FYI, warmly, Carolyn
----- Original Message -----
From: "Women's eNews" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 7:38 PM
Subject: Hawaiian Law Now Permits Parents to Keep Placentas
A move to declare placentas "infectious waste" angered Hawaiians who use the
placenta in religious ceremonies, highlighting the conflict between modern
medicine and traditional culture, Nancy Cook Lauer reports today. A new law
now guarantees women the right to take the placenta home.
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Here's today's update:
IN THE STATES
Hawaiian Law Now Permits Parents to Keep Placentas
By Nancy Cook Lauer - WeNews correspondent
HONOLULU (WOMENSENEWS)--To some, it's simply a byproduct of childbirth, a
biological waste. To others, it's even a possible source of biological
material for genetic research. But to those of Polynesian and some African
and Asian cultures, the placenta is sacred.
In a transformation of an issue that was once a private matter between a
woman and her doctor, the placenta became a political issue in Hawaii this
spring, and its ramifications could spread to other states.
Following an uproar from Native Hawaiians after the state declared placenta
tissue an infectious waste in 2005, the Aloha State has become the first in
the nation to expressly give a woman permission to take the placenta home
from the hospital following childbirth.
The new Hawaii law was introduced by the bipartisan Honolulu-based Women's
Legislative Caucus and championed by Planned Parenthood of Hawaii, the
American Civil Liberties Union, the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
Coalition and a myriad of cultural organizations based in Honolulu and the
Neighbor Islands.
Four families have taken advantage of the new policy since Gov. Linda Lingle
signed it into law April 21. It's part of a growing sensitivity to the
cultural practices of diverse groups even in the midst of greater concerns
over diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS that could be spread by biological
waste.
The placenta--or "iewe," pronounced eh-AY-vay --has an important symbolism
in Hawaiian culture, and some rebuff the modern medical practice of simply
throwing it out. Those practicing the religious and cultural ways of their
ancestors explain that, in Hawaii, the burial sites of placentas of their
forebears have the same significance as where they are buried after they
die.
"The iewe of the newborn child is sacred and must be handled in a sacred
manner in order to provide for the physical health of the child," Native
Hawaiian historian Lilikala Kameeleihiwa told a state legislative committee
considering the new law. "Moreover, the careful disposition of the iewe will
indicate how the child will grow up and molds the child's identity."
Research Potential in Placenta
Following President George W. Bush's July 18 veto of federal funding for
embryonic stem cell research, some Native Hawaiians, who make up about 20
percent of the state's population, are concerned scientists will start
harvesting their sacred placentas from hospitals from the approximately
20,000 births in the state each year.
Like stem cells, certain placenta cells have been demonstrated to have the
capacity to become cells of other parts of the body and could potentially be
used to meet research demands. Indeed, Pittsburgh biotechnology company,
Stemnion Inc., has licensed the patent rights to a process for removing stem
cell-like material from placentas to treat cirrhosis and diabetes and spur
healing, although the company says it uses only donated placentas with
permission from the families.
"It is distressing to me and my family that a part of our children is
unceremoniously thrown out as waste or used without permission in medical
experiments," said Kimo Armitage, a Native Hawaiian rights activist who also
testified before legislative committees. "There are no laws governing the
acquisition of placenta and placenta-related products. Hospitals across the
nation are stealing placentas and selling them for a profit."
Pamela Lichty, a board member of the Honolulu-based ACLU of Hawaii, says the
issue goes beyond the cultural aspects and becomes a women's rights issue as
well.
"In our view, it is about the freedom to practice one's religion and-or
cultural traditions and about a woman's control over her own body," Lichty
said.
Secret Ceremony Binds the Child
Native Hawaiians typically "plant" the placenta in the ground following a
religious ritual that is kept a closely held secret. Sometimes a tree or
bush is planted at the same time. The point, says Kameeleihiwa, a professor
of Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaii as well as a grandmother who
has buried placentas of her own descendents, is to bind the child to his or
her homeland.
"If planted in the earth, which in our religion is our Grandmother
Papahanaumoku, the child will remain tied to the land of Hawaii, will not
stray far and will work hard on behalf of the land," she said. "If disposed
in a rubbish heap, the child will act like rubbish and be antisocial."
The rituals differ among families--some bury the placenta in the earth, some
stick it high in the branches of a tree--and are passed down from mother to
daughter. In Thai culture, for example, the placenta is often salted and
placed in an earthen jar before being buried under a tree that corresponds
to the symbol of the Asian year of the child's birth. Placenta of children
born in the years of the tiger or dog, for example, can be buried under the
lotus or jackfruit trees; those born in the year of the snake must have the
Siamese sal tree as their "guardian."
In many African cultures, "zan boku" means "the place where the placenta is
buried." Some African communities bury the placenta under a tree in a manner
similar to some Asian and Native Hawaiian cultures. The Kikuyu of Kenya
place it in an uncultivated field and cover it with grains and grasses,
while other cultures bury it in the dirt floor of the family's house.
Culturally Appropriate Standards
Standards for providing culturally and linguistically appropriate medical
care have been set by the federal health department and in some cases are
required in institutions that receive federal funds. Other standards have
been embraced voluntarily by professional health groups, said Kamanaopono
Crabbe, a Honolulu behavioral health therapist.
"The ongoing influences of acculturative factors that permeate government,
society and health fields that are based on Western paradigms and models of
treatment in the past and present continue to alienate not only Native
Hawaiians but other ethnic minorities," Crabbe said. "Therefore, it is
essential that all levels of government be mindful of their own cultural
attitudes when devising laws and policies that impact populations and
communities indifferent to mainstream America."
The uproar over the disposal of placentas began in June 2005 when the state
Department of Health changed its rules to classify the placenta as
infectious waste. When several families were denied access to their
placentas, they appealed to Native Hawaiian cultural and legal rights
groups. Lawsuits in state and federal courts quickly followed, and lawmakers
were pressured to override the Health Department's new rules by enacting a
law.
Other states with high Asian populations may follow suit. California
currently has a "don't ask, don't tell" policy much as Hawaii did before the
new legislation, where a mother-to-be informs the doctor she wants to keep
the placenta and it is quietly returned to her so that she may take it with
her after childbirth.
"In California, it's a look-the-other way kind of thing," said Andrew
Sprenger, an attorney with the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, based in
Honolulu, who challenged the Hawaii law on behalf of two families. "Most
states have not updated their infectious waste regulation standards in
almost 15 years and they are revamping them now to better protect the public
as new understandings of public health emerge."
Nancy Cook Lauer is Hawaii capital reporter for Stephens Media Group.
Women's eNews welcomes your comments. E-mail us at [EMAIL PROTECTED] .
For more information:
National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services
http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=2andlvlID=15
University of Hawaii Center for Hawaiian Studies
http://www.hawaii.edu/shaps/enter/hawaiian.html
Office of Hawaiian Affairs http://www.oha.org/
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sites and the contents of site the link points to may change.
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