The news recently has moved their focus from Ye's antisemitic comments, the tragedy in South Korea, and still flooded with updates on the elections, meaning that plenty of other stories are being overlooked. One of the ones that stood out to me was news that student-athletes in Florida are now being asked to report their periods online. I realize this is not my first... or second, post regarding the discussion of women's rights, but there have been so many developments in this Post-Roe era we've entered.
The title of the article was a little misleading at first because it shocked me that it was being reported at all, but they were actually putting emphasis on the "online" part. Students were already reported information about their menstruation cycles, but on a physical form rather than online. Alongside other medical questions, students included information detailing their first and last period, and even how many weeks between their periods. The information is intended to provide insight for "bone health and energy levels" (Bartov 2022).
Since requesting this information is not new, one may be wondering why it's making the news. Families and doctors were troubled however, when some Florida school districts decided to switch the form online, using Aktivate, a digital third party. Additionally, Florida is a state with a 15-week abortion ban. This is where it can get problematic as there has been worries that apps used to store information about your menstrual cycle is being accessed the states which can lead to punishments in states that have set abortion bans. These fears are not irrational since a story broke out that Jessica Burgess and her daughter, Celeste Burgess, were charged when Nebraska police was able to get ahold of Facebook messages entailing the mother aiding her daughter with an abortion. Flo: Menstrual cycle tracker app
In opposition to the digital forms, a school board meeting determined that the families of student-athletes will continue to have the option to fill out physical forms. Regardless, the digital and physical forms are still subject to subpoena, triggering anxieties.
The menstruation cycle app is something a-lot of girls use to keep track of there period. They are able to know days in ahead when their cycle will start and when they last time something sexual they may have done was with this app. With the Abortion law being talked about and laws coming forward, people believe that these apps store information. This app can show the government days in advance when a person would need to get an abortion. This is an invasion of privacy and would make a-lot of people delete the app.
ReplyDeleteI personally have never tracked my menstrual cycle by the use of an app. I always found them confusing to use and felt tracking it on my planner was simpler. This raises several concerns for women of all ages. Something that aids helpful and useful information could be used against you is scary to think about. I could definitely see why this drives anxiety in girls, especially for athletes that must submit that information.
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