As a 17-year-old in my last year of secondary school, my English teacher made us debate the topic of abortion. She, Mrs. Narayanan, who was a Catholic, placed the girl who sat next to me and myself on the side of pro-abortion. Till that point in time, I had not taken a stance on the issue, as many teenagers are at that age with life issues. I was brought up in the Catholic faith; I went to Sunday mass and religious classes with bible study and of the such. In one of those classes, at primary school age, we were even shown a video about what happens to the “unborn child” in utero, with the agenda to steer us in the direction of being against abortion. Anyway, as my fellow student and I gathered the points of debate for abortion, I started to realize how unfavorable things were for the woman, who would be pregnant and needed/ wanted an abortion. By the end of that class and our debate, I was convinced that the stigma, rules and laws made by societies around the world to outlaw abortion were unfair to women; I joined the camp of Pro-Choice of the individual from that day onward, thanks to Mrs. Narayanan, which I do not imagine was her intention of the debate. Within the years that followed, I watched a movie about Roe v. Wade, a true account of Roe’s life, her experience in the system when she wanted to have an abortion, was declined, fought with her lawyers for the change in the law and how abortion came to be a constitutional right in the USA in 1973.
Fast forward 31 years to 2022, I was appalled when Roe v. Wade was overturned in the USA. I am stunned to hear that there are still places in Europe, where I was led to believe, like in North America, which champion the rights of women and humans, which still do not honor the rights of a woman to abort, if she chooses to. I risk sounding political, which I am sorry if I offend anyone, but how can we say that we care about human rights and do not allow women to choose what they see fit to do with their own bodies? I grew up in a restrictive, even oppressive political environment, where if one did not agree with the powers that be in the country, one would be censored, jailed or even killed for speaking up. I have often heard comments of the backward, uncivilized manner in which we live and treat living beings, humans and animals included, in parts of Asia, spoken by Westerners. When I hear of how some countries in Europe and parts of the USA that still curb the rights of women to choose in 2024 as to what should happen with their bodies, I am appalled. I am disgusted by the hypocrisy and the lousy lip-service paid to women’s and human rights.
I am aware that with the right to choose, as with a democratic style of government, one has to have the ability to think for one’s self as well as to have the availability of information to the individual; in order for us to make the “right” choices for ourselves, we must be able to access the “right” information. About a year ago, as I was preparing for our Women’s Health project at ICM, I asked myself, “What actually happens to a woman’s body when she takes oral contraception?” I do not use oral contraception myself but I know of many women, friends and patients, who do; I am aware of its effects on many women’s bodies and minds, and through Chinese Medicine aid them in finding balance in their body-minds. As I researched, I realized that many of the women I knew, who shared their menstrual cycle patterns with me or what they thought was a menstrual cycle, were not aware that they were not having a menstrual bleed when they took the Pill. The official, scientific term for the bleeding provoked when the hormones of the Pill are stopped, is “withdrawal bleeding.” “Withdrawal” as in the state that one experiences when one gets off drugs. Many of the women I know, who take oral contraception, are not even aware that they do not have a menstrual cycle. Many of them began the Pill as teenagers, when at the gynecologist, maybe even for the very first time, were told that if they didn’t want acne or to “regulate” their menstrual cycle and at the same time not get pregnant, they should take the Pill. This is not “informed consent;” they were not informed that they aren’t actually having a menstrual cycle or that there may be side-effects to hormonal contraception use. It was just given to them by those “trusted” individuals in a white-coat, telling them that this is their “best” option to make life “easier” and have clear skin.
In this age of information, we have to take back the autonomy of our own bodies into our own hands, which we somehow or another gave away to those whom we think know more than we do about our own bodies. We need to research what is best for our health and make the best choices for our own bodies, female or male or otherwise. Our health practitioners can only be guides and offer us possibilities for treatment. The final say lays with us. We are the ones who will live with the consequences of any action or procedure done onto our bodies, whether we like it or not. As a health practitioner, I can only provide treatment possibilities, within the scope of my practice, with the best interest of the individual client. A person’s health journey is theirs to walk, I am simply accompanying them, aiding them as best I can on their way. Sometimes it means I can only hold their hand for part of the way, sometimes it means I can carry them with my treatments part of the way. Ultimately, they need to walk their path.
This Thursday, June 20, 2024 is the Summer Solstice and the (almost) Full-Moon. It is the day I have chosen to present our Women’s Life Phases - Menstruation talk. It is meant as a way to honor women and provide a space for information and exchange with other women especially on some very, till now hidden theme of menstruation. All are welcome, even men or others. Join us!
Image by ICM
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