LIFESAVING HEART SURGERIES FOR IRAQI KIDS IN PURSUIT OF PEACE BETWEEN PEOPLE AT ODDS.
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CHEMICAL WARFARE: FALLUJAH, BASRA, & HALABJA
Experts think that Saddam Hussein’s 281 chemical attacks and experiments on the Kurds of northern Iraq contribute to the high rate of life-threatening heart disease among children in the region today. Saddam’s numerous crimes against humanity are well-documented, and though his legacy as an evil dictator will never be disputed, it’s easy to forget just how long it truly takes to rebuild a country that has lived under oppression for so long.
Local and international experts have speculated that weapons used throughout the 2003-2005 period of the Iraq war have contributed to an increased rate of birth defects in the areas where they were most-used.
Saddam’s torture chambers have all been emptied and foreign troops are slowly pulling out, but the suffering carries on in the millions of displaced Iraqis living in refugee camps; in their children who suffer from malnutrition; in the lingering effects of his chemical cocktail experiments; and in the lives of widows rearing dying children alone.
MALNUTRITION AND POOR PRENATAL CARE
Some cite U.N. sanctions and the massive spike in infant and child mortality throughout the mid-nineties for many of the problems among children and youth in Iraq today. Widespread corruption and the deliberate withholding of essential human services led to rampant malnutrition and disease in Iraq on a scale so vast that it led to the resignations of the U.N. Coordinator for Iraq and other U.N. leaders. The sanctions were widely criticized by U.S. and world policy-makers for never really “harming Saddam”.
But even after sanctions prenatal care in Iraq and malnutrition remain a concern. In villages and cities, social norms often make it difficult for women to discuss and learn about their bodies in a way that would lead to healthy life choices for the mother and the baby. As a result, babies are often carried to term without access to prenatal vitamins and are often exposed to other environmental factors that could be considered in the equation contributing to congenital heart defects.
INTRA-FAMILY MARRIAGE
Intra-family marriage (second cousin and closer) - a practice common in tribal societies and reinforced by histories of inter-ethnic struggles - is still practiced by approximately 50%* in Iraq today. Intrafamily marriage is a proven factor in the prevalence of many birth defects.
* Source: http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/6/1/17/figure/F1
SUMMARY
The sad news: there is not one, easily identified cause for all that ails Iraq; even when it comes to pediatric heart disease. Chemical weapons, poor prenatal care, malnutrition, intra-family marriage and other environmental and genetic factors all play a role.
The goods news lies in all we can do together! We can oppose future sanctions that harm the very people we want to protect. We can teach positive prenatal healthcare. We can invest into regions affected by chemical warfare through (cf. Buy Shoes. Save Lives.). And we can give life to children dying from ravaging heart disease.
Our legacy in Iraq is not written in stone but we can still leave a mark for life.
