Letters to the Editor
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"Pre-pregnant"
I think it's the word that I find so offensive. Apparently, I'm defined by the baby I might have, not by the life I do. My doctor wasn't supposed to counsel me to exercise, eat right, take my vitamins, quit smoking, and control my asthma for my own sake, but now is supposed to because someday I might have a baby? Really? I'm supposed to take care of my body, not so I could be healthy, but in case I get pregnant?
Here's a news flash: I'm not pre-pregnant. I'm just not pregnant. I'm not just a fertile uterus. I'm an adult woman, and I would like to be treated as such.
The real kicker is that women who have access to decent health care already get this advice from their doctors--my doctor certainly counseled me about nutrition, exercise, smoking, and asthma, albeit not in the context of my baby-making capacity. The real reason for our poor infant mortality rates is that many women don't have access to decent health care or pre-natal care, let alone pre-conception care. And the same government that wants our doctors to treat us like we're all baby-making machines won't help those women to see a doctor in the first place.