seticat

Conrad Robert Murry = guilty on the count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson.

Whether he caused Michael Jackson's death actively or through passive negligence, it is *my personal opinion* that he *did* provide substandard and inadequate care in a complex medical situation in an inappropriate setting using medications far better suited to be used in a critical care setting.

I am personally and professionally satisfied with this outcome.

I mean, like *really* early. One whole day early. Which is okay. I feel comfortable the we have the basic material to start teaching the state specific programs with a co-teacher. Now the free-form community stuff - that will take a bit.

But it was a good class and I learned a lot from it. And came out of it fairly depressed in some ways. So many folks have this mistaken belief that they're safe - that there's no way they could be at risk from HIV and that's so far from the truth it's scary. The latency period [no noticeable symptoms] can be up to 10-12 years and you're capable of infecting others during this entire time. And you may never know unless you've decided to be tested for some reason.

If I can do nothing else that make people aware of the fact that they are the *only* one who can protect themselves; that they can't rely on their partner to do so, then I think I will have accomplished something. And not just HIV, but all the various forms of hepatitis, STDs/STI's, etc.

All the information we've spent the last two weeks learning boils down to this: "It's not who you are, but what you do that puts you at risk from infection."

It's a scary, scary world out there. Don't forget to 'take a coat' with you when you go out.

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{What this means for those who don't know me is the following is made up of my personal opinions and done as a stream of thought thing so please don't take the time to correct spelling, etc. And if you don't like what I've said, a comment is okay. A flame or an argument on how I'm wrong will result in an immediate 'fail'.}

HHS Moves to Define Contraception as Abortion

Sweet Holy Deity-of-Your-Choice on a Ritz Cracker!

And this statement from Health & Human Services makes it all the more precious: *Christina Pearson, a spokeswoman for the department, declined to discuss the draft. "We don't normally comment on whether we are considering changes in regulations," she said.*

They don't normally WHAT?!?

I mean, I'm still expending brain cells trying to sort the convolutions in doctors refusing to provide certain patient services and pharmacists refusing to dispense legally written prescriptions. Okay - maybe the docs don't want to do what they 'feel' is immoral, but that's still shaky ground for me. But the pharmacists? It is not their place to enforce their personal moral ethics on someone with a legal script. I *know* this. Both my folks where pharmacists who had their own 'Mom & Pop' place for years. I'm barely okay with this: 'Pro-Life' Drugstores Market Beliefs. But it's a private business. How-some-ever, in my world view, if they accept just *one* Medicare/Medicaid script and refuse other legal scripts [private or funded], they should be toasted over a slow fire.

This is a statement made by one of the legal-beagles for a pharmacist who is refusing to fill legally written scrips: "The United States was founded on the idea that people act on their conscience -- that they have a sense of right and wrong and do what they think is right and moral," said Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel at the Thomas More Society, a Chicago public-interest law firm that is defending a pharmacist who was fined and reprimanded for refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control pills. "Every pharmacist has the right to do the same thing," Brejcha said.

And it gets even better. This 'refusal of care based on moral grounds' [wording varies from state to state and organization] is now being seen out in the Emergency Medical fields. EMT's and Parameds can refuse to transport or treat on scene a 'patient' if they feel that 'treatment' would violate *THEIR* moral beliefs without legal fall-out.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, OVER?!?

What the frack does a field care provider's moral issues have to do with providing emergent care or transport for a legitimate, life threatening situation. Yes you have personal life issues and your current, emergent, 'bells & whistles* call is for a woman who is having an ectopic pregnancy and needs to get to the ER *NOW* before that puppy ruptures and the gal bleeds out in her belly and dies. So what do you mean you refuse to continue to evaluate her after you have a good idea what's going on and won't transport her to a facility for care because what's happening is 'An act of God' and 'the baby needs to be saved at all cost'? Dude, if you have half a gram of grey matter, you'll know that the 'precious little life' that's splitting this poor woman's tube apart will never survive. 110% will never survive to go on to be a baby. And when mom dies, which she 99% likely will, the 'baby' won't make it anyway. Not counting the woman's family and any children she may already have. And pul-lease do not tell me that's 'her own personal issue' because she 'chose to get pregnant'.

And the chemically preserved cherry on the top of this sundae? The EMS provider is not legally liable for refusing to provide care. Just how fracked up is that?

You, sir and/or ma'am, are a raving religious bigot who is giving every single caring human being of every spiritual belief system a bad name by enforcing your belief system on another person. In my book, this is right up there with mental and emotional abuse and rape. You should lose every license and cert you have, be barred from ever working with living creatures and *never* be allowed to share the air with a decent human being again. You sully the ground that every hard working EMS provider walks on. Please go DIAF and get it over with. I, for one, won't waste my body fluids to put you out.

[EMS/EMT Community - Please NOTE: I know I'm not talking about the majority of you out there. 99% of you bust hump to make sure you provide the best possible care in the absolute worst conditions. As my EMS instructor would say "You're taking care of people who are having the 'worst day of their lives' right now." This is aimed at the few sanctimonious frackers out there who are using the broad definition of 'moral refusal' to their own benefit and not that of the folks who trust them to provide care.]

Cite all the 'This nation was founded on the idea of the right or personal moral conscious' crap you want guys, but it goes both ways, sucker. *Women* who choose to take back control of their own reproductive rights have the right to safe, quality health care. And folks, we don't have that. IMHO we have a bunch of politicians who are trying to shove through policies based on what their high paying supporters are telling them [and the masses who follow those people like sheep] based on what *they* feel is their 'God Given Right' to dictate their morality to everyone else through legislation.

These folks are usually male and have *no* clue what it's like to go through the whole process of 'God's awesome majesty of Childbirth'. Most of these suckers would never survive a couple of months in a row of "The Curse", let alone look forward at an life where this will happen for approx 30-40 years EVERY SINGLE MONTH. They'd be digging their body parts out with a dull spoon.

And these dudes are telling we females that we should just be happy that we are a part of 'the Great Circle of Life' and continue to pop out babies. Great. But who's gonna help take care of these 'little bundles of joy'? Who's gonna make sure they have food and shelter and clothing? Are you Mr. Politician? And Mrs. Politician? Are you gonna pay for the medical bills and the day to day care and the education? Are you gonna be there at 2 AM when Little Bit has nightmares? Oh - that's what nannies are for? Good for you. The rest of us wish we had those options, but most of us don't have 'old money' to fall back on. We have jobs that pay enough to get by and a good percentage of us don't have adequate health care, let alone dental and such.

Right. You wanna set the rules, but you don't want to help with the end result of those rules. Really mature of you.

That leave our only other option as women to go though life with our 'girl parts' totally shut and 'not give in to sex'. Okay fellas - so you're gonna tell me *you're* gonna live a life of abstinence right along side of us? Oh noz? You're special and you have 'needs' and 'urges' and it's just a part of life for a guy to 'sow his wild oats'? Well, I guess those latex blow up dolls are gonna get a real work out because I'm not sure how *this* double standard is gonna work for the Special Snowflake you seem to want to be consdered.

And I realize what I'm about to say is a generality, but I think I'm safe in saying that the folks who are pushing for these 'reforms' make a hell of a lot more than most of us out there do so what the frack do they know about worry about late rent or missed utility payments or having to find the nearest food bank. Or putting your dreams of a future life on hold or away totally because you're being responsible for what happened to your body.

So you know what? It's *my* body, not yours. It's my body that going to go through the stresses of childbirth and, hopefully, survive them. And whether this little life was planned, not planned or 'Immaculate Conception', it'll be me that, in the end, is ultimately going to be responsible for making sure there's clothing and food and shelter unless I'm a total cretin and bail out somehow. Not the religious leaders who tell me that I'm an immoral harlot. Not the politicians and government heads who are trying to control my body with their legislation. Not the drug companies and government agencies who are bowing their heads to 'Big Money'.

Just little old me.

It's my body and my choice. You do not own me, despite what some of you may believe. Nor is my genotype responsible for your inability to behave like a decent human being and take responsibility for your behavior - I am *not* your scapegoat for the crap you do. [Read this and weep because these people are serious: "Southern Baptist Scholar Links Spouse Abuse to Wives' Refusal to Submit to Their Husbands"] I do not need to be 'controlled', 'restricted for the good of my soul' or governed in any way because you have a broken chromosome and I don't. [Guys are XY and gals are XX = hence the 'broken chromosome comment]. We don't need 'special laws' or a 'higher authority' to 'keep us out of trouble'.

YOU need to learn to keep your dick in your trunks or wrap up your play toy and be responsible for your own 'urges'.

It takes two to tango as my mom would say. But it only takes one to die in a child bearing related medical situation. And you can bet it's not the sperm donor.

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This one will never be 'that is all'. And that's a sad statement right there.