Dear Mrs. Bear,
I would like to tell you a short story about myself. Most likely I have a gynecological disease – a women’s disease, as you would say – but I can’t say for sure because it hasn’t been diagnosed yet. I try very hard to get a diagnosis, also to prevent secondary diseases. I read up on it, exchange ideas with other sufferers, note down my symptoms and make appointments with different doctors. But I hardly get any help in the practices. Rather, I encounter a lack of understanding there. “But why do you want a diagnosis? You are not involuntarily childless.”
As if there was only one reason to understand the body: to bring children into the world. Otherwise I won’t be taken seriously. A feeling that is no stranger to me and other women and queers. That men are prioritized in medicine and everyone else is psychologized is proven by various studies. When it comes to our health, pain is downplayed, diagnoses are unnecessarily drawn out and unimaginative treatment methods are suggested (“Take the pill.” or “Try to avoid stress!”).
That’s why I’m pleased that you now want to change something and make appropriate funds available. This is a bit late and I could ask you why Germany is responsible for this “Women’s Health” nor “Developing Country” is. Which party has been most frequently involved in government in recent decades?
But don’t worry about it. It is never too late to correct a problem. And I believe you if you are annoyed that medication is still largely aimed at men, that diseases such as endometriosis and lipedema are not properly researched and that crash test dummies have only recently been modeled on women’s bodies.
But if you really care about the health of half the population, it’s not enough to address these individual research deficiencies. They must initiate a fundamental rethink in politics, medicine and health insurance companies. Action must be taken according to the maxim: The health of women and queer people counts! And even if you don’t want to have children. We are not birthing machines.
Anyone who cares about the health of women and queers must ensure that they are allowed to decide for themselves about their bodies. Everything else is hypocritical. And of course physical self-determination also includes the legalization of abortions. The majority of the German population has long been in favor of But it is conservative forces, like your party, who consciously want to further restrict basic rights.
And there are other measures that would help combat medical disadvantage: the free provision of contraceptives, a less conservative idea of whose wishes to have children are supported and which bodies can be affected by gynecological diseases. But mandatory seminars for medical staff about the cycle and possible illnesses of women and queers can also relieve pain and, in the best case, save lives.
Better research into endometriosis or addressing the lack of care for people going through menopause hold great promise. But I would be happy if you radically improve the health of women and queer people in all areas. So that those affected are no longer fobbed off in the practices, but rather get the help they need.
Best regards
Carolina Black