There was much frothing and agitation yesterday in response to a WaPo article on the CDC’s new recommendations for preconceptive health care.
Going by the WaPo article, it would appear as if Margaret Atwood’s worst nightmare might be blossoming before our eyes. Any woman capable of bearing children–whether or not she intends to become pregnant–should not drink or smoke or have contact with cat feces, should take folic acid and vitamin supplements, maintain a “healthy” weight, keep conditions like asthma and diabetes under control, etc. Basically, women should pretend that they might become pregnant at any moment.
If true, the recommendations would certainly be something to get uppity about. It’s one thing to tell women that X behaviors are good or bad their health. It’s quite another to focus on the potential health of a hypothetical fetus, as if the woman’s health, in and of itself, were unimportant. By all means, tell women that they ought to take care of their health, but that message should not be contingent on their fertility status. Thankfully, that’s not at all what the CDC was recommending, though. The CDC recommended that any woman who intends to become pregnant should follow their guidelines. That’s quite another kettle of fishes. It’s still a little troubling, because it ignores the impact of men’s health on fetuses, but it’s a long way from calling for all women to be treated like ambulatory incubators.
I don’t know what the hell WaPo was thinking, but this is a pretty good example of how the press can twist something around until it says almost the opposite of what the original source intended. News outlets are run by humans, and humans have agendas. It always pays to be skeptical, and to, whenever possible, consult original sources. If you cannot access the original source, then you should attempt to find a variety of view points on the subject. Otherwise, someone might try to sell you some prime swampland in Poughkeepsie.
red paper boat 