Bog7: Labeling People with STD's

Many people equate STDs with immorality, promiscuous behavior and low social status. What are you thoughts on this statement?


In my opinion one cannot label someone with an STD as immoral, promiscuous, or of low social status. Anyone who is sexually active has a chance of contracting an STD; of course their chances greatly increase if they are not practicing safe sex and have multiple partners. People who are rapped can also contract an STD, which was obviously not their fault. In addition, children born with HIV/AIDS have no fault.


Immorality depends on the person’s views, such as being unfaithful to your boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, partner, etc. There are instances when only one of the person’s in the relationship may be cheating, which could result in the transmission of an STD to the faithful person. The other person is not at fault or immoral, but their partner is the immoral and promiscuous one. There are some people that one knows is promiscuous, or rather they call themselves “players” because they have multiple sex partners. I think immoral and promiscuous people can be of different social status. There are the people who have money and are the ones that are able to afford their promiscuous lifestyle because they have the ability to get almost anyone they want because of their money. I think they can also afford to seek treatment in comparison to someone of low social status.


Furthermore, in regards to promiscuity will also depend on what that individual believes. I have met some people who think it is okay to have other sex partners if they are not in a relationship. I have heard some people say, “I’m not married”, “I’m not tied down”, etc., but sometimes not even marriage stops someone from cheating.


I feel that people who are immoral are those who have an STD and know about it and choose to continue being unsafe and not inform the partner. It is immoral to cheat on your partner.
I definitely feel that the lack of unsafe choices is due to the lack of comprehensive sexual education in the school systems and maybe from doctors. Maybe doctors should discuss this topic with sexually active people, even those who have not contracted an STD. Ones parents, beliefs, and religion also plays a role on ones decision.

Blog#6:My thoughts on having children……

I think having a child is a major responsibility. In my opinion it should be planned in order to have a good experience. I have seen several of my cousins become pregnant at a very young age. I saw what they experienced and opted to not take the path they took. They were very young so when they told their parents it was not news of joy. I definitely did not want to disappoint my parents in this way. Also the child’s father was not an ideal parent, since they were involved in a gang, had no job, and completely irresponsible.

I must say college is not easy and it is stressful. I can just imagine how it much harder it would have been to continue with school while being a mother. I really do not think I would have been able to handle it. I would have probably not been a senior in college right now. My major did change from when I began college, because my career choice seemed it would affect my future when I decided to have a family of my own. I wanted a career where I could still make time for my husband and children and be involved in their life.

As of now I continue to opt childless. I am definitely not ready for a child. I still need to complete my school and possibly further my education. I want to establish a good job as well. I am not sure when I will become engaged; so until then I will continue enjoying life with my boyfriend by having fun. Whenever I get married I do plan on waiting a couple of years before starting a family. There are something’s we need to arrange, and we have some goals and aspirations. My boyfriend and I do talk about our future and what we expect and he is very supportive about my choices and plans.

I also do know that I do not want to have more than two children; three for me may be pushing it. My boyfriend wants an entire soccer team, but I know that will not happen. I hope he is joking. When I am ready to take that step I want to fully involve myself in preparing my mind and body for the pregnancy. I want to do everything possible so that my baby is healthy. There is a little fear with how I will look afterward and also about miscarriages. I saw what my sister in law had to go through and it looked like she was in a lot of pain. I really do not tolerate pain very well, which is another fear. I would love to have birth that does not involve drugs, however the thought is quite frightening.

As I am writing this I get nervous and scared, which ensures me I am definitely not ready. It is evident my opinion about having children is to wait once I am married with the person I love, have a career, experience the married life, and then have children.

Blog5: Contraception Beliefs

In what ways could someone's culture, beliefs and practices influence contraceptive decision making? Provide thorough examples based on some of your readings and your own personal experiences. What were the beliefs about birth control/contraception within your own home and family?
Contraception may be a taboo subject depending on religion, parent/family views, and personal beliefs.
For example the Roman Catholic Church does not believe in contraceptives other than fertility awareness methods, which may leave a high chance for becoming pregnant because some women may not have regular menstrual cycles in order to help determine ovulation. In addition, measuring basal body temperature may not be reliable if there are other factors that affect the body temperature such as sexual activity, illness, or infection. Also being aware of the quality of cervical mucus and being able to differentiate when there is an increase in discharge, change in color, and consistency of mucus. Finally, there are many days in which the couples need to abstain from sexual intercourse. Some couples may not follow through with abstinence during these days, which could result in a pregnancy.

Other religions feel that only married couples should be able to use contraception and some may even feel that there needs to be a limit of use. Other religions may completely forbid any type of contraception. When people say “it’s a sin” I think it is from their lack of education. I am not a very religious person. I believe in God. I do not believe in the people that tell you what to think the bible means. For instance, I do not feel that God would label us as sinners if we were to use contraception. We are simply planning. There are some people that want to establish a good financial life before starting a family. I do not think there is anything wrong with getting prepared and then having a baby.

Parents and family can also be an influencing factor on ones choice and beliefs. Some people worry about pleasing their family. For instance those cultures that put a high value on virginity before marriage do not feel it is necessary for their daughter to be on birth control, she shouldn’t be engaging in sexual activity any way. Once the daughter is married, some cultures will think there is something wrong with the wife if she is not getting pregnant.

Finally, one either allows their religion and family views to have an effect on how you think or you just decide to do what is best for you. In my family there is not much talk about contraception. There was an instance when my mom was criticizing mothers for taking their daughters to get birth control. My response to her was well it is better for their daughters to be on birth control rather than to become a grandmother. I have also heard my mom make comments about teenagers that get pregnant more than once. She has said, “There are pills for them to prevent pregnancies.” I assume that she does believe in contraception, however not for HER daughter. She also had her tubes removed about 16 years ago. My youngest brother was not planned and she decided to take matters into her own hands because she was sure she did not want any more children.

I feel that the higher level of education the more your mind opens to ideas and you start changing your mind about certain things you once agreed with your parents, family, and church. I know mine definitely did, and I am going to do what is best for me. No one else is going to have to deal with my consequences, except for myself; therefore I need to take responsibility for myself.

Blog4:Abstinence -only vs. Abstinence-plus

Times are changing and teens are engaging in sexual activity at younger and higher rates. It is inevitable; therefore as health educators we need the ability to teach teenagers about safe sex practices. One can talk all day long about abstinence, but in the end it is the teen’s choice whether they will abstain or not. Abstinence plus would be the ideal choice for me because it is still promoting abstinence; however it is providing the teens with the knowledge and tools if they ever decide to engage in sexual activity.

Many teens have inaccurate information they have heard or misinterpret. When I was in nursing school one of the instructors shared a story about a young girl (not even a teenager) who got access to her mother’s birth control and she gave one to each of her friends and told them this would prevent them from getting pregnant . One of the girls friends mother was a nurse and decided to have the talk with her daughter. The little girls was like I know mom, I have this for my first time. Her mother asked her what it was and the girl told her mother about the pill her friend gave her.

Can you imagine how this is such a dangerous misconception about birth control? It is crucial for teens to know precisely how to take birth control in order for it to work at its optimum level. It is also important for them to know that it does not under any circumstances protect them from STD’s. Teens do not know the risks in engaging in unprotected sex, therefore this may ease their mind that there are no risks or dangers in engaging in unprotected sex.

Many teens do not have the talk and will never have the talk. I can vouch for that because my mother, especially not my father gave me the talk. The only one that received the talk was my brother. I am sure you can definitely see the problem with their way of thinking.

I have always been curious about health issue and took elective classes in high school. I also hear radio announcements about Planned Parenthood and researched the site. This is how I was unknowingly pro active for my own health care. This was the time that 5 of my cousins and friends got pregnant at the ages of 15 and 16, which is what struck my curiosity even more. One of them had already had an abortion. Also later on, my cousins and friends were on their second baby and their younger sisters were 16 soon became pregnant as well. By this time I was convinced there was something definitely wrong with our parents not talking to us and the school not teaching us anything regarding these issues.

Blog3:Trafficking of Women

The trafficking of women is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed and something needs to be done. There is an article I read a few years ago called "21st Century Slaves" and it talks about how women are the 21st century slaves. Within this article you will see the traffickers point of view of the business, which as The master of Sherwood feels selling women is like selling football players. The article also shares a few stories of these girls as young as 14,whom are being sold. Some of the buyers are authority figures such as cops. For many of these girls being sold is better then dying of hunger. Also some of the girls are tricked into the type of job they will be working. For example they are told it is a waitress job, and the minor girls end up working in brothels. These girls rights are violated in so many ways and it angers and sadens me to know that things like this happens.

Not only are these girls robbed of their innocence they are helpless because they are children. Many of them do not have support or know where to seek help. This help may be non existant, which it should not be this way. Living in poverty does not help their situation because girls like Adriana from Honduras rather live in these circumstances rather than die of hunger. Adriana was asked if she would consider going back home. She replied, "No, there you die of hunger!"(Cockburn,2003).

Article:

Cockburn, A. (2003). 21st Century Slaves. National Geographic, 204(3), 2-24.

Blog2:Do you believe that access to healthcare is a right or a privilege?

In my opinion I believe healthcare is a right because this would allow people that are not able to attain health insurance seek health care. In the book New Dimensions in Women’s Health, discusses how some countries, which include Canada and the United Kingdom offer their citizens healthcare. Even minimal health care would prevent many complications people develop because the lack of health care access due to low income and lack of insurance (Alexander et al, 2007). Having access to health care should not be difficult for those who are uninsured, in a sense it is discrimination toward the population who does not have health insurance.

The only reason I have health insurance is because my mom has worked for a company for over 15 years and she is able to have my dad, 15 year old brother, and myself under her coverage. However, I will be taken off as soon as I turn 24 years old, which is this September. This has brought about so much stress on me. Since my 21 year old brother did not remain in school he was automatically taken off. It seems when you don’t have insurance the worst things happen. My brother was beat up by several men and had to be hospitalized in the emergency room. At the time my brother did not have a job and had this huge bill. Later on he suffered of an ear infection that was so painful he had to go to the hospital once more and it just added to his bill.

Now, my brother has a job that offers health insurance, however he was not able to add his girlfriend on it because they are not legally married and have not lived together long enough. She found out she was pregnant, however, she did not have health insurance and sadly she lost the baby not too long ago. Finally, neither my boyfriend nor his family members have insurance, which I am afraid one day they will need.

It is evident this issue is something that hits close to home, and I feel there is a great need for a healthcare reform. Everyone should have some kind of access to healthcare, which would undoubtedly better the overall health of the population.

Blog1:What health issues you are most concerned about?

I interviewed three females; the first was a 24 year old white female , the second was a 45 year old Mexican female, and the third was a 23 year old Mexican American student. The 24 year old year old answered breast cancer because it runs in her family. The 45 year old Mexican woman said breast cancer as well. Her friend had a niece who was about 22-23 and she actually died of breast cancer not too long ago. Also she discussed the increased likely hood for mothers because of the breast milk residue. Lastly, the 23 year old said issues regarding sexual health as well as breast cancer.

My health concerns are actually different to theirs because I have never had a personal encounter with breast cancer. My doctor always stresses about checking myself and I must admit I do not do it. I guess I feel like my likely hood is not very high, which I should know better from what I have learned throughout my health studies course work. Feeling like it won't happen to me puts a barrier for us to take measures.

My health concerns are more on the topic of STD’s, particularly HPV, similar to the 23 year old female. These issues are more common to me because of the growing female teens who engage in sexual practices at a younger age. These teenage girls will have a higher rate of engaging in unsafe sex practices because the lack of comprehensive education and many parents do not talk to their teens about sex. Also domestic violence is another issue, because I have seen many women and teen girls around me experience this.