Empathy and respect
The brave women in Emma Russell's Herald series reflect a health system under-resourced for years and at breaking point. Adding insult to injury is that women's self-knowledge about their bodies is being undermined by a presumption that "it's all in their heads".
No one should feel driven to
suicide by unending pain, anxiety, and depression because they happened to be born with a uterus.
The entire health profession isn't culpable, but these stories highlight inherent sexism in many areas. It was reported a while back a majority of medical schools still don't have anatomically-correct female forms and a 3D anatomy model of the full female body was only developed recently.
In 2020, Health Minister Andrew Little stated "we must do better", which now sounds insulting and condescending. The Government appears to be a proponent of adopting practices from overseas, so take the Australian model one step further. Create female health centres not just for endometriosis, but as all-encompassing reproductive health services.
The other half of the population should remember who gave you life, and not just on Mother's Day. Treat your mother, wife, daughter, sister with empathy and respect, and don't make pejorative comments about "their time of the month".
Mary Hearn, Glendowie.
Women's treatment
One of the aims of the Cartwright inquiry (1987-1988) was to make the health system more patient-centred, but recent accounts in the Herald of the indignities suffered by women make depressing reading.
These and Nadia Lim's recent experiences raise the fear that we have gone backward. Why?
Glennys Adams, Oneroa.
A bit rich
Why do we want to tax the wealthy? They drive one car on the road at any one time. They only use one hospital bed. They only have one or two children at school.
This is the same as the non-wealthy people.
Granted the wealthy people probably don't even use the public hospitals or schools. So do we want them to pay more because we are envious or trying to punish them? Or just because they have more?
Whatever the reason, it doesn't seem logical.
Maybe that is why it is such a difficult policy to advance especially when middle-class people suddenly realise they are considered wealthy by parties such as the Greens. Interesting times ahead
Warwick Ayres, Herne Bay.
Hard labour
So after several Labour Inspectorate investigations found nothing wrong at Gloriavale the court has, at its first look, found the very opposite (NZ Herald, May 11).
Someone in the Labour Inspectorate needs to front up and explain why these children were allowed to be exploited for so long under their watch.
Shameful and nowhere near good enough.
James Archibald, Birkenhead.
Shopping around
The price freeze is a good idea but the items we checked on, we could still find cheaper elsewhere at red and yellow sheds – namely milk, butter, cheese, Weet-Bix, carrots, and pumpkin.
Then you have cooked chickens, sold here in New Zealand at the two supermarket chains for $12 each, weighing in at 1.05–1.2kg.
Friends of ours in Melbourne have been buying cooked chickens at A$6.99, weighing about 1.3kg, in Costco at Docklands since 2009.
Now that is what you call a price freeze.
Jazmin Pudney, Tauranga.
