Sexual Health, Contraception, and Abortion

Question 1

what is the WHO’s working definition of sexual health?

Answer 1

Sexual health is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled.

Question 2

How does Fischer argue that conjoining “sexual” with “health” changes both terms?

Answer 2

it alters how we conceive of sexuality, but it also transforms what it means to be healthy and prompts new expectations of what science and medicine can provide

Question 3

what does it mean for something to become “medicalized”?

Answer 3

turned into an object of medical attention

Question 4

what does it mean for health to be “sexualized”?

Answer 4

how health professionals increasingly are encourages and trained to address sexual matters, and how sexual issues have been incorporated into medical concerns in ways that change understandings of what it means to healthy or ill

Question 5

what are 3 reasons why it is important to think about sexual health as a social phenomenon

Answer 5

1. as a practical matter, sexual health or its absence touches on many people’s lives
2. sexual health can potentially be pursued in many different ways – sex positive vs sex negative; what’s normal?
3. sexual health projects affect different groups in society differently – race, ethnicity, social class, gender, etc – need to address everyone’s needs

Question 6

List some examples of how sexuality and diseases were linked in 19/20th century UK and USA

Answer 6

• marital and sex advice manuals
• rise of sexology
• public health efforts to prevent STIs under the label of “social hygiene”

Question 7

what was the sexual revolution in the 70s fuelled by, give an example

Answer 7

political, cultural, and technological developments – including the invention and mass marketing of new modes of contraception such as “the Pill” – had put sex on the agenda as an important and prized dimension of human experience

Question 8

what social movements in the 70s foregrounded questions of sexual rights and freedoms around the globe?

Answer 8

second-wave feminism and gay rights movement

Question 9

what was the key impetus that made sexual health “go viral” in the mid 1990s?

Answer 9

HIV/AIDS epidemic – moved sexual health into broader circulation

Question 10

what are some goals of sexual health?

Answer 10

• containing the spread of STIs
• addressing failures of sexual functioning (including via new treatments such as Viagra)
• controlling population growth and promoting autonomy over reproductive decisions
• solving injustices linked to the lack of sexual rights
• containing threats of “irresponsible” sexual behaviour
• promoting sexual self-expression

Question 11

how does compounding health with sexuality alleviate stigma?

Answer 11

it alleviates stigma that sexuality is dirty and messy

Question 12

what are three key aspects of the investment in sexual health

Answer 12

1. remaking medicine
2. expanding expertise
3. optimising the self

Question 13

describe the disproportion between the amount of people that experience sexuality-related medical problems vs the amount of who seek medical attention

Answer 13

significant % of people around the world experience of sexuality-related medical problems, including sexual dysfunction, pain during intercourse, STIs, and issues to contraception; however few people seek medial care and even fewer have been asked about their sexual healthy by a doctor in routine visit

Question 14

even thought there are new specialities in medicine that address sexual dysfunctions, why is it a challenge for people to access these resources?

Answer 14

most patients, the entry point into the medical system is their family doctor and these generalists may have little experience with sexual health issues or inclination to engage with their patients on such topics, a key barrier being limited success in educating physicians about sexuality during their training in med school

Question 15

nowadays, describe the range of
people who get to make claims about how we should be sexually healthy?

Answer 15

nutritionists, massage therapists, practitioners of kink, to porn stars

Question 16

how have sexual health experts use their credentials to mark their expertise and signal their accessibility?

Answer 16

accompany the credential with their first name, e.g. “Dr. Laura” Schelsssinger

Question 17

besides individuals, who else can be authoritative voices on sexual health concerns?

Answer 17

community-based organisations

Question 17

what are some examples of optimising the self within the realm of sexual wellness?

Answer 17

laser vaginal rejuvenation surgery which promises to enhance vaginal muscle tone and hence improve sexual gratification, penile enlargement (surgery, pumps, pills, creams, or exercises)

Question 18

what is an issue with optimising the self?

Answer 18

links consumerism to broader aspirations for more satisfying sexual lives

Question 19

under which part of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, did Justice Bertha Wilson found a right to abortion?

Answer 19

section 7’s right to life, liberty, and security of the person

Question 20

In the Macfarlane article do they believe a criminal ban on abortion is likely in Canada?

Answer 20

no - anything like that is a remote possibility because of the set of important structural and political cultural factors mitigate the forces of american judicial polarization on the Canadian Court

Question 21

how is section 7 of the Charter very powerful?

Answer 21

any laws that are overly broad in application or that result in harms disproportionate to their objectives cannot be supported if they conflict with section 7 rights

Question 22

how does section 15 of the charter play a protective role?

Answer 22

equality rights - prevent unreasonable criminal law regulation of abortion but also reducing discriminatory barriers in the delivery of health care (e.g. if the province inadequately funds abortion, then it will be recognised as systemic discrimination)

Question 23

how strong is the impact of the effects of partisanship and ideology on the appointments process

Answer 23

subtle and nuanced, lots of variability among justices too

Question 24

what are three institutional and political cultural factors that have prevented the Canadian Supreme Court appointments process from being politicised or partisan?

Answer 24

1. no legislative confirmation process for executive appointments
2. the introduction of the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments in 2016: submits a short list of names for the PM’s consideration
3. lack of polarization within the Canadian legal community and within law schools

Question 25

how does public opinion in canada seen abortion rights?

Answer 25

strong support for abortion access in Canada - 90% of canadians agree/strongly agree that abortion is a health issue, not a moral one - support is only growing

Question 26

how does political parties in canada that wish to form government seeking wide appeal work in favour for abortion rights

Answer 26

electoral incentives are a key reason the Conservative Party has consistently maintained that it would not seek to upend the status quo on abortion policy

Question 27

what are the three types of abortion? what is the timings?

Answer 27

• medical abortion
• surgical
• induction delivery

<10 weeks: medicine or procedure
10-24 weeks: surgery

Question 28

what are some issues in Canada regarding access and funding?

Answer 28

• few providers
• rural/remote access
• inconsistent funding
• pregnancy crisis clinics unregulated (higher than abortion clinics)