20/S1 HMRT 2023 A - Literature and human rights

I really appreciate the last topic on this list, as it is something that I was also thinking about a lot as I read the novel. The passage related to birth control is very telling of pregnancy amongst teens in poverty, as Esch is thinking of all the ways she could get rid of the baby growing inside of her that she does not really want. I found it very interested that these conversations are common in her school environment, which leads me to believe that unwanted pregnancy amongst teens is fairly common in this community. According to Planned Parenthood, birth control costs between $15 and $50 per month, and for a family that can barely afford groceries, it is unlikely that this would have been a possible cost. Safe sex comes with a price tag, one that is not always affordable. I would argue that it is the lack of affordable access to contraception that puts teens in these situations, which are then exasperated by a lack of information and affordable options to approach their pregnancy. Esch even had to steal a pregnancy test to discover that she was pregnant and she did not appear to have any intention of going to see a doctor until Claude mentions it in the last chapter after he finds out that she is pregnant. In this way, pregnancy is like a trap for these young women in poverty because they are unable to prevent it and if they want to end it, they must use drastic and dangerous measures like drinking bleach. It is definitely a scary situation, as we can see in Esch's frustration and despair when she tries to conceal and deal with her pregnancy on her own.

The last topic really stood out to me especially when I was reading the novel. Poverty, sexual abuse, and lack of resources is not only the reason for many teen pregnancies but is also a leading factor in the high population numbers of underdeveloped countries. Many women who are in poverty in which experience pregnancy as teens are kind of given both short ends of the stick. On one hand, they may not have access to resources to ensure a healthy pregnancy such as a family doctor, family support, and access to affordable healthcare, or don't have the tools to provide adequate life for the child after birth. But then on the other side of things, women and teens in poverty are less likely to have the tools for preventing pregnancy such as contraceptives or sexual education. These factors require money, this may cause teens or other pregnant women in poverty to turn to extreme measures as Esch discusses in order to terminate the pregnancy.

The mother dying in childbirth caught my attention because I know Black women are more likely to die in childbirth than white women. The CDC says, "Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native (AI/ AN) women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women." This is linked to poverty within minority communities (like we saw in the Hate U Give) which can be linked to inadequate care and education. The CDC also gives contributing factors to maternal childbirth deaths such as "access to appropriate and high-quality care, missed or delayed diagnoses, and lack of knowledge among patients and providers around warning signs". They also said 60% of these deaths could have been prevented if these factors were addressed. This is heartbreaking and clearly preventable. The solutions lie in addressing those factors, making sure poorer communities have access to clinics, to doctors, to medications, ultrasounds and more. If they had more healthcare resources, they could spot the warning signs, have the quality of care they need and get any diagnosis they may need to know before giving birth. Where you live and how much money you have should not dictate whether you have adequate healthcare or not and whether you survive pregnancy or not. Here is the resource I found: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p0905-racial-ethnic-disparities-pregnancy-deaths.html

Mothers dying during childbirth caught my attention.
According to WHO "The Maternal Mortality Rate in low income countries in 2017 is 462 per 100 000 live births versus 11 per 100 000 live births in high income countries." Majority of maternal deaths during child birth are due to a preventable cause however many persons cannot afford to have access to adequate healthcare. They may not be able to afford prenatal vitamins, doctor visits to see if they have any conditions or to treat it. It is heartbreaking to see that how much you can afford dictates your chance at life. There needs to be a greater access to quality healthcare.

Other causes of maternal during child birth may be due to complications during labour. Complications which could have been prevented if a doctor were present. It then led me to look at how much it cost to give birth in a hospital. According to Business Insider, the average cost of having an uncomplicated vaginal birth in the U.S. is $14,217. In Canada hospital deliveries costs anywhere from $5000-$8000 without insurance. The cost in Canada however is offset most times by the province. Having subsidized healthcare for mothers during pregnancy could be viewed as a solution. This way they will have access to the resources needed for them to have a healthy baby. I find it ridiculous how a baby can leave the womb and already be causing debt.

Through the way that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected people in poverty, it has in turn affected many BIPOC. People in households of essential workers, people in poverty, and single parents have struggled significantly during the pandemic. For example, a single mother with several children is forced in the position to continue to work. If a single parent is an essential worker, they are unable to stay with their family at home while the kids are online for school. Many families lack the resources to continue online school due to lack of internet, lack of technology such as computers, and lack of space or other materials. If a parent has to go to work, they can't leave their children at home alone. It requires that they go to childcare services, however, these childcares services are often unsafe and have a high potential to spreading Covid-19. If any family members were to get sick, the parent would be responsible to stay home to take care of them. Unfortunately, in many cases where families can't afford healthcare in the U.S., they would be unable to get a Covid-19 test without paying to full price of one. Covid-19 tests range in prices.

In reference to the social situation of Esch and her family, they would suffer greatly in a Covid-19 greatly. Since they are already struggling to make ends meet, it would be even more difficult for them to survive with a deadly virus on top of it all. Esch already doesn't have the choice of services such as healthcare or access to necessary things such as birth control, so gaining access to health services during a pandemic would be even harder.