Introduction
It is essential to ensure a woman’s general and medical rights. That is, Global Women’s Health and Rights, along with women’s right to education, freedom of movement, and fair wages, also have rights concerning their health. For example, women have the right to make decisions about their bodies and the birth of their kids. Although women still have problems with the quality of health care (The Commonwealth Fund, 2022). That is, there are often complications in the birth of the mother or child, which can have catastrophic consequences. At the same time, women are late in detecting breast cancer due to untimely diagnosis of the disease. Hence, the main policy challenges and methods of addressing them should be established.
History
Women’s health and welfare is a diverse and complex topic with a long, often problematic history that is closely connected to the further development and education of women’s rights from the early 1900s to the present. One of the most crucial issues related to women’s health is sexual and reproductive rights (Autry & Petersen, 2017). The struggle for safe sex and sexual and reproductive rights has been central to women’s liberation movements and attempts to regulate reproductive freedom have prevailed throughout history on a global scale. The struggle for reproductive freedom largely began with Margaret Sanger in the early 1900s, who advocated educating women about sex and contraception and was a major proponent of women’s right to birth control (Autry & Petersen, 2017).
Although the origins of the women’s health movement centered on sexual health and abortion, it quickly expanded into other areas related to women’s health, with the primary goal of combating sexism. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, crucial political organizations, such as the Congressional Committee on Women’s Issues and the Jacobs Health Institute, operated and accomplished significant advances in women’s health in the world of federal politics (Autry & Petersen, 2017). This contributed to recognizing the influence of violence on women and methods of protection and recognition of a woman’s right to use any form of contraception.
Policy Analysis
Problem
Women around the world have fewer healthcare rights than men. The reasons for this problem include the fact that it is financially expensive to maintain and examine women’s health. At the same time, the lack of sufficient information about the risks of complications from not obtaining breast or genital exams leads to neglect. According to the report, from 2012 to 2016, women were more likely than men to have cancer (Autry & Petersen, 2017). A significant reason affecting women’s health and obligation to bear children or meet social standards is societal condemnation. Thus, many instances of women’s health rights are violated today.
Assemble Evidence
U.S. women report having many chronic illnesses because of the high cost of medicine. At the same time, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate after childbirth (The Commonwealth Fund, 2022). Sweden and Norway have some of the lowest rates in this area. In addition, people in the U.S. and Switzerland claim to have the highest rates of breast cancer screening. In turn, women in Norway Sweden have the lowest breast cancer mortality rates (The Commonwealth Fund, 2022). However, the expensive cost of health care in the United States encourages three women not to consult a doctor for routine screenings. Therefore, women living in the United States are less frequently rated as having an excellent or higher-good quality of care than women in all the other countries studied.
Construct the Alternatives
In order to overcome the problem that has arisen in this policy, it is imperative to provide additional funding that has provided free annual female health screenings. At the same time, to motivate women to be mindful of their own health, it is crucial to disseminate information about the consequences of diseases that are not detected in time (The Commonwealth Fund, 2022). Moreover, to ensure the right to safe childbearing, it is necessary to pay attention to the period of pregnancy and to encourage employers to reduce the burden on female employees (Autry & Petersen, 2017). It is also vital to popularize the concept that only women can control their own lives and bodies in the media. That is, then society will not condemn the choice to have or not to have children.
Criteria
Figure 1: Criteria
Project the Outcomes and Confront the Trade-offs
It is essential to mention that positive experience in various states demonstrates that providing additional funding will encourage women to change their own health status. At the same time, the proposed alternatives are an adequate continuation of the policy, i.e. it is necessary to determine how to better the health and care of pregnant women. An alternative that proposes equal access for men and women to contraception without social condemnation is already part of the policy, but has not yet been fully realized through the stereotypical mindsets of society (Autry & Petersen, 2017). Moreover, the popularization of women’s reproductive and other health rights in newspapers and magazines can contribute to resolving this issue.
Decision
It appears to me that the theoretical statement of policy is well developed. The problem now, though, is its practical application and adaptation in society. Considering the fact that there is an ACA that mandates preventive services under the terms of insurance, women can have their health screened without incurring large financial costs (The Commonwealth Fund, 2022). For example, this includes a mammogram for breast cancer screening, a Papanicolaou smear for cervical cancer screening, and getting advice on staying healthy. At the same time, there are many recent adherents of the idea that a woman should decide for herself whether or not to have a baby and how to use her own body (Autry & Petersen, 2017). Therefore, the policy does not need to be changed theoretically, but it does need to be maintained practically.
Story Section
Summary of Analysis
In my opinion, there is no reason to introduce new changes to the policy. Instead, the points suggested by ACOG should be implemented. The public perception of them can be increased by disseminating and formulating women’s rights, particularly in the reproductive sphere, in the mass media. At the same time, it is valuable to adopt the positive experience of other states where the situation of women’s health care is better. Therefore, the policy does not need to revise its basic principles and rules.
References
Autry, A. M., & Petersen, S. M. (2017). What is new in global women’s health? (Part 2): Best articles from the past year. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 129(2), 377-379.
The Commonwealth Fund. (2022). What is the status of women’s health and health care in the U.S. compared to ten other countries. Web.