Mothering and Child Death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mothering and Child Death - Essay Example The region has experienced child deaths due to a variety of reasons. For example, Nations and Rebhun (1988) assert that it is caused by failure to obtain medical care for severely ill children. Other reasons such as the bureaucratic and geographic barriers also play a factor. The following paper seeks to examine the situation according to two different points of view. The two different points of view are brought forward by two sets of authors through the writing and research that was undertaken in the region. The paper looks at the key arguments that are made by each set of authors. Secondly, an analysis of the political, economic concerns that factor in each of the author’s reasons for the child death. Finally, the biggest points of contention between the two works as well as any points to which the two sets of authors. More than 1 million Brazilian children under the age of 5 years die each year mostly as a result of parasitic infections interacting with infectious disease and a chronic case of under nutrition. According to Scheper-Hughes (1985), infant and childhood mortality in the region and other third world countries is a problem of political economy. However, he asserts and brings out another point to the table. Scheper-Hughes (1985) states that maternal detachment and an indifference towards the infants and the babies that are judged to be too weak or too vulnerable to survive the unhealthy and bad conditions of the shanty town living. The author tries to show the link between the economic and the maternal deprivation between the maternal and the emotional scarcity. The author also brings forward the social and the economic context shaping the expression of maternal sentiments and the cultural meaning or implications of mother love and child death. The author also describes the experiences of attachment, separation, and loss. The author undertakes a research study with 72 women who have a