For Her Own Good

Here's a story just revealed of a federal public servant, a young woman who works for the Canadian International Development Agency, who has filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights commission to order a hearing into her complaint of discrimination against CIDA.

Well, that's interesting, a federal government agency whose purpose is to be of good and practical use abroad in the interests of aiding other countries develop themselves and assist their people to a better state of life is being chastised by an employee for abusing her human rights? How very untoward.

CIDA has undoubtedly been accused of many things, but abusing the human rights of one of its employees?

It appears that Bronwyn Cruden wishes to be posted to Afghanistan. But CIDA, after due thought and investigation into the matter has deemed her personally not an appropriate individual to send to that dangerous and existence-precarious place. CIDA, after all, is concerned not only with the well-being and sound future of those in the international community, but its Canadian employees as well.

The fact being that Bronwyn Cruden is a Type-1 diabetic. Susceptible to sudden alterations in her blood-sugar levels, from hypoglycemic to hyperglycemic, and often, apparently, with little warning. Which is what happens when one is a long-term diabetic, and nerve-endings begin to deteriorate, along with other bodily functions.

People with insulin-dependent diabetes formerly termed "juvenile-onset" and now merely Type-1, to distinguish them from older, sedentary, overweight Type-2 types who usually don't inject insulin, are quite vulnerable to sudden drops in blood sugar levels. Just as they are vulnerable, having to balance food intake (quantity and quality), exercise and insulin amounts, to the dangers of high blood-glucose levels which, over time, are organ-and-nerve-destructive.

While some people with diabetes who are truly dedicated to balancing their endocrine needs - injecting insulin repeatedly throughout the day, taking blood-glucose readings countless times and reacting accordingly - there are others who are more casual in their approach to diabetes management. Even so, within those two groups - the intensive-managers and the less-concerned managers of their condition - there are no guarantees. Some diabetics find their balance more readily achievable than others, irrespective of control method.

Ms. Cruden, now 38 years of age, had previously enjoyed a short posting in Kandahar, in early 2008. At that time she had suffered a severe hypoglycemic event when her blood-sugar levels had dropped precipitously and dangerously, causing her to go into convulsions. This is not a pretty thing to witness; although the individual undergoing convulsions will not be aware, having no memory of it, afterward.

But it is vital that this type of event not occur often; people have been known to die from ultimately-fatal steep blood-sugar loss.

With all the best intentions in the world, Ms. Cruden, wishing to be posted in a place like Afghanistan, would create an undue burden on those with whom she works; her colleagues and locals, along with the medical-health community set up to provide needed care for those who require it, in that backwater of human social development.

She cannot promise to ensure that her condition will be in perfect balance at all times. No one can do that; neither she nor her doctors.

Health Canada, fully aware of this, has a policy disallowing federal employees with Type 1 diabetes into hostile environments.

CIDA's declining to post this worker observes Health Canada's guidelines in this respect. CIDA has not singled out this young woman in particular; no federal employees with Type 1 diabetes are sent to places like Afghanistan where expert medical-hospital care is not always available, of the calibre required in catastrophic situations.