ABOVE: Mary Namata, a Ugandan woman who put off treatment
Although this article may initially seem to be just about the increase in breast cancer in Uganda and the lack of proper medical treatment, there are clear and significant questions of Human Rights that are brought up in the article. A woman's (and for that matter human's) right to proper medical care is brought to light in the article. Should these women be ashamed of their disease, thus hiding it until it's unbearable, or should they search for treatment right away? A striking quote from the article explains why some women with lumps on their breasts hide it: "A number of women in Ms. Nakigudde’s group have been deserted by husbands or boyfriends because they have cancer, she said, counting herself among them. Some have been fired from work for taking time off for treatment. It is not uncommon for women to try to keep the disease a secret, for fear that if word gets out, no one will marry their children. Women with one breast are sometimes shunned as witches or as having been cursed by a witch." This social issue and shunning that takes place along with the financial and medical "culture of bribery" made this article relevant to our discussion of rights. "The hospital has two tiers: free, public wards for the poor, and a private one for those who can pay. Paying patients are generally treated more quickly." Because this article talks about a disease most commonly diagnosed in women, in brings in the question of how this would be treated if it were men. Although the hospitals first discrimination is towards those financially unstable, is it possible that the social stigma with this treatment would be different if it were a common cancer found in men?
I think that it’s really interesting that even when these women noticed a lump, they would often neglect it due to the fact that they are talked out of it by their family members and friends. When a doctor told a woman that her breast would not likely have to be removed, her mother only shook her head and insisted that “no woman should have her breast cut off.” It’s obviously a difficult decision that should not be taken lightly but it seems that some people would rather uphold these emblems of femininity rather than get healthy. I think it is interesting that many women around the world feel that after the procedure that they are less of a woman. It seems like the aversion to the procedure a social stigma to the idea of women’s sexuality as well as their role in religion.
ReplyDeleteThese articles were also really interesting and also talk about some ideas similar to the article above.
This is about the social stigmas of breast cancer in Saudi Arabia due to the religious implications that make women less likely to seek treatment.
http://www.futurity.org/in-sudan-efforts-to-erase-breast-cancer-stigma/
This one is about the psychological aspects of the surgery.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-10-22/varanasi/43287129_1_breast-cancer-sir-sundar-lal-surgery
Those articles are great! Thanks, Sean!!
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ReplyDeleteRegarding the risk of partner abandonment, I also came across some articles that discussed it as a gendered trend in the United States. Apparently in heterosexual relationships women are much more likely than men to be abandoned by their partner when they are suffering from a serious medical illness. Here's a link to a summary of a study published in the journal "Cancer."
ReplyDeletehttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.24577/abstract