treat all women as if they're going to become pregnant soon!.

Infant mortality rate in this country is terrible, true. But many of the causes (*there are always multiple causes for any social problem*) are tied to the horrendous health care system we have here which does in fact ration health care (have lots of money? good health care. not much money or service job, fucking NONE).

This initiative won't matter squat to the majority of women who don't get to see health care providers (who in fact receive their health care from the local emergency rooms).

This country's big focus is on expensive techy toys not on preventative care. Lots of specialists (yeah, we need a lot more cosmetic surgeons), not generalists. Prenatal care--hah. (Let's not even get into the problems of access--there is ONE doctor's office (has several doctors and some PAs) in this town of some 8000 with a college. The college cannot get a doctor to come work for the college--we have a health center with no doctor. The small towns around here have no doctors. (While this area is in the underserved program, I was told by a local chiropractor that that's organized by county--so the doctors can go live in the county seat, the largest town and lots of doctors, and get their loans forgiven; they don't actually have to god forbid go into the actual small towns). Having to drive an hour to see a doctor doesn't strike me as easy access.

Health care in rural USA sucks big time. And that's general health care--there's a lot of "save the babies from the nasty killer mothers" rhetproc but not much "save the children and everybody else from environmental pollution" (arsenic spill in this town years ago still not corrected, plant moved down the road still producing). And there's not a lot of prenatal care or education out there. (Let's not even get into gynecological and contraception issues, not in Texas, where the high teenager pregnancy rate proves just how well abstinence only works). The pregnancy rate just among my students every year astounds me! And by pregnancy rate I count not only the women who tell me they are pregnant but the men who tell me that their girlfriend (it's 99% girlfriend, not wife) is pregnant. *simmers snarkily*

What I see a lot in my classes are mothers in their early twenties after their first divorce juggling ft work, college, and children. And I see first hand the results of lack of decent health care (heavily tied to socio economic issues since the majority of students are Anglo--14% are African-American). I've had students who bore and raised 11 and 13 children (who were coming back to college fairly late). My students who are younger than I are grandmothers!

And this. I cannot even think of a curse word bad enough.

Well today wasn't so bad--although I would not do it a lot for fun, I don't actually feel bad (and poor Entwife got too busy to go for lunch herself! Unintentional fasting.). Somewhat sloshy, full to brim. The icky part comes tonight. And tomorrow morning.

Planning Saturday shopping, great meal out, and PIRATES excursion (at BETTER theatre) made for fun moments. And reward for icky stuff. Sixth time and second county (what can I say, Texas counties are big).

Weird things happening in stories which I will vent about but be warned it does contain SPOILERS for later sections which I have not yet posted. ( Venting )