M is for Masturbate

 

• $100 fine
• anti-masturbatory devices
• homicide
• Man’s Right to Know Act
• masturbation

They say that four out of five men admit to masturbating. And the fifth is a liar.

Actually, that old joke is not far from the truth. Research has found that among Ugandan adolescents aged 14–17, around 74% of males and 48% of females masturbate.

Among older adults, roughly 63% of men and 32% of women between 57 and 64 years of age masturbate.

Masturbation, as you no doubt know, is when an individual stimulates his or her genitals for sexual pleasure, which may or may not lead to orgasm. It’s a normal and healthy sexual activity with no adverse side effects.

Back in Victorian times, masturbation was called “onanism, named for the biblical character Onan. God, so the Bible says, took the life of Onan when he “wasted his seed on the ground” in order not to give offspring to his brother. Apparently that really pissed God off, and he smote the filthy seed-waster. Hey, even for God, imposing the death penalty for masturbation seems a bit harsh, don’t you think?

Masturbation was also referred to back then as “self-pollution” and it was thought to drain your energy and make you sick. There were even some really bizarre anti-masturbatory devices for both men and women.

Many religions frown on masturbation. In fact, until the 19th century, the Catholic Church believed that sperm were “little homunculi, miniature people,” and for that reason, male masturbation was sometimes called homicide. I swear I am not making that up.

We’ve come a long way since the 19th century, right?

Well, maybe not. And that’s why I chose to write about masturbation for today.

A proposed bill in Texas that would impose a fine for male masturbation is making its way through the state’s legislature.

Texas House Bill 4260, called the “Man’s Right to Know Act,” would punish male masturbation with a $100 fine, and require men who want Viagra to be subject to a rectal exam.

The bill calls “masturbatory emissions” an “act against an unborn child, and failing to preserve the sanctity of life.”

Filed in 2018 by Texas Democratic legislator Jessica Farrar, the bill was referred to the House State Affairs Committee last week.

By focusing on male masturbation, the proposed legislation is an obvious attempt to satirize and to draw attention to the unreasonable and dangerous policy proposals concerning women’s reproductive freedom coming from the Republican Party.

Farrar, a vocal abortion rights activist with a long record of opposing legislation in Texas hostile to women’s reproductive freedom, said, “A lot of people find the bill funny. What’s not funny are the obstacles that Texas women face every day that were placed there by male legislators, making it very difficult for women to access healthcare.”

I am fairly confident that those male legislators in the Texas State House are less inclined to pass such a bill than they have been to pass bills that restrict women’s sexual freedoms. But in today’s Trump America, you never can be certain.

And with that, I’m going to end this post with one piece of advice: go ahead and give yourself a hand but be ready for the circumstances.

Sex is a Dirty Word

this is irritably sad.

This, That, and the Other

You may have already heard that there is a proposal being floated at the U.S. State Department that could prohibit American diplomats from using the phrases “sexual and reproductive health” and “comprehensive sexuality education.”

Instead of “sexual and reproductive health” and “comprehensive sexuality education,” the proposal is that U.S. officials would be instructed to use phrases like “reproduction and the related health services” in official communications.

This proposal is being pushed by a handful of conservative political appointees at the State Department and other agencies. Abandoning the use of the word “sex” would be a symbolic move that aligns with other Trump administration efforts to reduce funding for, and focus on, women’s reproductive issues — especially anything related to abortion.

The problem appears to be that saying “sex” makes Trump’s far-right Republican supporters feel all sad and uncomfortable inside.

I guess that for the 2020 election, Trump is going to…

View original post 11 more words

Abortion stigma causing more harm than good

 

Every year over 40 million women in the world have an abortion, making it one of the most common and safe medical procedures. Yet it is still loaded with strong social stigma expressed in negative attitudes and secrecy by both women who get abortions and clinicians involved in the process.

The legal status of abortion in Uganda is unclear because it provides for some exceptions while criminalizing the procedure in most cases. This leaves people in confusion hence one of the main reasons as to why abortion stigma is still high in Uganda today.

Abortion stigma is a negative attribute ascribed to women who seek to terminate a pregnancy that marks them, internally or externally, as inferior to ideals of womanhood. Abortion stigma is experienced by women seeking abortion services and by abortion providers in a range of legal contexts in Uganda.

Abortion stigma is one of the main barriers to women seeking termination of unwanted pregnancy and a challenge to abortion service providers.

This stigma translates into shame and silence for women and into marginalization for providers, and creates or perpetuates myths and misunderstandings about abortion. And the stigma imposed on women and girls who carry out abortion is the main reason as to why there are so many abortion complications and deaths in Uganda as the women try to carry out abortions in secrecy. Why decide to see the wrong side of the procedure? We could take abortion as a choice; a mother deciding what’s best for her child. We have seen instances where a mother goes through with a pregnancy and after giving birth dumps the baby in a pit latrine. Of what use is it? The torture, the trauma that such a mother goes through and what about the baby? This is worse than an abortion.

Abortion stigma is erroneous and egocentric and it has hurt so many women. People who stigmatize abortion probably have no idea of what harm they cause.

Stigma manifests differently depending on legal frameworks, religious beliefs, and social and cultural contexts.

Stigma can be classified into three main manifestations:

1) perceived stigma, which are ideas about what others may think about abortion and about what could happen if their own experience is made public (rejection by the family or partner, impaired social relationships, loss of friendships, criticism, abuse, and isolation);

2) Experienced stigma, which are actual acts of discrimination, harassment, and aggression by others; and

3) Internalized stigma, which refers to the materialization of the two previous forms in feelings of guilt, shame, anxiety, or other negative ideas

In the struggle to shun abortion stigma, some have carried out abortion procedures by themselves and most of such people have been found in their small rooms dead or at the verge of dying. They often bleed to death or get permanent complications. Dangerous nonsurgical instruments like forks and hangers have been used in the bid to eliminate pregnancies in secrecy, other deadly ways that have been used include overdose of pills, drinking washing detergent omo in particular, consuming opium, throwing themselves of the staircase, starvation and so many other insane procedures.

Abortion stigma should stop because it has done more harm than good. The more stigmas these young girls and women observe the more the chances of them practicing unsafe abortion and the end results are absurd.

 

IS ABORTION SAFE OR UNSAFE?

Abortion in Uganda is still considered illegal unless performed by a doctor who believes pregnancy places the woman’s life at risk. The Ugandan Ministry of Health estimates that as of 2008, 26% of all maternal deaths result from abortion complications this is aggravated by legal, socioeconomic, and geographic barriers to safe abortion, which compels women to use unsafe abortion methods and deter them from seeking post-abortion medical care. Unsafe abortion to be specific is the major cause of deaths in women and young girls. Many young girls panic when they conceive and they don’t mind about anything else apart from terminating the pregnancy and this has cost so many girls their lives or complications like fistula.

Elena Prada a consultant with Guttmacher institute says that Close to one third of Ugandan women who have abortions each year are admitted to health facilities for complications resulting from unsafe abortions and many other women who experience complications do not get the care they need.

Given that most abortions result from unintended pregnancies, improving family planning services is critical to reducing the incidence of unsafe abortion. In particular, contraceptive counseling should be strengthened to address high rates of method discontinuation and women’s concerns about side effects. Contraceptive methods should be taught to women and young women that they know how to prevent unwanted pregnancies as prevention is better than cure.

Family planning services should provide accurate information on the side effects of different methods. Further, recommend that family planning services provide a full range of modern contraceptive methods, including long-acting reversible methods such as IUDs and implants, so women can choose whichever method works best for them.

Most women in Uganda practice unsafe abortion due to the stigma attached to those who carry out abortions so this forces them to hide away and carry out unsafe abortions with unqualified doctors and this has increased the rate of abortion complications in Uganda.

Let us stop abortion stigma for better and safe abortion methods this is an easy way to stop unsafe abortions and in the long run save the lives of so many Women and girls.

THANK YOU!!!!

This is to everyone who has been supportive on this amazing journey. the follows, the likes, the re-blogs. we have practically become family. thank you for being family. lets continue with the journey. reproductive health is everyone’s right. this is everyone’s struggle i know i’m not alone!! LETS GO FAM.

MERRY X MASS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!! XX

LETS TALK SEX TONIGHT!!!

                                 story by Lilian Nansubuga

Sex education the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. Sex education is also about developing young people’s skills so that they make informed choices about their behavior, and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices. 

Sex education has been one of the abandoned topics in school. A student is so shy to even say out the word. This is all because of the mentality the attain from schools. I remember how excited I was to learn about reproductive education as a topic in primary six. But when I look back now, there is so much I was not taught simply because the teacher tackled just a 10% of what they should have taught me. So many youths especially in Uganda do not have a clue about reproductive and sexual health. Most of the early pregnancies registered in Uganda are due to ignorance. The youths do not know how to use contraceptives, most of them are naive. I was shocked when a girl above 24 years still believed in myths. She boldly explained to me how bending on your knees immediately after sex can help you to prevent conception. It was a shock and such an absurd idea. 

Schools and parents need to provide such knowledge to the young people it is everyone’s right to sex education. Parents need to stop being shy about such topics because it is part of life. Or if they totally can’t provide the knowledge themselves they could help and enroll their children in sex education workshops because it would be absurd for a child to conceive or worse catch the sexually transmitted diseases out of ignorance yet there is something they could have done about it.

There are 35 states that have laws that allow parents to opt their children out of sex education. Even worse, 3 states make parents opt their children into sex education. You can’t opt your children in or out of math. But when it comes to sex education, one of the most important things you can learn in school, a parent can take their kid out for no reason at all. I am all for religious freedom, but just because you or your religion values abstinence doesn’t mean your kids will too. Its important teens get all the information they can, and then make a decision about their own values. Don’t let religion or family values be a reason to let students be taken out of sexual health education. Don’t let your morals obstruct your kid’s learning. 

 Even if you don’t plan to be sexually active, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t learn about sex, anatomy, contraceptives, and the other topics that make up sex education. Knowledge is for everyone, and sex education shouldn’t be limited to certain people because of their parents’ views. Access to comprehensive, medically accurate sex education is a human right. Sex education is important. It’s been proven time and time again. We know students who receive formal sex education in schools are shown to first have sexual intercourse later than students who have not had sex education. Sex education does not encourage teenagers to have sex, it does quite the opposite.  

Every teenager should have sex education incorporated into their schooling. It shouldn’t be opt-in or opt-out but mandatory. Why should parents be able to opt their children in or out of a subject that they’ll need later in life, one way or another? Sex education should be mandatory, comprehensive, medically accurate, and taught throughout student’s school years, just like math. It’s been shown to help students, not hurt. Not only is having access to sex education that is not only comprehensive but medically accurate a human right; it’s our fundamental duty as a society to educate the next generation. Currently, we are failing.  

 Parents and teachers need to wake up and help the young people. Sex education is one of the ways to prevent early pregnancies and reduce the risk of spreading sexually transmitted diseases especially the incurable ones like HIV/AIDS.

 

 

 

Domestic Violence in Prison, Police and Army Barracks

THE 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GBV. BE APART OF IT

STORY BY NANSUBUGA LILIAN

Gender violence, also known as gender-based violence is the harm inflicted upon individuals and groups that is connected to normative understandings of their gender. Gender based violence is normally towards women but in few circumstances even men are abused. Such violence is directed against women because they are women. Gender based violence (GBV) is a structural problem that is deeply embedded in unequal power relationships between men and women. Such violence is perpetuated by harmful social and cultural expectations about gender roles typically associated with being a woman or being a man, a girl or a boy. It functions as a mechanism for enforcing and sustaining gender inequality. Two terms commonly used to refer to violence experienced by women in the household are domestic violence and intimate partner violence. Domestic violence means all acts of physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence within the family or domestic unit or between former or current partners. While intimate partner violence is the behavior by an intimate partner that causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm including acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviors.

Women and girls who are subjected to mechanism for enforcing and sustaining gender inequality. Women and girls or men and boys who are subjected to violence receive the message that they are worthless than others and that they do not have control over their own lives and bodies. This has direct consequences with respect to their health, employment and participation in social and political life. What is absurd is the fact that most of these abused victims do not find it necessary to fight such acts against them. They give up on life and just get used to being abused continuously in the name of love.

What is important to note is that GBV also includes violence against men and boys. For instance boys may become subject to sexual abuse by family members or trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. In some settings, sexual violence against males may even be more prevalent compared to females, for example, in prisons and armed forces. Nevertheless, due to the unequal distribution of power between men and women, women and girls constitute the vast majority of persons affected by Gender based violence (GBV) with the majority of perpetrators being male.

GBV violates a number of women’s rights, including the right to life, the right not to be subject to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the right to equal protection under the law, the right to equality in the family, or the right to the highest standard attainable of physical and mental health.

Some people may think that gender based violence only refers to domestic violence but this is not true, violence against women occurs In many settings-the family, at the work place, at schools or university, on the streets, in political life, or in state institutions like prisons or health institutions. Perpetrators can therefore be private persons, such as intimate partners, other family members, acquaintances, employers, co-coworkers or strangers, as well as state officers, prison guards or soldiers.

While GBV to women in all areas of life, the family is the place where women experience the most violence. According to world Health Organization (WHO) estimates, nearly one-third (30%) of all women worldwide who have ever lived in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner. Furthermore women are disproportionately affected by killings committed by intimate partners and other family members. It is so important to educate people about such offences if we are to end gender based violence because some women are ignorant that they think that it is okay for their husbands to beat them simply because they saw them talk with other men they call this love and over protective of them because they love them so much but this is nothing close to love it is abuse.

It is so important that victims of gender based violence acknowledge that they are being abused and take action. Because if the victim is not willing to come out and fight for their rights then it is as good as nothing for an outsider to fight for them. Gender based violence should stopped everyone is worthwhile no one deserves to be tortured. All lives matter. We are all equals.

 

CHILD MARRIAGES: THE ROOT CAUSE OF EARLY PREGNANCIES.

story by  Lilian nansubuga

Child marriage has been referred to as early marriage or child brides. Child marriages are the kind of marriages in which a child under the age of 18 years is married off by their parents or guardians. This occurs worldwide, but is mainly seen in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America.  Child marriage is a human rights violation because it directly impacts girls’ education, health, psychological well-being, and the health of their offspring. It increases the risk for depression, sexually transmitted infection, cervical cancer, malaria, obstetric fistulas, and maternal mortality. Their offspring are at an increased risk for premature birth and, subsequently, neonatal or infant death. One of the most effective methods of reducing child marriage and its health consequences is mandating that girls stay in school.

A CHILD PARENT WITH HER NEW BORN TWIN BABIES

Most of these marriages are arranged by parents, and girls rarely meet their future husband before the wedding. The girls know that after the wedding they will move to their husband’s household, become the responsibility of their in-laws, and might not see their own family or friends for some time.

Although child marriage includes boys, most children married under the age of 18 years are girls. In most cases the girls are already booked by their groom’s family at an early age and the children rarely have a say about this. Three main forces drive child marriages: poverty, the need to reinforce social ties, and the belief that it offers protection. Child marriage is predominantly seen in areas of poverty. Parents are faced with 2 economic incentives: to ensure their daughter’s financial security and to reduce the economic burden daughters place on the family as there is a belief that Girls are costly to feed, clothe, and educate, and they eventually leave the household. Marriage brings a dowry to the bride’s family. The younger the girl, the higher the dowry, and the sooner the economic burden of raising the girl are lifted. Parents also believe that marrying their daughters young protects them from rape, premarital sexual activity, unintended pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections, especially human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS. This has only been a primitive ideology because in Uganda, the HIV prevalence rate of married girls and single girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years is 89% and 66%, respectively. Their husbands infected these girls. Because the girls try to prove their fertility, they had high-frequency, unprotected intercourse with their husbands. Their older husbands had prior sexual partners or were polygamous. In addition, the girls’ virginal status and physical immaturity increase the risk of HIV transmission secondary to hymenal, vaginal, or cervical lacerations. Research demonstrates that child marriage also increases the risk of human papillomavirus transmission and cervical cancer.

Mothers under the age of 18 have a 35% to 55% higher risk of delivering a preterm or low-birthweight infant than mothers older than 19 years. The infant mortality rate is 60% higher when the mother is under the age of 18 years. Data demonstrate that even after surviving the first year, children younger than 5 years had a 28% higher mortality rate in the young mother’s cohort.  This morbidity and mortality is due to the young mothers’ poor nutrition, physical and emotional immaturity, lack of access to social and reproductive services, and higher risk for infectious diseases.

Parents who believe in early marriage need to be counseled and taught about the dangers of early marriages to their children. There are better ways to solve the poverty issues rather than relying on dowry which denies their children their childhood. And even the children need to be taught about their rights like the right to education, in so doing this will highly reduce the number of child brides. Child marriages is a human rights violation and it should be stopped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER: LEARN ABOUT THE EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION (EC).

Story by Lilian Nansubuga

Emergency contraception is used to help keep a woman from getting pregnant after she has unprotected sex or in case the birth control method failed. Accidents are human that’s why there are Emergency contraceptives (EC) which can prevent up to over 95% of pregnancies when taken within 5 days after intercourse.

FIG 1.1: Below are some of the examples of emergency contraception.

Emergency contraception (EC) involves taking 1 or 2 pills within 5 days of unprotected intercourse. The hormones in two types of EC are the same hormones commonly found in birth control pills. The earlier the emergency contraception is administered after intercourse, the more effective it is.

The medication is a concentrated dose of progesterone that prevents the egg from leaving the ovary, meeting with sperm or attaching to the uterus, depending on your cycle stage. If you are already pregnant, the emergency contraception pill will not work.  So many teenagers in Uganda have conceived at an early age simply because they are ignorant about the emergency contraception. Emergency contraceptives are only and only to be used in case of an accident.

There are 2 ways to prevent pregnancy after you have unprotected sex :

Option 1: Get a ParaGard IUD within 120 hours (5 days) after having unprotected sex. This is the most effective type of emergency contraception.

Option 2: Take an emergency contraception pill commonly known as the morning after pill within 120 hours (5days) after having unprotected sex. There are 2 types of morning-after pills:

• A pill with Ulipristal acetate. Them a nurse or doctor to get the Ella emergency contraception.
• You need a prescription from a nurse or Doctor to get the Ella emergency contraception.
• Ella is the most effective type of morning after pill.
• You can take ella up to 120 hours (5days) after unprotected sex and it works just as well on day 5 as it does on day 1.

 

If you’re taking an emergency contraceptive(EC)because you made a mistake with your hormonal birth control, Plan B or the copper IUD are better options for you than ella. The IUD is a small, T-shaped device placed into the uterus by a doctor within 5 days after having unprotected sex. The IUD works by keeping the sperm from joining the egg or keeping a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus. Your doctor can remove the IUD after your next period. Or, it can be left in place for up to 10 years to use as your regular birth control method. You can buy these morning-after pills over the counter without a prescription in most drugstores and pharmacies.

These types of morning-after pills work best when you take them within 72 hours (3 days) after unprotected sex, but you can take them up to 5 days after. The sooner you take them, the better they work.

NOTE: Always remember that emergency contraceptives will not prevent you from catching sexually transmitted diseases.

You can use emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy if:

• You didn’t use a condom or other birth control method when you had Vaginal sex
• You messed up your regular birth control (forgot to take your birth control pills, change you patch or ring, or get your shot on time) and had Vaginal sex
• Your condom broke or slipped off after ejaculation(Cumming)
• Your partner didn’t pull out in time.
• You were forced to have unprotected vaginal sex.

If you use emergency contraception correctly after you have unprotected sex, it makes it much less likely that you’ll get pregnant. But don’t use it regularly as your only protection from pregnancy, because it’s not as effective as regular, non-emergency birth control methods (like the IUD, pill, or condoms).

The best emergency contraception (EC) for you depends on a few things like:

• When you had unprotected sex
• Which kind of emergency contraception (EC) is easiest for you to get
• Your height and weight (called your BMI)
• Whether you’re breastfeeding.
• If you’ve used the pill, patch, or ring in the last 5 days

It’s best to use the most effective method of emergency contraception that you can. But the more effective methods, like the IUD and ella, can be harder to get. The IUD has to be put in by a nurse or doctor, and you need a prescription to get ella. You can order ella online, but it can take a day to get it in the mail — so depending on when you had unprotected sex, there may not be enough time.

Plan B is less effective than the IUD and ella, especially if you take it more than 3 days (72 hours) after sex or have a higher BMI. But Plan B and other types of morning-after pills like the postinors are the easiest to get. You don’t need a prescription, and anybody can buy them over the counter at drugstores, no matter your age or gender.

Don’t use two different kinds of morning-after pills (like Plan B and ella) at the same time or within 5 days of each other, because they may counteract each other and not work at all. And don’t take more than one dose of either type of morning-after pill — it won’t give you extra protection from pregnancy, but it can make you feel sick.

If you can’t get the most effective types of emergency contraception, remember that using whichever method you can get is still better than not using anything at all. And timing is really important. In fact, many people get the morning-after pill ahead of time and keep it in their medicine cabinet, so if they need it, they can take it as soon as possible.

Emergency contraception will help you be in charge of your own decision making.