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Contraception (November 2006)
Editorial
Why I Read the Contraception Editorials: Another Perspective from a Nontraditional Association of Reproductive Health Professionals Member
By: Debbie Ward
I have been a member of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP) for the past 5 years and consider myself a "nontraditional" but enthusiastic participant in the organization. Dually licensed as a registered nurse and mental health practitioner, I am also a certified mediator. I practice within the Diabetes Program of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, where I work closely with Native American individuals and families who are most often coping with diabetes or its complications, but sometimes with other issues related to their health and well-being.
As an ARHP member, I look forward to receiving my copy of Contraception each month. My assumption is that most members read far more of the journal than I do since reproductive health is not my clinical focus. After eagerly scanning the table of contents, I may read an article; more often, I read several abstracts. But I always read the editorial and find this time well spent. The editorials inform me, reinforce the importance of my practice, challenge me to think in new and provocative ways about healthcare, and connect me to an important clinical community. When an editorial is occasionally missing from the journal, I feel disappointed. The following data are the reasons why I look forward to the Contraception editorial every month.
Contraception editorials inform me
I can rely on the editorials to inform me about policy updates and changes - past and present, governmental or nongovernmental (e.g., political, business, or religious organizations), national, regional, or international. The editorials create a link between significant reproductive health policy approaches and practice, and their broader implications for world health in general or for individual populations. I can rely on the editorials to tell me what's new clinically and implications for technological change. In this day and age of sound bytes, exaggerations, misrepresentations, and even alterations of the truth, I can rely on the editorials to be honest and truthful, modeling the "evidence-based" standard shown in the research articles that are the mainstay of the journal.
Contraception editorials remind and reinforce me
The editorials remind me that reproductive health is a basic human right based on the more general international human right to health.1/font> They remind me of the role of reproductive health in the creation of a safer and more just world for everyone.2 And they remind me each month that my work, too, is an essential part of the healthcare spectrum that, as a whole, has a goal to "respect the dignity and to promote the welfare of clients".3 The editorials reinforce the key message that as I advocate for my clients individually, I am also advocating for human rights in general.
Contraception editorials challenge me
As a licensed health care professional, my practice is grounded in a fundamental understanding about the holistic nature of human beings, including sexuality. The editorials challenge me to grow in my awareness of reproductive health as it relates to sexual health and sexuality. This helps me to be a better counselor. On a personal level, the editorials challenge me to examine my beliefs and values and to ask myself whether or not my behavior is consistent with them.
Contraception editorials connect me
Sometimes I forget that I am not alone. The Contraception editorials remind me that there are many committed professionals in reproductive health who share my concerns and reproductive healthcare delivery challenges. An earlier Contraception editorial about developing a platform for reproductive healthcare states that, "We are engaged in a critically important and deeply moral undertaking," (emphasis is mine),4 and the inclusion of all healthcare providers in this statement is reassuring and motivating. Knowing that there are others who share an understanding that there is a moral imperative to what we do, that our work is critical in matters so crucial to the world, to all of us who live in it, and to its future, provides a positive feeling of connection to others in the field.
I realize each month that reading the Contraception editorial energizes me with compelling information about what is current and urgent in reproductive health and why. I benefit from being reminded that reproductive health is about global health and that it is tied to human rights for everyone everywhere. I enjoy the challenge to grow in my understanding of reproductive health as an issue of human sexuality. And I appreciate the challenge to examine my own behavior by asking key questions: "Is it consistent with my beliefs?" "Does it reflect a commitment to reproductive health rights and human rights?" Finally, I am motivated by the feeling of connection to others who understand the responsibility and share the passion for this honorable work. This is why I read the Contraception editorial each month.
My hope is that the reproductive health researchers, clinicians, and academics who read this editorial will be positively motivated and challenged to remember those of us in the field who are not traditionally part of the reproductive health equation. We are part of the same team and greatly benefit from the rigorous and important research that is published in Contraception every month. Please keep us in mind as an important audience for your research, practice guidelines, and advocacy. And I, for one, will keep eagerly reading this journal and its editorial series for inspiration and information.
Debbie Ward
Whirling Thunder Diabetes Program
Winnebago, NE
References
- Center for Reproductive Rights. Reproductive health. Available at http://www.crlp.org 2006;[Accessed July 31].
- Stewart FH, Shields WC, Hwang AC. A prescription for real security. Contraception. 2004;70:179-181.
- American Counseling Association. Primary responsibility. Code of Ethics, A. Section, 1.a., 2005.
- Stewart FH, Shields WC, Hwang AC. A New Year's resolution for reproductive health care. Contraception. 2004;6:1-2
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Used with permission from Elsevier, Inc.
