E

veryone needs it, but no 
one wants to ask for it. 
“Help” has become a sort 
of dirty word, implying weakness 
and neediness, that we can’t 
handle our problems on our own. 
Using the word “help” has come to 
mean that you have given in to the 
obstacles plaguing your life and 
that you don’t have the strength 
to carry on by yourself. These 
implications are commonplace, 
and they are not only false, but 
harmful. 
I will openly admit that I 
absolutely hate asking for help. 
Ever since I was a kid, I hated 
bothering 
my 
parents 
with 
problems with school or peers 
and was vehemently opposed to 
asking my teachers for assistance 
on homework assignments. I 
always had good grades and big 
groups of unproblematic friends, 
so when I did struggle, I didn’t 
want to bother any of the adults 
in my life with seemingly tiny 
problems — I had never needed 
the help before, and didn’t want to 
start asking then.
As I have aged, I have realized 
that asking for help is the most 
important thing someone can 
do for themselves. Whether it 
be for your physical, mental or 
academic health, getting words 
of advice or affirmation from 
an outside source can make all 
the difference. It may be hard or 
even embarrassing to ask for help, 
but when we get into the habit of 
understanding its benefits, help 
becomes the greatest word one 
can use in their vocabulary.
The pandemic has shown many 
of us that asking for help is vital 
when we feel alone or when we feel 
like we need to talk to someone. 
In a study by the American 
Psychological Association, it was 
found that referrals received 
by psychologists doubled (from 
37% to 62%) from 2020 to 2021, 
and that 68% of psychologists 
reported an increase in the 
number of individuals on their 
waitlists. 
Amid 
a 
time 
of 
such 

uncertainty, the frequency of 
people requesting help for anxiety 
and depression has increased, as 
has the number of people taking 
advantage 
of 
mental 
health 
resources 
such 
as 
telehealth 
and in-person counseling. The 
pandemic 
has 
made 
people 
realize they can’t be alone with 
their thoughts, and that asking 
for help from professionals is the 
best way to get their problems off 
their chests and their minds on 
the road to wellness and balance.
Still, 
though, 
requesting 
help carries a societal weight. 
The British Psychology Society 
found that two types of stigmas 
exist as it relates to seeking 
psychological 
help: 
public 
stigma and self stigma. A “public 
stigma” is external, a collection of 
stereotypes about mental health 
and therapy imposed by those 
around us. Public opinion holds a 
heavy weight on our perspective 
on seeking help, and when there is 
judgment from the public, we find 
ourselves 
avoiding 
counseling 
because of the negative markers 
being applied to us. 
A “self stigma” is internal, 
assigning ourselves labels based 
on our state of mental health, 
claiming we are worthless or 
“unacceptable” and undeserving 
of help. “Public” and “self” 
stigmas go hand in hand, and 
when we hear the stigmas being 
voiced by those around us, we 
tend to apply them to ourselves 
because of social influences, 
especially 
those 
concerning 
mental health. The stigmas that 
both society and ourselves have 
assigned to mental health and 
counseling are what have made 
“help” such a dirty word.
Stigmas 
around 
mental 
health exist everywhere, from 
the television we consume, to 
the dialogues of the people we 
surround ourselves with. These 
stereotypes lack understanding 
about the subject of mental 
wellness, making those who have 
internal struggles or need help 
seem “inhuman” in the eyes of 
society. The way we speak to one 
another makes a difference in our 
perception of mental health as 
well. 

For example, telling someone 
to “just get over” their struggle 
with mental illness does much 
more harm than good. Words 
like these make struggles seem 
small and easily surmountable, 
and to a person already lacking 
motivation, they can be more 
debilitating. The interactions we 
have with others and the media 
often influence how we look at 
ourselves. In the case of mental 
health — an area where sufferers 
already struggle with self-image 
— stereotypes and dismissive 
comments only make getting 
healthy harder.
If we fail to break the stigma 
around the word “help,” we 
ignore the increasingly more 
pertinent necessity of getting 
ourselves assistance in times of 
need. Despite what society may 
tell us, it’s not weird or wrong to 
get help — it’s probably one of the 
most insightful and courageous 
things we can do for ourselves.
Breaking the stigma means 
having real discussions about 
mental health, using empathetic 
language rather than judgemental 
tones and empowering those in 
our lives who struggle or have 
taken steps to get help. The most 
important thing, though, is to 
avoid self stigmas — we cannot 
apply society’s untrue labels to 
ourselves and we must remain 
confident that the decision to ask 
for help is something personal 
and meaningful to ourselves and 
our livelihoods. 
Each one of us should be able to 
openly admit that we need help, 
whether it be for problems we face 
with school or for internalized 
struggles with mental health. 
No one should be mocked or 
marginalized because they have 
sought out therapy, and no one 
should be bullied about making 
an initial request for a listening 
ear and helping hand in times of 
hardship. 
To be our better selves, we 
have to break the stigma around 
“help” and accept the fact that 
some obstacles are too tough to 
overcome on our own. Sometimes 
we need support, and that isn’t bad 
—it’s healthy, and monumentally 
brave. 

T

he 
term 
“reproductive 
rights” 
has 
sparked 
arguably one of the biggest 
political controversies of the last 
few years. Yes, I’m talking about 
the a-word: abortion. There are 
plenty of articles and opinions 
going around about this specific 
right — whether it is one, whether it 
isn’t — but there’s not nearly enough 
discussion of the other reproductive 
rights you are entitled to.
Those able to bear children are 
entitled to certain reproductive 
rights and, like any other kind 
of right, they should know them 
and exercise them. While I will 
mostly direct my language towards 
“women,” as these rights are 
socially associated with “women’s” 
rights, note that these rights extend 
toward anyone who might be or is 
carrying a child, regardless of their 
gender identity. I encourage you to 
take a look at the full list of rights, 
which can be found here.
Many of these reproductive 
rights are variations of human 

rights declarations and bills that 
have been applied to the context of 
motherhood. One I find particularly 
important, which stems from 
human rights arguments, is that 
“everyone is their own person from 
the moment of birth.” This means 
that both mother and baby should 
be treated with dignity and respect. 
On a related note, everyone 
has the right to equitable health 
care free from discrimination, 
a right that is ensured by the 
Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights. One hundred ninety-three 
countries have agreed to abide by 
these rights, including the United 
States. This means that everyone 
in the United States is guaranteed 
these human rights, and the rights 
derived from them. Prioritization 
of this particular right is especially 
important for Black mothers, as 
they experience medical racism 
that significantly harms their 
health, as well as the health of their 
babies. For women of Color, the 
risks this causes at each stage of 
childbirth, including labor, delivery 
and postpartum, are elevated. This 
right also means that women have 
the same protections under the law 

while pregnant as they do when 
not. In other words, you cannot 
be discriminated against for the 
listed reasons, including for being 
pregnant. 
According 
to 
the 
Maternal 
Health Task Force at the Harvard 
Chan School of Public Health, 
“(e)very woman has the right to 
information, informed consent and 
refusal and respect for her choices 
and preferences.” This applies to 
all reproductive health choices, 
including childbirth. Education on 
these rights could directly impact 
the health of both mothers and their 
children. Currently, the statistics 
surrounding childbirth are not 
encouraging. The United States’s 
maternal mortality rate is almost 
double that of other developed 
countries, such as Canada, with 
17 in 100,000 American mothers 
dying 
from 
childbirth 
— 
a 
distressingly high number. The 
infant mortality rate is worse, with 
over 500 in 100,000 infants dying, 
and this rate is even higher among 
Southern states. 

A 

few weeks ago, United 
States 
Supreme 
Court 
Justice Clarence Thomas 
said that debate over increasing the 
number of U.S. Supreme Court seats 
might “compromise” or “chip away 
at the respect” of the institution 
by politicizing what should be an 
impartial body. Less than two weeks 
later, it was revealed that Thomas’s 
wife, Virginia, had urged then-
White House Chief of Staff Mark 
Meadows to overturn the results 
of the 2020 presidential election. 
In the past few years, the Supreme 
Court and its members have become 
shrouded in controversy, due not 
only to the judges themselves but the 
circumstances surrounding their 
appointment.
Ironically, Thomas made his 
comments about protecting the 
court from politics at an event for 
the foundation of former Sen. Orrin 
Hatch, R-Utah. In 2016, Hatch 
took a leading role in blocking the 
confirmation of Merrick Garland, 
who was nominated by former 
President Barack Obama to fill a 
vacant Supreme Court seat. Hatch 
and his Republican colleagues, 
who controlled the Senate at the 
time, argued that by keeping the 
seat empty, voters would have 
an opportunity to influence the 
court’s composition through the 
2016 presidential election. Garland 
went on to be appointed attorney 
general last year by President Biden. 
The Senate confirmed him with a 
70-30 vote, demonstrating that a 
significant number of Republicans 

approve of his qualifications at least 
for that role. 
In 
2017, 
President 
Donald 
Trump appointed Neil Gorsuch, 
a staunch conservative, to fill 
the seat Democrats intended for 
Garland. Gorsuch was approved by 
a 54-45 vote only after Republicans 
abolished the filibuster for Supreme 
Court confirmations. Sen. Chris 
Coons, D-Del., who voted against 
Gorsuch, recently admitted that 
his decision to vote against the 
“eminently 
qualified” 
nominee 
furthered 
partisan 
animosity 
over judicial appointments. Years 
later, the swift — not to mention 
hypocritical — appointment and 
confirmation 
of 
Justice 
Amy 
Coney Barrett made it clear that 
Republicans cared little about voter 
input. They were instead looking for 
an opportunity to keep conservative 
control of the Supreme Court. It was 
during the confirmation of Barrett 
that some prominent Democrats — 
including Democratic Senate leader 
Chuck Schumer, N.Y., began publicly 
considering expanding the Supreme 
Court. 
While Barrett and Gorsuch are 
controversial because their seats 
are considered “stolen,” controversy 
around Justices Clarence Thomas 
and Brett Kavanaugh is centered 
on the men themselves. In addition 
to his wife’s political activities, 
Thomas’s 
confirmation 
hearing 
is infamous because of Anita Hill, 
who accused Thomas of sexual 
harassment and was, in return, 
grilled by members of the Senate 
Judiciary Committee. One of those 
members was Orrin Hatch, who 
suggested some of her charges were 
inspired by “The Exorcist.” More 

recent allegations against Brett 
Kavanaugh from Christine Blasey 
Ford offer a clear parallel.
On top of increasingly prevalent 
issues with their own Supreme 
Court 
appointees, 
Republicans 
have 
stepped 
up 
attacks 
on 
judges nominated by Democrats. 
Republican Senators aggressively 
questioned Judge Ketanji Brown 
Jackson’s sentencing record on 
those convicted of child sexual 
abuse — ignoring the reasons for 
Jackson’s rulings in order to bring 
about damaging headlines. Sen. 
Tom Cotton, Ark., went as far as 
suggesting that Jackson would have 
defended Nazis in court. 
In his comments in Utah, Thomas 
worried about the future of the 
Supreme Court. This isn’t about the 
future, though — the Supreme Court 
has been compromised by politics. 
Republicans have ignored serious 
character flaws in the cases of 
Thomas and Kavanaugh, selectively 
prevented confirmation hearings 
to capture Barrett and Gorsuch’s 
seats and stepped up character 
assassination toward Democratic 
appointees. 
Democrats’ 
not 
entirely unjustified anger towards 
four associate justices isn’t going 
anywhere. Neither is Republicans’ 
willingness to aggressively capture 
Court seats. Sen. Lindsey Graham, 
R-S.C., has said a Republican-
controlled Senate would not have 
considered Jackson. Sen. Mitch 
McConnell, R-Ken., said it is “highly 
unlikely” 
a 
Republican 
Senate 
would consider a Biden Supreme 
Court nominee in 2024. 

 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Opinion
10 — Wednesday, April 20, 2022 

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

Breaking the stigma around “help”

LINDSEY SPENCER
Opinion Columnist

AMY EDMUNDS
Opinion Columnist

A rejuvenated discourse on 
reproductive freedom

Office Rush Hours

The Supreme Court has been compromised 
by politics — so why not elect justices?

QUIN ZAPOLI
Senior Opinion Editor

Design by Maddy Leja, Opinion Cartoonist

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

