Damn this was fun to write!  I claim no copyright, having lifted several sentences and passages from “A Modest Proposal”, but ask only that the internet not burn me at the stake for my attempt at comedy in these trying times.

@charmedatlaw I hope this made you laugh, or at the least, shake your ruefully.

[jenniferdiazisatransgirl]

UK Followers

Hey guys, I emailed Liz Truss on Monday regarding “The Sunday Times” headline and received this reply (The numbers didn't copy and paste all that well);

"Dear Lily

Thank you for your correspondence about this extremely important issue. The Government believes that transgender adults should be free to live their lives as they wish, with dignity and free from discrimination. That is why we are carefully planning our next steps on reforming the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (GRA), so that any changes can have a positive impact on transgender adults who live in the UK. We have listened closely to all those who engaged with our consultation on the GRA, and we plan to publish our response this Summer.

We are currently dealing with an extremely high volume of enquiries about the Gender Recognition Act, the single-sex exemptions under the 2010 Equality Act and about healthcare for transgender people. The Government Equalities Office is also working with reduced capacity at the moment as many of our staff are supporting the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given this, we have produced a ‘Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)’ document to reply to correspondence on these topics. We hope that you might find the answers to your questions in this FAQ. It is not exhaustive, and if you do not find this FAQ helpful in answering your questions or the issues you raise, then please do contact us again. It may also be worth being aware that the Government’s response to the GRA is imminent, and you may find it helpful to consider that response before contacting us again.

Thank you for your patience.

Kind regards,

Government Equalities Office.

FAQs

Gender Recognition Act

What changes will the Government be making to the Gender Recognition Act 2004?

Changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004 are intended to make the process of applying for a gender recognition certificate less bureaucratic. The exact details of what this entails will be published in our response.

We have seen recent coverage on 14 June 2020 in the Sunday Times about the GRA consultation response - are the details of that coverage correct?

We intend to publish our response to the consultation before Summer Recess, which begins on 21 July 2020.

The Minister for Women and Equalities has also made clear that she will be bringing forward plans to end conversion therapy shortly.

The Minister has said that it is important to maintain “proper checks and balances” when considering reforms to the Gender Recognition Act. What does this mean?

We believe that the process of legally changing one’s gender is a serious and legally meaningful undertaking which requires appropriate checks and a level of formality. We are carefully planning any changes to the Gender Recognition Act so that they can have a positive impact on transgender people who live in the UK, whilst remaining a serious and meaningful undertaking.

Equality Act 2010 exemptions for single-sex service provision

How do the Equality Act 2010 exemptions for single-sex service provision work?

The Equality Act requires people providing services to the public to do so without discriminating against people because of their sex or because of their 'gender reassignment'. Exceptions in the Act alllow provision of services to one sex only (for example men’s or women’s toilets or changing rooms).

Exceptions in the Act also allow for the exclusion of transgender people from single-sex facilities where this is necessary and proportionate .

The Minister for Women and Equalities recently gave evidence to the Women and Equalities Select Committee in which she referred to single-sex spaces. What did those comments mean?

During the consultation on the GRA which we ran in 2018, we asked how any changes to the act might affect women, providers of single-sex services, transgender people themselves, and other groups. Some people raised concerns that some men might misuse a gender recognition certificate to access women’s spaces to harm women.

In this context, the Secretary of State’s comments at the Women and Equalities Select Committee were intended to reiterate the importance of maintaining single-sex spaces, as provided for in the Equality Act. If any changes were to be made to the Act – as with all legislation – they would go through the appropriate processes of engagement.

Will the Government be amending the single-sex exemptions in the Equality Act?

We know that some stakeholders have highlighted a desire for greater clarity from the Government about the law and guidance on single-sex spaces. We are looking into how we might provide greater clarity in this area as part of Government’s response to the Gender Recognition Act consultation.

Healthcare for transgender people

What steps is the Government taking to improve healthcare for transgender people?

This Government is committed to improving services for those undergoing gender reassignment and to challenging transphobia in the NHS.

NHS England have funded the development of specialised training through the Royal College of Physicians’ accredited credential on trans health, aimed at encouraging medical and non-medical professionals (including nurses) to work in gender identity services.

The Government Equalities Office have appointed Dr Michael Brady, of Kings College Hospital, to be the first National LGBT Health Adviser. Dr Brady is focusing on improving the health outcomes for the LGBT population and is advising on ways to improve the care LGBT people receive when accessing the NHS and public health.

Is anything being done to address the long waiting times for gender identity services?

We are aware that the current waiting times for gender identity services are unacceptable. NHS England are working to improve this by establishing a more modern and flexible care model, and by moving routine gender identity services away from specialist centres, to more local provision.

Will the Government be restricting healthcare for transgender young people when it responds to the Gender Recognition Act consultation?

Healthcare for young transgender people does not fall within the scope of reform of the Gender Recognition Act. The Minister for Women and Equalities has stated, as a separate matter, that we also wish to ensure under-18s continue to be protected from taking life-changing decisions before they are capable.

We are clear that protecting young people is about ensuring the appropriate processes are in place, rather than withholding support, and we will be exploring what this means with the Department for Health and Social care who lead in this area. We are absolutely committed to making sure all young people have access to appropriate and timely psychological and medical support. The wellbeing of all young people is our priority.

The current minimum age limit for legally changing gender is 18 years, which is set out in the GRA itself, and will not be changed.

I am concerned that any potential restrictions to healthcare and access to single-sex spaces will have a detrimental effect on the mental health of transgender people, and may lead to an increase in suicide attempts. What is being done to protect mental health?

We know that transgender young people are more likely to experience poor mental health than people who are not transgender. The wellbeing of all young people is our primary concern. We are taking action to improve mental healthcare for LGBT people and we are working with DHSC to develop plans for reducing suicides amongst the LGBT population.

Will the Minister for Women and Equalities speak to both transgender health experts and children’s rights experts before making any decisions around access to healthcare?

Yes. We are clear that protecting young people is about ensuring the appropriate processes are in place, rather than withholding support, and we will be exploring what this means with the Department for Health and Social care who lead in this area.

Detailed discussions will take place with DHSC, NHS England, DfE and other relevant experts, and more information will be available in due course.

Clinicians should continue to provide support to people accessing Gender Identity Clinics and the Gender Identity Development Service in the same way as they have done till now - based on clinical need.

Is the Government conducting research into the rise in the number of young people referred to the Gender Identity Development Service in recent years?

We are aware that the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation has seen an increasing number of individuals, particularly natal born females, referred to its Gender Identity Development Service in recent years.

We are exploring this, along with a number of other healthcare issues, as part of a wider piece of work rather than as one issue in isolation.

The GIDS is the responsibility of the NHS. Like all trusts, the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust (running the GIDS) is subject to CQC inspections, monitoring and regulation. The Department of Health and Social Care is committed to ensuring thorough accountability and oversight.

--

Government Equalities Office

Correspondence Team

@WomenEqualities | www.gov.uk/geo"

[latinexplains]

Because of white people namely Republicans,

our history as people of color has been erased or completely stopped from being taught to us. In fact, Chicano Studies/Mexican-American studies were even banned up until recently because it would “encourage students to adopt left-wing ideas and resent white people...promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, foster racial resentment, and advocate ethnic solidarity” This has not only led to whole people being ignorant to what the U.S has done to us but has led to the stupider of our kind to fall for alt-right propaganda. 

So today I’m going to go into only ONE of the atrocities that has pained our people not to long ago that I think we should all learn and never forget. The United States Eugenics Program of the 60s and 80s.

Actually, the practice of Eugenical Sterilization stretches way back into the 30s! However, this post will be focusing on 60s and 70s. 

Sterilization was “used as a means of controlling “undesirable” populations – immigrants, people of color, poor people, unmarried mothers, the disabled, the mentally ill – federally-funded sterilization programs took place in 32 states throughout the 20th century.” In California alone 20,000 California men and women were sterilized. This was all part of medical racism which was initially pushed by organizations such as the Immigration Restriction League, American Breeder's Association and the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity. 

Here comes the ethnic solidarity that Republicans fear because this happened to thousands of women across the United States - Latinx (mostly Mexican and Puerto Rican), Black, Asian and Native.

In regards to Mexican sterilization - “These women went to the hospital for emergency C-sections,” Tajima-Peña professor of Asian American studies at UCLA. said. “They were distressed, terrified their babies would die, often hemorrhaging and medicated. Most did not speak English and they were often given these English-language consent forms, while in labor, before they could get care, and some of them did not consent at all.”

“While California’s eugenics programs were driven in part by anti-Asian and anti-Mexican prejudice, Southern states also employed sterilization as a means of controlling African American populations. “Mississippi appendectomies” was another name for unnecessary hysterectomies performed at teaching hospitals in the South on women of color as practice for medical students.This NBC news article discusses North Carolina’s eugenics program, including stories from victims of forced sterilization like Elaine Riddick. A third of the sterilizations were done on girls under 18, even as young as 9. The state also targeted individuals seen as “delinquent” or “unwholesome.””

The experiences of these women strained relations between people of color and healthcare personnel. In the 21st century, members of communities of color still widely distrust medical officials.

Quick Facts: Between 1929 and 1974 in North Carolina, 7,600 people were sterilized. Eighty-five percent of those sterilized were women and girls, while 40 percent were minorities (most of whom were black)

- More than a third of women in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico were sterilized from the 1930s to the 1970s as a result of a partnership between the U.S. government, Puerto Rican lawmakers and medical officials.

- Sterilization was not the only way in which Puerto Rican women’s reproductive rights were violated. U.S. pharmaceutical researchers also experimented on Puerto Rican women for human trials of the birth control pill in the 1950s.

-  1973-1976: 3,406 Native American Women Sterilized Without Permission

- Mexicans and their descendants were described as “immigrants of an undesirable type.” 20,000, Mexican women and men, were sterilized in California only during the 60s-70s.

- 1970: Nixon Administration Funds Sterilizations