Word: cuba
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Cuban-Americans, we submit our reflections on the last half-century in Cuba, in light of the resignation of Fidel Castro. Throughout, we will attempt to remain faithful to the realities of life in Cuba. We draw insight and inspiration from the stories of our friends and families, as well as from our personal experiences. The progress presumed to have taken place since the revolution hardly begins to justify the sacrifices in personal liberties that the Cuban people have had to endure...
...instance, Castro’s regime is often credited with having overseen a low infant mortality rate, but it is important to keep in mind the unreliability of statistics produced by a totalitarian government which micromanages every aspect of society. In Cuba, anyone who questions the validity of this information pays a price. Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet was sentenced to 25 years in prison after revealing the government’s practice of chemically inducing abortions through the use of a drug Rivanol, which causes fetuses to come out dead or die within hours of birth. These abortions were systematically...
...Cuba does hold the 25th lowest infant mortality rate (a useful indicator of public health care) in the world, but prior to the revolution it held the 13th lowest rate. The reforms that were enacted after the revolution were only extended insofar as they helped Castro consolidate his control over the island. Doctors, for example, are expected to keep records of each family’s “political integration,” assessing their patient’s commitment to the failed ideals of the revolution prior to treating them...
...Besides Cuba’s questionable success in reducing infant mortality, health care in other respects is decidedly lacking. Cubans are indeed granted free diagnosis, but they lack free care. Cuba lacks the resources to treat its patients, who are expected to supply their own pillows and water during hospital visits. These hospitals are in decaying condition, a fact made more appalling by its contrast to the exemplary hospitals which only foreigners have access...
...Castro’s regime has also relished highlighting the fact that Cuba has a higher literacy rate than the United States, yet this too must be qualified. Although literacy was expanded to areas of the country where education had been lacking, the overall quality of education under Castro suffered due to its emphasis on indoctrination. A student is not given the opportunity to explore varied educational interests. Students are taught Marx, but not Smith; Lenin, but not Locke; Guevara, but not Jefferson. Education in Cuba is merely another instrument for the government to intrude into everyday life, manage opinions...