"'Untochable' mother and baby die after high-caste Hindu doctors refuse to treat them"

Jake Sokoloff

1. "'Untouchable' mother and baby die after high-caste Hindu doctors refuse to treat them"
Daily Mail
4/25/08
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=561954&in_page_id=1811

2. Beginning in ancient times India has always believed in a strong social structure known as the Caste System. This system is still in effect today and the reason a mother and her child died recently. The mother and baby were sick and needed medical treatment but because they were members of the untouchable class, or lowest class, high-caste doctors did not want to treat them. The mother, Maya Devi, was pregnant and suffering severe complications which prevented her from having the baby. She was brought to a hospital by friends of hers but was turned away because of the class she was part of. People who are members of the untouchables are usually looked down upon and forced to do unskilled jobs like cleaning toilets.
There have been many movements to end discrimination but all have failed. Most high class Hindu's don't want anything to do with untouchables. These high class members are ignorant and fear they will contract diseases from the "lesser" classes. Maya had the baby while she was waiting for care but died not long after. Maya then went into a coma. One doctor seemed to be an anti-conformist and decided to help Maya, not listening to other doctor's warnings. The thing is this doctor was not at the hospital at this time so she had to turn around in her car and return to the hospital. Maya then had a heart attack but was saved shortly. She then went into cardiac arrest and died. The doctors who reportedly refused to help her have been suspended while the case in further looked into.

3. Reactions
A. This article relates very well the AP theme, systems of social structure and gender structure. India's very tightly knit social ladder has been causing problems like this all the time. This social pyramid is very strict and it is very uncommon for people to change social classes and "move up" in society in anyway. People are born into their classes most of the time and it is something people living under these guidelines have to deal with all life long.
B. This is a very controversial issue that dates back all the way to the River Valley Civilizations and ancient India's social structure. These classes are referred to jatis or castes in India. This system is largely based in Hinduism and when the religion began to take over Indian culture and social systems it was created. To this day it is still in effect, although many people have tried to outlaw it. In many major cities however caste walls have been broken and barriers have gone away. Clearly though this system has not fully gone away and continues to create problems for people all the time.
C. This article was written by a man named Richard Shears. He is obviously a member of the writing team at the Daily Mail. There is no indication of nationality of this writer. He is clearly and outsider. His name does not sound Hindu so I assume he is not Indian or a member of one of the castes that are part of India's caste system.
D. There is possibility for some bias in this author's point of view. First, they are an outsider not living in India and not dealing with the problems members of the untouchable caste deal with. He is also a writer and could be over exaggerating the story to attract readers and make the issue more interesting. He is not Indian so I would imagine he also is not an expert on the caste system and the laws and regulations existing today, as well as in ancient times, dealing with the system.
E. In order to gain a full understanding for the issue and article hearing from one of the high-class doctors who refused to help the mother and her child would help. Hearing their point of view would show me their side of the story and what they thought really went on the day Maya came to the hospital looking for help. They would probably try to defend their actions and make the issue smaller than it really is.
F. I chose this article because I found it extremely controversial. I also was able to use much of what I knew about India and the caste system, learned in class, to help me understand the article more fully. This is an issue that has been brought up many times over the past few years and is clearly a big issue. People have tried to ban segregation and discrimination and some movements have begun to change things, but none have done enough. People need to speak out and fight for their own rights as human beings. It is really silly for me personally to think about a Hindu discriminating against another Hindu. They all live in generally the same area and are all part of a common belief system. They should stand together and support each other instead on discriminating against each other.