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The poem “Song of the Pretty Bird” by Alexi Stewart represents the ways in which the physical image of women is centralized within society and interferes with self-esteem. The poem reads:

I’ve lived 20 prettybird years 

Of this great big prettybird life 

And i think i pretty pretty pretty bird bird pretty much know what im talking about 

People like to poke fun at my pretty bird pretty preening 

At my pretty pretty bird pretty feathers 

But look at my long clean coat 

At my pretty pretty bird pretty pink legs 

When pigeon men track me cross sky highway 

they are happy to trace hungry orange eyes 

between my pretty pretty bird bird feathers 

Too busy fantasizing pretty bird 

Wet dreams swollen chest fluff fest 

To pretty poke bird fun 

To pretty poke fun bird 

To pretty bird bird pretty bird bird pretty pretty pretty 

Too busy fantasizing 

to poke fun at permanently preening pretty bird 

My vanity is insanity unless it helps get you off 

What a treat hosting eyes between my thighs 

They will spend equal time begging to share bed with me 

Condemning mediocrity  

How does one achieve complexity when all she was ever taught to be was basic 

Pigeon man wants pretty bird to pretty bird 

Until pretty bird fulfills ideas of prettiness 

Then she’s too pretty pretty bird bird paralyzing and preened 

 

Look at my long clean coat 

At my pretty pretty bird pretty pink legs 

Track me cross sky highway 

Take a picture I beg you 

Take a picture pretty bird pretty bird 

My left side is my best side 

I have a best side 

I have a better half 

I am a half 

 

Pretty cus they want a pretty bird bird 

I grew up on a diet of bread crumbs catalog clippings and sidewalk cracks 

How do you expect anything else 

Pretty sure I know what im talking about 

 

Pretty sure 

pretty sure 

Maybe not 

Sorry sorry sorry sorry 

Can I ask a question 

Sorry sorry 

May I may I 

 

Pretty bird used to sing 

Baby bird used to sing 

Baby bird was pretty bird before pretty bird learned to pretty 

And baby bird could compose whole symphonies 

Acute intricacies melodies capturing vacancies poetry 

But the reviews came in 

and they prefered apology 

So she shrank  

learned to make herself small enough 

to nearly fit back in her eggshell 

to tip toe atop eggshells 

 

expanded flight just long enough 

for pigeon men to track her cross sky highway 

but still she sang too loud 

so they caged her up 

for her pretty pretty bird bird long clean coat 

for her pretty pretty bird pretty pink legs 

and they said sing pretty lady sing 

but I forgot how 

 

so I said 

pretty pretty bird bird look at my long clean coat 

at my pretty pretty bird pretty pink legs 

but they were bored of me

This poem reflects on the demands of society for women to look a certain way while also making women feel small for their beauty. It highlights how many women are forced to abandon their interests and talents in order to succumb to the beauty standards. All the while, they are ridiculed for being beautiful.

Here is my reading of the poem:

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Nature should be welcoming to everyone. While this seems intuitive, people of color have long been excluded from this space despite their connection to it. The National Parks Service estimates that a shocking 95% of their visitors are white (Turco, 2021). This is especially harmful, as people of color have been the backbone of national parks since their creation. Four segregated groups of black soldiers birthed the idea of national park rangers when they were assigned to patrol Yosemite during the late 1800’s (Nelson, 2020). Furthermore, Chinese Americans were responsible for building the roads leading in and out of Yosemite, despite the racism and discrimination they faced in the country (Nelson, 2020).

Despite this, passionate activists are reclaiming nature as an exclusive space for everyone, including minorities. In particular, Rue Mapp founded Outdoor Afro which promotes and organizes outdoor experiences for Black Americans, including hikes, bird watching, kayaking, and many more activities meant to connect individuals to nature (Loewe, 2020). These experiences are designed to promote healing, sustainability, and inclusivity for all (Loewe, 2020). 

Another organization, GirlTrek, has similar aims. This initiative is designed to inspire black women and all women to participate in daily walks for their own health and to connect with the outdoors (Turco, 2021). GirlTrek has already inspired over one million black women to commit to daily walks, and has shown other impressive health outcomes with 61% of their members experiencing weight loss, 26% of their members lowering medication dosages, and 40% of their members showing health improvements (Turco, 2021). 

She Colors Nature is another foundation that was built upon diversifying the outdoors. The founder, Chelsea Murphy, shares tips on enjoying the outdoors and speaks on the racism that has been built into these experiences (Turco, 2021). 

Hike Clerb is another organization that combats racism within the outdoors. The founder, Evelynn Escobar-Thomas, is a Black Latina woman that facilitates outdoor experiences for women of color to reclaim their space in nature (Turco, 2021). She also creates educational content to spread her mission beyond her home in California (Turco, 2021). 

Following the activism of these women, the Outdoor Industry CEO Pledge was created by Teresa Baker to encourage outdoor companies to diversify their advertising (Turco, 2021). This pledge is important as it shows young kids that they have a place in nature no matter their skin color or gender. 

References:

Loewe, E. (2020, July 24). How Rue Mapp Of Outdoor Afro Is Helping Black Americans Connect & Heal In Nature. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/rue-mapp-of-outdoor-afro-on-importance-of-healing-hike

Nelson, G. (2020, March 04). Chinese Americans in Yosemite. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://trailposse.com/2018/06/chinese-americans-in-yosemite/

Turco, L. D. (2021, November 02). These 5 Organizations Are Working To Make The Great Outdoors More Inclusive. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a35340347/black-women-outdoors-inclusivity/

 

The pandemic has increased the devastating impact of violence against women globally. The lockdown orders that were put in place to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus ultimately trapped women in their homes with their abusers (Bobb, 2020). The lockdowns also minimized the ability of valuable resources such as safe shelters to be utilized by those in need, as they feared these safe spaces becoming a place of community spread (Bobb, 2020). In California alone, domestic abuse calls rose 70% during the pandemic (Bobb, 2020). Another statistic estimates that 243 million women and girls experienced sexual or physical violence at the hands of their partner in the past year (UN Women, 2020). As a result of the pandemic and lockdowns, there has been an increase in cyberbullying, sex trafficking, child marriages, sexual violence and harassment, and female genital mutilation (UN Women, 2020). The UN Women group calls this the ‘shadow pandemic,’ as it is a phenomenon that is massively threatening the health of domestic abuse victims during a time where the virus is the focus (UN Women, 2020). 

UN Women calls for the equal determination to end the pandemic of violence to women and girls as has been given to the COVID-19 pandemic with the help from social workers, police forces, and the justice system (UN Women, 2020). One way to decrease the violence against women during these times is through the use of technology. A particularly valuable tool for women in harmful situations is the signal for help. This is a one-handed gesture in which the thumb is crossed over the palm and the four fingers are then slowly closed over the thumb (Bobb, 2020; Canadian Women’s Foundation, 2020). This signal is an effective way for women to communicate that they are in danger without saying it verbally. This is important as many women are constantly being monitored by their abusers. Women who are trapped in their home with their abuser during lockdowns may be able to use this signal on video chat to friends or family members to communicate that they need help (Canadian Women’s Foundation, 2020). The circulation of this signal and the education on how to properly respond if someone signals for help is vital and can be spread through hashtags on social media or other websites (Bobb, 2020). In particular, it is important for this hashtag to circulate in order for bystanders to be able to correctly identify when someone is giving them the signal. Education on how to respond to this signal is vital, as merely calling 911 may be dangerous or life threatening for the victim (Bobb, 2020). Instead, friends and family can try to ask yes or no questions that do not alert the abuser to obtain more information on how they can be of assistance for the particular situation at hand (Bobb, 2020).

Another more unusual use of technology that can be used to signal for help is online delivery services. In 2015, a woman being held hostage by her partner used the ‘additional requests’ button on her pizza delivery order to write and ask for help to be sent (ABC Action News, 2015). The employees at the pizza shop read this message and immediately called the police to the home (ABC Action News, 2015). Innovative uses of technology such as this can help women ask for help without alerting their abuser and putting themselves in a threatening situation. The broadcasting of these techniques are equally as important, as it can give women in danger the knowledge and empowerment that they need to ask for help. 

Unfortunately, not everyone who is in harm’s way has access to these technologies or methods of asking for help. Because of this, domestic violence is vastly underreported (Bobb, 2020). Some women may not be allowed to use technology as part of their abuse, or may live in impoverished areas where technology is not as common. Because of this, it is important that we spread awareness on the violence done to women in order to combat it. 

References:

UN Women. (2020, November 25). UN Women ED: We must flatten the curve of the Shadow Pandemic [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5XECEPtYXE&t=9s

Canadian Women’s Foundation. (2020, September 27). Violence at Home #SignalForHelp [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFLZEQFIm7k

ABC Action News. (2015, May 5). Hostage girlfriend calls for help in pizza order [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDNfV1HZU04

Bobb, B. (2020, April 28). “Signal for Help” Is a New Tool for Abuse Victims During the Coronavirus Lockdown and Beyond. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.vogue.com/article/signal-for-help-womens-funding-network-abuse-coronavirus

From the Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap article we learned that despite pay discrimination becoming illegal, women still earn less than men. In fact, women only earn 83 cents for every dollar a man earns. Because of this pay gap, women suffer in retirement with lowered social security and pensions. This pay gap is also dependent on race and ethnicity. The pay gap is lowest for Asian women at 87% and white women at 79%. It is highest for black women at 63% and hispanic women at a shocking 55%. This is a result of many factors such as discrimination and education opportunities. The pay gap also changes with age, as women tend to make even less money compared to men as they get older. This gap is seen across all industries and occupations.

In the Simple Truth 2020 update, we learned more about the pay gap, why it exists, and ways to close it. This update contains important information regarding the COVID19 pandemic and how it exacerbated the economic insecurity among female populations. Women’s unemployment rate rose during the pandemic and mothers lost their jobs at increased rates compared to fathers. This update also highlighted the important fact that the wage gap persists between men and women across factors such as disability status, immigration status, race, ethnicity, age, education level, sexual orientation, and many others. This gap exists due to factors such as sexism, gender roles, motherhood, the fact that work done by women is undervalued, and the fact that women are often forced into lower-paying jobs. For women of color, the wage gap increases or stays the same despite increasing levels of education. This is not true of white women, as increasing their education minimizes the gap. To close the gap, this update suggests that pay equity acts be passed, that pay audits be regularly conducted, that previous salaries should not be disclosed upon hiring, and that better access to childcare be provided among other suggestions. 

The CNN article highlights the successes and failures of various countries regarding paid maternity leave. Countries within Europe appear to be the most advanced in offering the most paid maternity time. However, they note that not all paid maternity time is equal, as the pay rate may decrease during these absences. Bulgaria offers the most amount of paid maternity leave and the highest pay rates, while the U.S. falls to the bottom with no required paid maternity leave. When all factors are considered, Estonia offers 166 weeks of paid time off to mothers with a majority of them being full pay. 

The Pew Research article highlights the astonishing lack of paid maternity leave to mothers in the U.S. compared to other countries. In fact, it is the only country among 41 other countries that does not offer any paid maternity leave. Other countries are excelling at care for mothers including mothers who adopt and mothers who have recently given birth. Furthermore, 34 of these countries are offering paid time off to fathers. Paid time off for fathers is generally shorter. Some states within the U.S. have mandated paid maternity leaves, but they are few and far between. 

The Family and Medical Leave Act information showcases the lack of paid time off within the United States. This act only offers certain employees 12 weeks of leave that is unpaid and is merely in place to offer job security. These 12 weeks can be used on medical emergencies for the employee or their families and for the birth or adoption of a child. This leave is not available to everyone, however, as employees are only eligible if they have been employed by their employer for at least 12 months and have worked at least 1,250 hours in the past year, and if they are employed at a location with at least 50 employees within a 75 mile radius. These 12 weeks of leave are chipped away at during pregnancy complications and are not always available to every employee. It is important to reiterate that these 12 weeks are unpaid. 

While reading all of this information, I became quite overwhelmed thinking of how this will apply to me and my future. It is discouraging to know that no matter how hard I work, I will never have the same financial gain that I would have if I were a man. It is also discouraging to know that a man who has less experience than I do or who generally does not work as hard as me will likely earn more than me and receive more benefits purely because he is a man. As a BBH major, I am constantly surrounded by brilliant, hard-working women who are passionate about their future careers. It is painful to know that their dedication will not be met with financial compensation. As someone who does not want to get married it is also concerning to know that my choice to remain single will be financially detrimental to me whereas it may not be so detrimental to a man. The pay gap reinforces the stereotype that women should depend on men for security and upholds institutions such as marriage. 

I could not calculate a current wage gap for myself as I am currently unemployed, however, I thought this would be a good space to discuss the patterns I have noticed working in the service industry as a young female. I have worked the past three summers in various restaurants and bars in a popular beach town, and have absolutely noticed discrimination in terms of treatment, tips, and dress code at these establishments. In these work environments it is not uncommon to be sexually harassed by customers and other staff members. This impacts the quality of my work and thus my tips. I have also noticed that male servers and bartenders tend to make more tips on occasion because they are less common in the places I worked. I was also expected to look more professional on a daily basis, have my makeup and hair done, had regulations on perfumes I could wear, and was even encouraged by other employees to dress provocatively in order to be tipped what I deserved regardless of my attire. All of these factors impede on the quality of work within the service industry and impact pay. 

When I calculated what my personal wage gap would be for my future career, I found that I would be in the 78th percentile of working women with the same education level as me. I estimated that I would be making around $92,000 yearly as a professional bioethicist. If I were a man, I would be making $129,519 a year, which is $37,519 more than my own estimated salary. It was estimated that if the gender wage gap had closed, I would be making around $151,104 per year which is $59,104 more per year and would account for a 64% raise. Another estimate showed that such a difference would mean that I would have to work for free until April 10th every year. If I were to be a black or hispanic woman, this gap would be even wider. The chart below displays these inequalities across gender and race.

In the Article titled 9 Ways Racism Impacts Maternal Health, Roberta Timothy describes the multiple ways in which colonialism disrupts the reproduction process of black communities and other minority communities. She describes nine facets of oppression that black women and their children face, including the fear that their children will be taken from them, the fear of violence and neglect within the healthcare system, the criminalization of black women and their partners, the lack of immigrant rights, housing and environmental security, the daily stress of racism, heteronormative practices, disability, and transgenerational trauma. These factors prevent and discourage black mothers and decrease their maternal health in significant ways. This is an emotional burden placed on black mothers that can contribute to the idea of ‘the second shift.’ The idea of cultural burdens that add to the second shift is also reflected within an article written by Barbara Yau titled Motherhood, In Their Own Words: Asian American Women Reflect on Differences Between How Their Mothers Raised Them and How They Are Raising Their Own Children. This article highlights the unique experiences Asian American women have surrounding motherhood and the lessons they have learned from their own mothers. Many of the stories reflect on how hard their mothers worked to provide opportunities for their children despite working full time jobs themselves. This is a burden that these women took on in order to see their children succeed in ways they may not have been able to. The women sharing their experiences discussed the importance of participating in their culture and balancing seriousness and silliness with their children. Thinking through these aspects of motherhood can be viewed as ‘the second shift,’ as these decisions often do not fall on fathers. 

A study conducted by Nichola Driver titled Acculturation, Social Support, and Maternal Parenting Stress among U.S. Hispanic Mothers also discusses the cultural differences in the burden of motherhood, but more so focuses on the protective factors that Hispanic Mothers may have. These protective factors may be due to the Hispanic health paradox which demonstrates that despite socioeconomic status, Hispanics have better than expected health outcomes. It was found that social support and especially partner support served as a means of decreasing parenting stress among Hispanic women compared to non-Hispanic black women. It was also found that rejecting traditional gender roles served as a protective factor against parenting stress among mothers as it resulted in a better distribution between parents. An article written by Kate Power titled The COVID19 Pandemic has Increased the Care Burden of Women and Families further depicts the hard reality that gender norms exacerbate the burden that women face while parenting. She notes that childcare when done outside of the home is paid for, but mothers perform this care along with full time jobs without any pay or assistance. She goes on to discuss a plan that may increase the likelihood of a gender-equal future that would lessen the burden of ‘the second shift.’ This is called the “Triple R Framework” which includes recognizing unpaid care work, reducing the burden of care through infrastructure, and redistributing care work between genders and across society.

While reading these articles it became very apparent to me that women are generally undervalued in society. Not only is the work we do unpaid, but it is often looked down upon or seen as easy and natural for us to perform. These false gender stereotypes lead to a dangerous patterns of mothers being left vulnerable and with little assistance while they take on enormous burdens. It comes at no surprise that systemic racism impacts this burden as well. Black mothers have to think about stressors that white women will never have to, such as being left a single mother at the hands of vicious incarceration tactics that imprison black men at astronomical rates. It was refreshing however, to hear the stories of Asian American women talking about their own experiences and how the second shifts that their mothers took on led them to be incredible mothers themselves. I think that women are beyond powerful and inspiring for taking on the lifespan’s duty of motherhood, and these stories reflect just how lifelong motherhood really is. 

Because I do not plan on having a partner or children, I decided to create a chore chart of my current apartment showing the divided work between my roommates and I. This chart represents all of the work we do to maintain our apartment weekly, and how we divide the work while also managing busy college schedules. Instead of assigning specific chores to specific people, we create an expectation that each person does the same amount of chores no matter what they are. This allows for us to complete chores as needed rather than every day. Dividing tasks in this way shows a respect for each of our schedules and busy lives as we navigate college courses and extracurriculars. It also shows an understanding that we each have our own chores beyond the chores for our shared spaces, such as cleaning and maintaining our own rooms and laundry, doing our own dishes, completing our homework, and partaking in self-care that we all value.

Because I do not plan to have my own family, the family leave act may not apply to me directly. It is more likely that I would need to take advantage of this act to take care of my parents or older brother if they were to fall ill. However, if I ever plan to have children or a spouse with children I would take advantage of the family leave act to provide the best care for the children that I possibly could. If I were to give birth I would take as much time to recover as I feel my body needs. I feel as though every parent also deserves time off to get acclimated to parenthood especially if it is their first child. I also believe that this should apply to fathers as well, as the initial weeks of a child’s life are precious and important to witness. If my child were to get a major illness I would take off as much time as needed to help them recover, as I believe that parenting is the job of a lifetime much beyond any career I could ever have. My responsibility to my children surpasses any responsibility I could have to my boss, my career, or to the economy. Because of this I feel as though it is necessary to extend the family leave act and have jobs provide better benefits for their employees so they do not have to fear financial struggles when struggling with sick or newborn children.

The film “Period. End of Sentence.” illustrates women’s health, promotion, and advocacy by showing how women gather together to overcome female-centric issues and turn something stigmatized into something positive for themselves and their community. At the beginning of the film, it was apparent that women’s health was not a large priority within this community. Women were expected to not discuss their periods and men rarely even know what they were. This is a massive barrier to women’s health, as knowledge and health literacy are essential in detecting health issues including issues related to menstruation and reproduction. Without open conversation about menstruation there is a lack of knowledge on how to deal with periods and how to ensure the safety of young girls. In the film they mentioned that women were not always using clean bundles of cotton material and were sitting in wet material for long periods of time. Both of these practices are unsafe, yet there was no dialogue between females to be able to convey this information. The lack of resources and knowledge surrounding menstruation was a further threat to women’s health as periods often prevented women from attending school. This threatens a woman’s social health and her future. It was also noted that women had to seclude themselves to change their bundles of cotton and that men would sometimes crowd them, placing them in uncomfortable situations that may end in harm.

Luckily, this community received a machine that allowed them to make sanitary pads to use for menstruation. This opened up room for dialogue surrounding periods and how to correctly handle them, which ultimately would improve the communities health literacy. Because women worked making pads for women, it was a women’s health advocacy project through and through. Once they had made enough product to package and sell, they named their product ‘Fly’ saying, “We had our reasons behind the name ‘Fly.’ We have installed this machine for women. So, now we want women to rise and fly.” (Zehtabchi, 2019) I think this was a turning point in the film as it expressed the new attitude that the women were gaining towards their own health. If this were a traditional health advocacy project, this would be an excellent mission statement.

This film illustrates promotion and advocacy because after these women finalized their product, they go into their community to spread awareness. Beyond attempting to market their product, they show pride in their product. The women compare their pads alongside other pads to show that they not only addressed the lack of feminine hygiene products within their community, but also improved the products they did not have access to in the first place. After they educate women in their communities on their products they attempt to make them available in stores and through selling them door-to-door. One of the most beautiful moments in this film is when the stigma of menstruation in a group of females gets broken down. One of the older females asks who wants to buy the products that they have been making and selling and the room stays quiet for a bit. Yet, as soon as one woman expresses interest and feels initial shame, all of the other women in the room join in as well in purchasing the pads. This scene shows that their advocacy was not only effective in providing a necessary product to their community, but it was also effective in starting to break down the stigma surrounding menstruation.

This story shows that periods don’t stop women from achieving their goals. Rather, in this case, periods empowered these women to achieve them. Working in pad production provided a fundamental service to the community and also provided an opportunity for women to work, make their own money, and gain respect. This then led to discussions on feminism within the community which was made possible by women banding together on female issues. It allowed the women to see their own power, potential, and ultimately fulfill further goals down the road using their earnings and self-confidence they gained from making pads.

Works Cited:

Zehtabchi, R. (Director), & Berton, M. (Producer). (2019, February 19). Period. End of Sentence.[Video file]. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrm2pD0qofM

Women are often portrayed in sexist and racist ways within political platforms. This is largely due to the fact that political platforms have been dominated by white men since the beginning of their existence. Political media shows a refusal to acknowledge that women are now commonplace within politics, and moreover, that they deserve a place in politics. This is apparent in the language on these platforms, in political media, and in news coverage. Such rampant sexism and racism is unacceptable, and political media should change to allow a space for women and women of color.

Sexism within politics has been a major topic of discussion following Donald Trump’s presidency. Trump was known for making overtly sexist comments and being unapologetic about them. Following a debate, Trump made a comment suggesting that Megyn Kelly was on her period. He said Kelly had “…blood coming out of her eyes…blood coming out of her wherever.” (Cooney, 2017) This comment sparked outrage as referencing a woman’s menstrual cycle is especially inappropriate in politics, as hormones and periods have been used to dismiss women from political spaces and delegitimize their work. The menstrual cycle has even been used to suggest that women should not hold positions of power at all, as the stereotypical view of menstruation is that women have no control over their emotions and could never successfully maintain composure while serving a role such as president. This was used against Hillary Clinton during her run for presidency. (Cooney, 2017)

Televising such harmful comments from men in power is not only harmful to the women they are aimed at, but also to young women who aspire to be leaders. Comments such as those made by Trump may make young girls fearful of their menstrual cycle or may disempower them to follow their dreams because they heard a man say they were unfit for them due to something natural and beyond their control. Comments such as these also reflect an unwillingness to learn about the female body, further showing the dismissal of women and the lack of respect they have been given in political spaces.

Besides comments about their bodily functions, women in politics are also subject to comments about their appearance in ways that men have not been. There is greater attention to what women in politics wear, how they do their makeup, how they do their hair, and how they present themselves in general as they are expected to look poised and refined. Furthermore, women are subject to the sexual gaze of men and tend to have their appearances sexualized no matter what they are wearing or doing. For example, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez was criticized by Fox News for appearing in an issue of Vanity Fair while wearing expensive outfits. (Rambaran, 2020) The news network decided that what Cortez was wearing was important enough to write an entire article about, and that her outfit choice discredited her voice. Male politicians are not subject to this same gaze, and it would be baffling to see an entire article written about a male congressman’s outfit choice. 

Furthermore, it is important to note that a white female politician may not be criticized for her outfit choices or spending choices in the same way as AOC. To criticize a woman of color on how much her outfit costs is overtly racist, as it makes an assumption that women of color cannot afford such clothes or should not be able to afford such clothes. It sends a message that this news network does not think that AOC is ‘good enough’ to be wearing designer clothes.

While women face much criticism within political media, there are also many instances where women and women of color are celebrated on these platforms. One great example of a woman of color being highlighted in a positive way by political media is the press regarding Stacey Abrams following the election of Joe Biden. An article written by the Washington Post boasts endless positive remarks about Abrams, from her ‘supermodel’ entrance to her courage as a black woman uniting the south with her core values. (Powell, 2020) This piece should serve as a template for how women and women of color are discussed on political platforms- with respect, with praise, and with deserved recognition for their values. If political media can do this for men, they should certainly be able to do so for women.

Cooney, S. (2017, June 29). Mika Brzezinski Tweet: Donald Trump on Women and Blood. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://time.com/4839415/donald-trump-mika-brzezinski-women-blood/

Figure 2: Mitchell, T. (n.d.). [Photograph found in Vanity Fair, New York]. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/10/becoming-aoc-cover-story-2020 (Originally photographed 2020, October 28)

Figure 1: Olson, S. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/08/07/trump-says-foxs-megyn-kelly-had-blood-coming-out-of-her-wherever/

Powell, K. (2020, May 14). Stacey Abrams has ascended to political prominence. How has she harnessed so much power in so little time? Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2020/05/14/stacey-abrams-political-power/

Rambaran, V. (2020, October 29). AOC appears in Vanity Fair in outfits worth $14,000 to curse Trump out. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/aoc-vanity-fair-outfits-14000-curse-trump-out

Human gene editing is a hot topic. Much has been circulating in the media about the possibility of designing your baby, and more recently- the reality of it. A Chinese researcher, Jiankui He, genetically modified a set of twins in 2018 to increase their resilience to HIV. This is discussed as the CRISPR scandal, confirming that society and the scientific community still have mixed thoughts on genetic engineering. While it is still largely a mystery as to what this holds for the future, we know for certain that gene editing is very much possible. On a smaller scale, we already have been designing our babies. In 1996, the Collins family used in vitro fertilization to choose the sex of their baby. Some even argue that sperm donations are a form of designing a baby, by picking a donor with desirable traits.

Much of the backlash gene editing receives is from a bioethical standpoint. The safety of these patients cannot yet be determined, and the practice itself has some overwhelming ethical issues. This can range from concerns of actualizing the Nazi concept of an Aryan race to doubts that this would be available for those at a lower socioeconomic status, leaving room for disadvantages. There is however, one undiscussed problem with this practice. Surrounding this practice is a rhetoric of scientific inquiry to make for a better human condition. What underlies this, is a push to eliminate disability within society.

While some disabilities may be life threatening, others are not. Making gene editing widely available could extend the lifespan of some individuals who would otherwise have shortened lives due to disability, but could also eliminate disabilities that do not pose severe threats to health. In a society where disability is not always accepted, it is important to recognize the damage that the rhetoric surrounding gene editing could have on disabled individuals and the progress we have made for these individuals.

If progress were to be made on gene editing, we could very well see the elimination of disability, or a drastic decrease in it. This could impact disabled individuals in numerous ways. Once a disability becomes more rare, it is eminent that the funding and research for a cure would also decrease. Not only would this put additional stressors on families and individuals, but would also be contradicting a fundamental notion of gene editing- scientific inquiry. Much less scientific progress could be made if gene editing eliminated disability, as we would have no reason to pursue knowledge on individual conditions.

This would also have an impact on the number of resources available to the disabled. Implementing gene editing may reduce the need for disability resources among a new generation, but such resources would still be necessary for those who have already been diagnosed. Without a need for these practices to grow and expand for the future, they may become less accessible and widespread. Such resources are already limited, and a decrease in them would have a significant impact on individuals and families. These resources include but are not limited to therapy, accomodations, employment, assistive technology, advocacy, and legal help. Without these resources, the negative connotation of disability would persist in society as it would make integration much more difficult.

Despite the good intentions of gene editing, as a society we must learn to accept individual differences- including disability- rather than attempt to eliminate them. Individuals with disabilities have just as much to offer the world as anyone else. They offer unique perspectives, intelligence, happiness, and so much more to society. If we aim to eliminate differences, the world would be a much more boring place.

The ability and want to design our babies reveals societies underlying fear of differences and non-typical individuals. It also reveals that certain characteristics are valued more than others, or viewed as better. It is a practice built on fear, jealousy, and unacceptance. Such a practice reveals our obsession with fitting in and striving to be better than others. Rather than looking into designing our babies to fit society’s standards, we should be aiming to alter society into one that is accepting, caring, and inclusive.

Sources:

https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/ethics-designer-babies

https://www.leafscience.org/would-i-want-a-designer-baby/

http://www.disabilityresource.org/about-us

For quite some time now, we have been exploring the idea of evolution. This is the idea that many years ago, humans arose from an earlier, less advanced species, and that species arose from another less advanced species, and so on. Evolution is a generally supported idea scientifically, but like any theory, there is still much more to know. One spin on the theory of evolution is transhumanism. Transhumanism is the idea or belief that “the human species in its current form does not represent the end of our development but rather a comparatively early phase.” 

Transhumanism does not only hold the belief that humans will evolve further, but also the belief that we should use technology to artificially speed up the process of evolution. In 1990, Max More became a key ambassador for this way of thinking, along with other futuristic philosophies. Later on, More became involved in extending the lifespan of humans through cryonics. As defined by ALCOR Life Extension Foundation, cryonics is “an effort to save lives by using temperatures so cold that a person beyond help by today’s medicine can be preserved for decades or centuries until a future medical technology can restore that person to full health.”

More’s early work in transhumanism has inspired many others to subscribe to a transhumanistic view, and consider possibilities that would better the human condition. These futuristic hopes aren’t all that far fetched either, even though they may seem like it. We often see sci-fi movies based on these premises, and more recently, the public has been intrigued by shows such as Black Mirror, which explore such ideas of a transhumanistic world. What is more difficult to grasp than these complicated and shocking shows, is that we really aren’t that far off from achieving such feats in our real world.

Medical technology is now so advanced that we have the ability and knowledge to do many things. Take cloning for example. In 1997, Dolly the sheep was born from a cloned cell. More recently, Chinese scientists have been able to clone monkeys. While these cloning machines are quite inefficient, it is possible to clone humans. However, bioethics tells us that while we have the ability to perform such procedures, we shouldn’t always do so. In most cases, it would be unethical and create a great deal of harm rather than advance the human race as transhumanism suggests.

Human cloning has multiple problems. The process of cloning is not yet perfected, and would result in many failed pregnancies. Even if the process was seamless and this ethical complication was solved, the resulting clone would be at a genetic disadvantage. The clone would have genes that were evolved to fit the environment of the past, rather than genes better adapted to the current environment as happens with normal reproduction. It is likely that the clone would have difficulty surviving, or would face severe complications. Due to this, most places have banned cloning and cloning research as a whole, especially after a council on bioethics “published reports deeming that the technology was unsafe and should be banned, even for research or therapy.”

While bioethics deemed cloning procedures unethical, many more procedures are being explored that would seemingly improve the human race. These range from improving unimpaired hearing and eyesight, or even using bionic limbs that can perform more tasks than regular limbs even in cases when their use would be unnecessary. The positives of these medical advancements is that people with disabilities or at a current disadvantage can gain a better quality of life from. The hearing and visually impaired have a chance at normalcy, and amputees could perform tasks much easier.

It seems as if using these medical advancements on individuals without a disability would be taking advantage of medical technology. Similar to cosmetic surgery, doctors could gain a significant amount of money for performing procedures that are merely improvements rather than necessities. Advancements could also get so out of hand that individuals could use enhanced features for unethical actions.

While transhumanism may be founded on humanistic ideas of human importance and the striving to reach full human potential, the actual logistics of improving the human condition through advanced medical technology is complicated. Without sound procedures, and without the necessity for them, it may be best to let humanity run the course it was naturally supposed to.

Sources:

http://www.bioethics.com/human-enhancement/transhumanism/page/2

https://theconversation.com/transhumanism-advances-in-technology-could-already-put-evolution-into-hyperdrive-but-should-they-92694

https://whatistranshumanism.org

https://alcor.org/AboutCryonics/index.html

https://futurism.com/human-cloning-whats-stopping

What is bioethics? Bioethics is the study of ethical practices within medical and biological research. While seemingly complicated and obscure, the ethics of these fields can get quite interesting- especially as technology advances, and especially when accounting for all of the strange and particular situations that occur in hospitals.

Doctors and researchers are professionally trained for their jobs, knowing how to help people in dire scenarios and establishing new ways to do so. They are not however, professionally trained to make critical decisions concerning ethics. This job is left to bioethicists. They can either work alongside lawyers and legislators to implement core policies that make our hospitals and labs run ethically, or they can work in hospitals handling the obscure cases that walk through the door when there is a lack of policy that applies to the specific scenario.

Because bioethicists work on varying things anywhere from daily policy on patient treatment to more bizarre questions such as the ethics of cloning, the field is best exemplified through specific examples.

What would you do as a doctor in the emergency room if an unidentified man came in suffering cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated? If the man was identified, doctors must look at his records prior to resuscitation to see if he has a DNR form. A DNR form is “an order not to attempt CPR in the event a patient suffers cardiac or respiratory arrest.” If a patient is unidentified, protocol would allow doctors to attempt CPR.

Due to the ethical complications of DNR forms, their use and terms are laid out extensively for patients and physicians. These protocols, however, cannot account for all scenarios.

Doctors in Miami, Florida faced an extraordinarily difficult situation when an unidentified, unconscious man was delivered to their emergency room. Without access to his records, a decision had to be made regarding resuscitation. While this may seem like an ordinary occurrence, this man happened to have “Do Not Resuscitate” tattooed across his chest, with an apparent signature below it. 

Initially, doctors worked to have the man regain consciousness using reversible measures. However, these efforts did not bring the man back. They then had to decide on beginning CPR, despite the mans tattoo’d wishes. When students graduate medical school and become doctors, they swear to abide by an ethical code called the Hippocratic Oath. Following this oath, the doctors in Miami thought pursuing CPR best adhered to the principle of not choosing an irreversible path when faced with uncertainty.

Yet, the tattoo was a very blatant statement that could not be ignored. Instead of wasting time grappling with the issue themselves, the doctors decided to consult their hospitals team of bioethicists. While waiting for the ethics team to finish consulting, the doctors in the emergency room were able to place the man on medications to preserve his life.

Because this case was so fascinating, it has become a large topic of debate for bioethicists. And while we cannot know for sure what the team debated over- we can certainly look into our own ethical objections to this scenario.

A tattoo can be many things. It must be taken into consideration that it could have been a drunken mistake, a dare, or something that was done years prior that no longer reflects the individuals actual thoughts or beliefs. It is not uncommon to find people who regret tattoos, as they are in fact, permanent. However, it must also be considered that a tattoo, due to their permanent nature, is often well thought out and a true reflection of an individual. Because both scenarios are equally likely, the ethics of making a medical decision based off of a tattoo become shaky.

In this situation, the ethics team decided that this tattoo was most likely an effort for the mans wishes to be followed- and an extreme one at that. Because of this, the doctors did not attempt resucitation and a DNR form was written out of his best interests. The man died later that night without medical intervention. Once identified, doctors and the ethical team were relieved to find that the man actually did have a DNR form.

While a correct decision was made in this scenario, many questions still remain. Is a tattoo a legally binding document? Should it be? Would the same decision be made from a different team of bioethicists?

The case report finished by saying they were neither in support or opposition of end-of-life wishes in a tattoo form to be granted. Because legislation and procedures were not outlined previously on how to handle a case like this, the hospital used their resources available to them to attempt to make the best decision possible for this particular man. But ethics are complicated, especially in the medical field. Much more deliberation and research must be done before actual procedures are outlined on this matter.

Bioethics is still a relatively new addition to the medical field, and cases like this one stress the importance of having an ethics team present in hospitals. There are no easy answers when it comes to patient care, and the questions will only get more complicated.

Sources:

https://www.bioethics.msu.edu/what-is-bioethics

https://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/task_force/reports_publications/docs/do_not_resuscitate.pdf

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1713344?af=R&rss=currentIssue&#iid=f01

The Principle Of Not Choosing An Irreversible Path When Faced With Uncertainty