Gloria Ferris

Just read this post, on Jeff Hess’s blog, Have Coffee Will Write. How utterly absurd.  When you click through to the Washington Post article, “prepregnant” females should control their weight, take folic acid supplements, control their asthma and diabetes.  My first thought was Who shouldn’t do all of those things if you want to live a healthy, productive life?  Doesn’t matter if you are female or male, prepregnant or postpregnant, preimpregnating or postpregnating?  Thanks, Jill.  Loved the comment.  Certainly plays up the absurd angle. 

But then being the fact checker that I am, I decided I should look up folic acid supplements   to make sure that this B vitamin is needed by both men and women.  It is, and here is why: 

“Folic acid is crucial for proper brain function and plays an important role in mental and emotional health. It aids in the production of DNA and RNA, the body’s genetic material, and is especially important during periods of high growth, such as infancy, adolescence and pregnancy. Folic acid also works closely together with vitamin B12 to regulate the formation of red blood cells and to help iron function properly in the body.”

Granted, women have a higher risk of B9 deficiency than men, and therefore, should be aware of the possibility of deficiencies, but to target a certain segment as being in particular need of this kind of reminder does no one any good.  Are we saying that young men are not in need of these same reminders to maintain good health?  Shouldn’t the goal be for all individuals to be healthier and therefore, able to reach potential?  Shouldn’t two healthy individuals have more possibility of creating a healthy baby?

Where are we going as a nation as a society when we parse words and compartmentalize women into premenses, prepregnant, pregnant, postpregnant, menopousal, and post menopousal?  Oh and let’s don’t get into that PMS syndrome nonsense.

Young men should be extremely concerned with this focus on women’s health, given the fact that it essentially makes their part in conception no big deal. I strongly believe that a focus on overall health of everyone would be a better use of federal guidelines.

Now, here’s a thought for you.  Could this be a way to cut down future health care costs?  If “prepregnant” women do not adhere to federal guidelines, would it be possible to deny health care benefits to the said infant?  I shudder to think where all of these “guidelines” could lead.

Anyone read The Handmaiden’s Tale by Margaret Atwood lately?