[nabs-l] condoms and Sexual Health
Beth
thebluesisloose at gmail.com
Sat Sep 8 22:15:48 UTC 2012
I can't believe this, Arielle. I'll have to tell you ometime
over the phone. Do you want my number? I'll be happy to talk to
you off lit. Email me for my number.
Beth
----- Original Message -----
From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sat, 8 Sep 2012 15:47:02 -0600
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] condoms and Sexual Health
Beth,
Regarding privacy and decisionmaking: I am pasting some
information to
the bottom of this email regarding the conditions under which
your
parents are legally allowed to take charge of your medical and
other
life decisions. I do not know your mental health history well
enough
to judge whether or not your parents' involvement is still
justified,
but if you feel they are overstepping their bounds, you may want
to
consult with the psychologist who wrote this blurb (who happens
to be
based in Florida). His contact info is at the bottom of this
message.
Best,
Arielle
A: Competency, in civil legal terminology, refers to the capacity
to
make independent decisions and conduct legal and financial
transactions on one's own behalf. Adults are generally presumed
competent to handle their own affairs, but this presumption may
be set
aside by law if there is compelling evidence to the contrary.
Both the
state and private parties, usually family members, may raise the
issue.
If the court declares a person to be incompetent, that person is
usually appointed a guardian, who is legally empowered to make
decisions regarding another individual's person and property.
Again,
this is often a family member, but in some cases the court itself
becomes the guardian, and then the person is declared a ward of
the
court.
The role of the psychological expert in a determination of
incompetency is to conduct an evaluation of the individual's
mental
function via a thorough clinical examination, review of records,
interview of family members or other collaterals, and the
administration of a number of psychological and
neuropsychological
tests.
Mental function skills relevant to competency include attention,
concentration, reality orientation, memory, reasoning, judgment,
emotional state, and especially knowledge and appreciation of the
nature and purposes of the decisions that are the subject of the
competency action (e.g. manage finances) and the ability to carry
them
out (mathematical ability or knowledge of banking rules,
investing,
etc.).
The law's presumptions of competency of its adult citizens means
that
the burden of proof is generally on the party challenging the
subject's competency, and what defines "competency" often differs
from
case to case. For example, the type or degree of mental
impairment
that would render an individual incompetent to make a will or
manage
finances, might not be sufficient to deprive them of their right
to
marry or consent to medical treatment.
Another complication is the nature of the clinical syndrome that
produces the incompetency, which falls into three major classes.
First
are relatively stable conditions such as severe mental
retardation or
autism which present lifelong disability, and for which the need
for
permanent guardianship is evident. Second are slowly progressive
syndromes, such as schizophrenia or Alzheimer's disease, where
the
point at which impairment worsens to a level warranting
incompetency
may hardly be clear-cut.
Third are abrupt-onset impairments in mental functioning in a
previously healthy individual, such as from a stroke, traumatic
brain
injury, or bipolar manic episode. In addition to the issue of
impairment level, these are syndromes that may actually show
improvement over time, so a person incompetent at one point may
well
meet formal criteria for competency a year later.
The problem is that, in most jurisdictions, guardianships are
plenary,
that is, they don't distinguish between different types of
competencies (medical, marital, financial), and they don't
include
time limits. A person that has recovered from a brain injury, for
example, may now have the burden of proof of demonstrating
restoration
of competency and setting aside the guardianship. Guardians may
not
always be willing to relinquish their control.
For their part, guardians should consider that they are obliged
to be
responsible and legally liable for the actions of their ward. To
reduce such risks, some guardians may restrict and control their
wards
even more than necessary. When difficulties in this area arise,
parties should seek both legal and psychological counseling.
Laurence Miller, PhD is a clinical, forensic, and consulting
psychologist in Boca Raton, Florida. This information is for
educational purposes only, and is not intended to make a clinical
diagnosis or render a legal opinion. Dr. Miller can be reached at
561-392-8881, or at docmilphd at aol.com.
On 9/8/12, Beth <thebluesisloose at gmail.com> wrote:
Unfortunately for me, my privacy as an adult patient i violated
on a daily bais if I'm in Florida with my parents. They want
protection, protection, protection, but there' nothing wrong
with
telling them to go away at thi point. I am not going to tell
you
guy whether or not I wa exually active, but I have a quetsion.
Mot of u are on Medicaid, right? I wonder if any of you can
tell
me whether a government ervice uch a Medicaid will cover birth
control pills. I've been told to try birth control, but I
already take mental health meds, o I wonder if I should put even
more bad chemical in my body, and the other thing i that
government insurance may not cover birth control because it' the
government. I don't know because of thoe comment made by the
demagogue Limbaugh (ome p0o9litical people might know whuat I"m
talking about.) And if we elect the wrong peron, I might not be
able to get free birth control. Thank.
Beth
----- Original Message -----
From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sat, 8 Sep 2012 11:00:57 -0600
Subject: [nabs-l] condoms and Sexual Health
Hi all,
I know the recent discussions about sex and dating are kind of
in
a
gray area as to whether or not they're on-topic for this list,
since
most of the issues Koby brought up are not really unique to
blindness.
So if the moderators or Dave feel this is getting too far
afield,
I
will happily respect your judgment. However, I also think that
Brandon's question about where to get condoms is a legitimate
one
and
that there might be other blind people out here, including
teenagers,
who have similar concerns about how to get condoms, birth
control
or
sexual health information without a lot of awkwardness or
embarrassment. It can be particularly difficult if you have to
depend
on someone else (especially parents) for transportation which
can
make
going to a clinic or drugstore difficult.
There are a few places to buy condoms online, including
www.condomania.com
www.undercovercondoms.com
and
www.condomdepot.com
Believe it or not, they also have some condom choices at
www.amazon.com
If you go to your health center on campus for any reason, it
shouldn't
be a problem to ask a doctor or nurse there about condoms.
I cannot answer the questions about when to begin having sex
with
a
partner because that is a highly individual decision. However, I
feel
it important that anyone who is considering having sex for the
first
time ensure you understand what all of your options are for
preventing
pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, the advantages and
disadvantages of each option, and the proper way to use condoms
and
birth control. There are a couple different websites with this
kind
of information:
www.plannedparenthood.org
(includes live chat with a sexual health educator) or
www.scarleteen.com
This issue is particularly close to my heart at the moment
because my
boyfriend's sister just had an unintended pregnancy at a very
inopportune time (while still in college, with a guy she had
only
known for a few months) and was apparently taking birth control
pills,
but had not been taking them consistently. While I don't believe
that
sex should be feared, it is something that takes some
responsibility,
planning and foresight to ensure it is enjoyable while
minimizing
the
risks. Also, while I won't go into details here, there are other
ways
to be physically intimate with someone that are less risky,
which
these online forums will talk about.
I also want to bring up an issue that is somewhat relevant to
sexual
health, which I experienced and I think that some of you might
also be
struggling with. This is the issue of having your parents drive
you to
doctors' appointments and then having them want to sit in or
even
participate in your appointments. Since I attended college in my
home
city, my mother always wanted to drive me to my doctors'
appointments
and would then want to come in and chat with the doctor while
he/she
was examining me. This was partly because my parents and I saw
many of
the same doctors and she often thought it was a good opportunity
to
ask the doctor a quick question about her own health while she
was
there, or because she was curious to see what the doctor
recommended
to me about a particular issue. I eventually realized that while
it
wasn't ill-intentioned, it was a violation of my privacy as an
adult
patient and I asked her to wait in the waiting room while I was
seeing
the doctor. I didn't actually take this stand until I was 21 and
in
hindsight I wish I had done it much earlier. By the time you
are
18,
unless you have a serious cognitive disability, you have a right
to
privacy of your medical information and it is important to
establish a
good doctor-patient relationship without a third person
interfering.
This is especially true when it comes to sexual health and by
the
time
you are 18 or even 16, you will want to start discussing your
sexual
activities or questions with your doctors without your parents
being
around. You might also want to consider getting a driver or even
taking the bus to medical appointments to avoid this problem.
On a related note, by the time you are in high school, you
should
know
the names of all medications you take on a regular basis and
any
chronic medical conditions you may have. If you ever have to go
to the
emergency room, this kind of information may be requested of
you.
Best,
Arielle
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info
for nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/thebluesisloo
se%40gmail.com
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for
nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/arielle71%40g
mail.com
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
for nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/thebluesisloo
se%40gmail.com
More information about the NABS-L
mailing list