Shariah Could Improve Women's Health
18 April 2012
By Karin Friedemann
In the national debate regarding healthcare coverage,
"folks are getting up in arms about the idea that the
pill could set uninsured women back about $1000 a
year, but in the grand scheme of things, that's
nothing," Tracie Egan Morrissey writes in Jezebel, an
online feminist magazine, which estimates the total
cost of personal feminine hygiene and health
maintenance to amount to $2,667 to $4,232 a year for a
non-pregnant woman.
This itemized list tabulates the regular expenses
involved with being specifically a human female –
birth control, menstrual pads and tampons, PMS
remedies like Midol, increased toilet paper use
compared to men, and regular hair removal, as well as
over-the-counter and prescription remedies for yeast
infections, feminine itching, urinary tract
infections, and the doctor-recommended yearly Pap
screening for cervical cancer. Not included in the
list are the costs of pregnancy tests, emergency
contraception, and abortion, which if not utilized
would result in exponential additional costs related
to pregnancy, childbirth and daycare.
I'll leave it to the politicians to debate about which
healthcare items should be covered by taxpayers,
keeping in mind that most insurance companies prefer
to provide free contraception rather than dish out
tens of thousands for pregnancy, childbirth, and the
cost of the future children's medical care.
Costs related to treating infections could be easily
reduced
If both men and women followed Islamic norms, women's
general health maintenance costs would likely
decrease. Let's set aside the pre-marital chastity
discussion and just focus on Islamically married
women. The cost of birth control and preventative
doctor exams would remain the same as would menstrual
expenditures, unless she is one of those Earth Mamas
who make their own pads out of worn out T-shirts or
have a baby every year (which is great). Female
camaraderie among Muslim sisters can save a lot on
salon costs, I have heard.
Male circumcision can also play a huge role in
bettering future wives' long-term health, reducing
rates of sexually transmitted infections, cervical
cancer, and even AIDS. Scientific trials have shown
that male circumcision can reduce a man's risk of
becoming infected with HIV during heterosexual
intercourse by up to 60 percent. These findings have
led to the decision by UNAIDS and the World Health
Organization (WHO) to recommended circumcision as an
important new element of disease prevention. Isn't it
amazing that modern medicine is catching up with the
Muslims?
Yet the most notable Islamic contribution to women's
health is without question the increased use of water
for personal hygiene. In Europe, washroom fountains
for rinsing off one's personal areas are associated
with prostitution, while in America, such bathroom
fixtures do not even exist. There is not even a word
in the English language for something you use to wash
yourself after using the toilet.
It baffles me that, in this day and age, when people
scientifically understand the close relationship
between cleanliness and health, there is no concept in
the modern Western world of rinsing off. A woman's
risk of urinary tract infections, yeast infections,
and general personal discomforts are greatly reduced
by the Islamically-recommended regular use of water by
both herself and her husband.
Granted, in many Muslim countries where toilet paper
is not readily available, the bathroom situation can
still be quite alarming even when there is some kind
of fixture providing water. But there is no reason
that modern man and woman cannot combine the use of
toilet paper, water, and occasional soap to provide
the freshest feeling.
The persistent problem of yeast and urinary infections
exists also in girl children who are not sexually
active. Therefore I do not understand why every
medical doctor does not at least suggest to his or her
patients the importance of washing with water beyond
hand-washing. Perhaps it is more profitable to keep
humans in a constant state of low-level infection that
requires regular medication.
It is my hope that as more Muslims enter society as
fully participating members, we could spread our
knowledge of personal hygiene among the general
population. Even those Americans who have zero
interest in religion or spirituality would benefit
from the disease prevention aspects of Shariah. I too,
like the feminists at Jezebel, used to consider yeast
and urinary tract infections a normal part of life.
Then I discovered water, thanks to a Muslim penpal who
decided to school me on Islamic practices.
For some reason, discussion of the advantages of
improved hygiene is often censored. It is almost as if
the medieval European Christian taboo against bathing
with water remains; it is as if the mere mention that
bacteria exist is in itself an obscenity. Women are
kept in a state of shame about their "odor" while
being exposed to the advertisements of chemical
companies selling them products.
Yet there is no more beautiful smell than a clean
woman, to which the Prophet's (s) hadith can attest.
Karin Friedemann is a Boston-based freelance
writer. karinfriedemann.blogspot.com
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