Letters to the Editor

HELP STOP CLIMATE CHANGE

Dear Editor,

Recently the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change from the UN reported that our climate could potentially begin rising significantly. It was stated that an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius could be felt between 2030 (only 12 years away) and 2050. This rise in temperature could cause catastrophic consequences for our environment.

It is important for all of us to show responsibility for our planet by becoming more aware of our use of fossil fuels. These fuels ( gas, oil and coal) cause the release of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane) which impacts “global warming”.

As part of our responsibility to the environment, the local group of Mothers Out Front has initiated a request for an ordinance to stop the use of “single use plastic bags” within Winthrop. As these bags are not biodegradable (byproducts of fossil fuels), they deface our landscape, clog our waters causing severe harm to our animal/marine life, and ultimately entering our food chain.

We understand this may cause an adjustment for our retailers and their customers. We also acknowledge and thank Winthrop residents that already use “reusable bags”. Mothers Out Front is looking forward to offering our residents with “reusable bags” within the next 3 months.

Thank you,

Maryalice Sharkey

Members of Winthrop Mothers Out Front

 

STOP SMOKING AND VAPING HELP AVAILABLE

Dear Editor,

This Holiday season, I’d like to remind readers to thank a co-worker, friend or family member who has quit smoking, vaping, or using other nicotine delivery products. Many users say quitting is the hardest thing they have ever done and any amount of recognition can help someone stay quit.

Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death and disease in Massachusetts. Nicotine is the very addictive substance in tobacco products as well as in e-cigarettes and vapes. As a result, repeated tobacco and nicotine use is not a habit, it’s an addiction that should be treated as a chronic relapsing condition.  It takes most people with a nicotine addiction several tries to quit for good. So reach out to those who have conquered this addiction. Let them know you are proud of how hard they’re working to better their wellbeing. Thank them for improving their health and the health of the people around them.

If you smoke, vape or use any nicotine delivery product, even though the holidays can be a tough time to quit, they are a great time to get support from your loved ones to help you try to quit. If you have tried in the past, keep trying. You learn something new every time you try to quit. Take advantage of the many resources available in Massachusetts to help you reach your goal.

Tobacco and nicotine users of all kinds can call the MA Smokers Helpline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) to talk with a free quit coach or enroll online through KeepTryingMA.org. The Helpline is open 24 hours each day, seven days a week (excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas). Tobacco and nicotine users can receive a four-week supply of free nicotine replacement help from the patch, gum or lozenge.  Online supports include quit planning tools, peer support and motivational text messages.

Smokers who get support and use stop-smoking medicines are nearly three times as likely to quit for good as those who try to quit on their own. Quitting is hard—give thanks to someone in your life for quitting or for trying to quit. Every email, text message, phone call, or encouraging word makes a difference.

Sincerely,

Edgar Duran Elmudesi, MSW

Metro Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership

 

 

SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE AND SOON

Dear Editor:

It seems there is a rape culture at Winthrop High School, and the Winthrop Sun Transcript is burying the story.

The Nov. 15th issue published alarming results from the 2018 Prevention Needs Assessment, distributed by CASA (Community for Safe Alternatives), to Winthrop students in grades 6-12. The results on page one regarding drug and alcohol abuse wouldn’t be shocking to anyone who attended the Winthrop Public Schools (myself included), but the real shocker comes later.

The most appalling content is buried in the seventh paragraph on the second page of the paper, and given one sentence:

“Dating violence was also noted with about 18 percent stating they were forced to have sex.”

Let me preface this by saying I have a Masters in Public Health, with research and clinical experience in domestic violence, teen dating violence, and sexual assault, in addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Print Journalism. Because of this, especially in light of the #metoo movement and provocative television shows (hint: the controversial theme of teen rape and consent in “Thirteen Reasons Why”), these findings hit incredibly close to home.  I believe that both Sue Ellen Woodcock (writer), and the editors of the Transcript, and CASA, owe the entire town, adults and youth alike, an explanation.

Here’s why.

Before we dig into the numbers, it’s important to acknowledge that while dating violence and sexual assault are certainly intertwined; they should not be lumped together into one category as they were presented in these findings. I’m not sure whether it was the wording of the CASA survey or the fragmented journalism with which the editors of the Transcript seem so content, but these two categories, at minimum, should have been presented or reported as separate questions and data.

Particulars aside, let’s come back to that number – 18 percent. EIGHTEEN percent. Eighteen percent of students between grades 6 and 12 have reported being forced to have sex. Eighteen percent out of the 733 surveyed. And in case you’re still not getting it:

Approximately 132 students in Winthrop between grades 6 and 12 have been sexually assaulted. These numbers are staggering in our secluded, oceanside, tight knit community, but abuse knows no bounds. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, someone is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds in the United States.

And while we’re on the topic of numbers, let’s face facts: the actual number of students in Winthrop who have experienced sexual assault are probably much higher. According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, 66 percent of adolescent victims fail to disclose or report having been victimized. Assaults in adolescents have been linked to depression, anxiety, PTSD, and risk for being assaulted again later in life. Our children are at risk, here.

And so I have more than a handful of questions for CASA. How did your survey define “forced to have sex”? By definition, this is rape, and because of this I keep circling back to the numbers. Eighteen percent of students surveyed in Winthrop have been raped? Did you offer resources to participants immediately after giving them this survey? In an anonymous survey, it is unethical not to provide resources at the end for participants who may have been triggered or inspired to seek help. The article says that CASA is hiring a youth coordinator, but what does this mean? Eighteen percent of these students have been forced to have sex. Raped. What are we doing about it?

I could go on and on, but what we need to take from this is that our children are at risk. To the Sun Transcript and the team at CASA – you need to take responsibility for and action on the numbers that have been collected and reported, and if you need a volunteer or advocate to help in any way, I’m your girl.

Respectfully,

Gemma McFarland, MPH

Winthrop, MA