(end) Birth Control Too? (Bush agenda)

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-rape28jan28.story
EDITORIAL
(end) Birth Control Too? (Bush agenda)

January 28, 2005

Only 40 years ago, within the memory of millions of Americans, birth control could not be legally sold in some states, even to married couples. If President Bush and his allies in Congress are successful, the future could look much like that past. <snip>

As part of abstinence-only sex education, which the president champions and taxpayers now fund to the tune of $170 million annually, U.S. teens are being taught a bunch of hooey. A recent congressional report found the program's materials warn that touching another's genitals "can result in pregnancy" and that condoms fail to prevent HIV transmission one-third of the time. Actually, studies find that condoms are nearly always effective in blocking HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases if used properly (and we hope we don't need to refute the first assertion).

Giving teens false and misleading information is bad enough. More pernicious is the administration's reluctance to back international AIDS prevention programs that distribute condoms, a reluctance that could cost millions of Asians and Africans their lives. The policy is utterly inexplicable, unless it is to placate those who think condoms could encourage adults to have sex.

The same logic is behind "refusal" laws. Twelve states now allow pharmacists who oppose contraception to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control, including the "morning-after pill." Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) plans to reintroduce his bill from last year to extend that right nationwide.

The religious right's fingerprints also can be seen on the Justice Department's first-ever guidebook, released last fall, on treating sexual assault victims. It is an otherwise laudable effort to help win more rape cases, outlining in 140 graphic pages the best practices for evidence collection, forensic analysis and victim support. For instance, six pages detail testing protocols for sexually transmitted disease, treatment and psychological counseling. But the section on "Pregnancy Risk Evaluation and Care" is a scant half-page of euphemisms and generalities. Omitted from the final version was draft language about the effectiveness of emergency contraception in preventing pregnancy.

The morning-after pill acts by impeding ovulation, fertilization and implantation. To most doctors, it is not a method of abortion. But those who believe that life begins at conception think it is, and Justice officials apparently are seeking to appease them.

So, it seems, is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is stalling a decision on whether to make the morning-after pill available nationwide without a prescription. Opponents claim that easy access would encourage promiscuity, despite data to the contrary from states such as California, where the pill is more freely available.

Surely this backward future is not what most Bush supporters thought they voted for last fall.

[Warpy]

1. The goal is to prevent women from engaging in sex.

Now, the next time you meet one of these loons, get them to talk to this point. It's what they all want. If you stop women from having sex, you'll stop all those abortions and you'll stop making welfare babies, right?

Then pursue it a little farther. We know that masturbation is a terrible sin with terrible consequences, right (wink)?

If women refuse sex, and are suddenly powerful enough to make the refusal stick, and masturbation is a sin, and we know what the male sex drive is like, just who is left for them to turn to?

The Christian right agenda is clearly promoting homosexuality!

[bloom]

3. "The Christian right agenda is clearly promoting homosexuality!"

That's about the only conclusion one could draw.

I'd like to see some of the right wing pundits take that on.

[Hollowkatt]

4. ......................

Well, duh. Now that you mention it, you have to be right.
/sarcasm.
On the other hand, it would be funnay wouldn't it to make them get to that point :D

[Larkspur]

5. Actually the goal is to turn women into sex slaves to men

Sex is only allowed, by these fruitcakes, when a woman and man are legally married or married by their church.

By not allowing married women birth control, men can keep women barefoot and preganant and totally dependent upon them.

The real goal is to create a nation of overburdened Andrea Yates, minus the drowning of her kids.

[havocmom]

7. Wonder if they (Rich White Guys in Power) are worried about the racial

differences in birthrates. Mush wealth has come from the exploitation of brown people. White birth rates dropping. Maybe they are worried about paybacks?

Who the hell will man the guard posts at the gated communities if this keeps up?

[bloom]

2. The idea that they against Birth Control AND abortion

boggles the mind.

Do they really think everyone from age 12 to whatever are going to abstain except for procreation?

[HockeyMom]

9. How about MARRIED people?

So, they are supposed to abstain except when they want to have a kid? I would think that would make for DECADES in people lives w/o sex. As for Senator Santorum with his 7 kids, good and practicing (RARE in this aspect), is part of his plan to ban CONDOMS too, since the Catholic Church prohibits ANYTHING that might prevent a birth. They certainly cannot say that condoms are form of abortion too.

[LeftyMom]

26. It's certianly possible to time coitus to avoid pregnancy

Most fundies seem to be okay with that. The QF types aren't but they are a small minority.

[parasim]

6. Didn't you know? Every sperm is sacred.

"Every Sperm Is Sacred", Lyrics by Michael Palin and Terry Jones.

There are Jews in the world, there are Buddists,
There are Hindus and Mormons and then
There are those that follow Mohammad, but
I've never been one of them.

I'm a Roman Catholic,
And have been since before I was born,
And the one thing they say about Catholics is
They'll take you as soon as you're warm.

You don't have to be a six footer,
You don't have to have a great brain,
You don't have to have any clothes on,
You're a Catholic the moment Dad came, because

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

Let the heathen spill theirs,
On the dusty ground,
God shall make them pay for
Each sperm that can't be found.

Every sperm is wanted,
Every sperm is good,
Every sperm is needed,
In your neighborhood.

Hindu, Taoist, Morman,
Spill theirs just anywhere,
But God loves those who treat their
Semen with more care.

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is good,
Every sperm is needed,
In your neighborhood.

Every sperm is useful,
Every sperm is fine,
God needs everybody's,
Mine, and mine, and mine.

Let the pagans spill theirs,
O'er mountain, hill and plain.
God shall strike them down for
Each sperm that's spilt in vain.

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is good,
Every sperm is needed,
In your neighborhood.

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

[WildClarySage]

8. I'm surprised the insurance companies aren't all over

making EC available over the counter since they don't usually cover OTC meds, and it would make for fewer pregnancy related claims.

[ThorsHammer]

10. Stupid Stupid Stupid Stupid Stupid

Many of us pro-life people find this abstinence-only stance to be complete crap. I wish the neocons would use some common sense on this rather than some pie in the sky theory that does not work in practice.

[Maat]

11. I warned DUers (and my fundie relatives) about this

WAY BEFORE the election.

I told my relatives, 'When you say that you are pro-life, and against abortion, what do you mean?" I never got a straight answer.

I explained to them that most 'abortions' occur in the first trimester (around 90%). The huge majority (virtually all) of anything after that is not elective, but involves a serious health risk to the mother, or a severely deformed fetus that, if carried to term, would wind up costing the taxpayers millions, after creating a lifetime of grief for the parents.

If we're talking about the first trimester, then you are talking about a clump of cells about a half-inch long or less.

How far back do you want to go? No RU-486 (within the first few months)? No Plan B? No birth control pills? No condoms?

I was with Social Services for 7 years. Believe me when I say, all anti-reproductive-rights efforts are going to do is increase abuse, neglect, abandonment and death of unwanted children. We do not have enough resources to foot the bills for unwanted children exposed in utero to substances such as methamphetamine. We do not have enough adoptive parents to adopt children that have to be permanently removed from their biological parents. We do not have enough funding to prevent child abuse, and help families stay together. We do not have enough funding to help lower middle class otherwise-highly-qualified fos-dopt parents adopt. This world could not have taken an additional 40-45 million babies!

What's wrong with these people?

And before you flame me, I'm also an adoptive parent (who still fights for reproductive right - and, yes, I am glad my daughter's here - but she almost wasn't - and it wasn't due to an abortion), and a person who essentially sacrificed seven years of her life trying to help. So, I was part of the solution, not the blabbering.

The unmitigated gall of those who have not helped - and who call themselves 'pro-life' continually astounds me. I, for one, refuse to use the term 'pro-life;' 'pro-forced implantation and birth' maybe. We must move towards every child being a wanted child. THAT MUST SUPERCEDE ANYTHING ELSE.

Sorry - EOR. Flame away!

[Karenina]

12. Not a chance.

:hug: :yourock: :hug: YOU are the real deal!!! :loveya:

ALL GOOD THINGS to you and your daughter.

[Maat]

13. Thanks!

Take care! Blessings to you!

[glitch]

14. What Karenina said, and double it!

Their argument always fails when you bring up birth control methods. At least that's what I've experienced. I say "If you don't want abortions why don't you approve of sex education and family planning, they reduce abortion rates" and they sputter sputter red herring straw man change the subject and eventually walk away.
But they don't change their minds, because it's not about abortion at all, it's about controlling half the population.

[stevebreeze]

15. the right wing agenda is clear....they want more babies.

More workers, more poor people, more babies. This drives down wages.

[rocktivity]

16. I don't think it should be avialable without a perscription

I'm not worried about promiscuity, but about women taking it if they don't really need it.

:headbang:
rocknation

[American Tragedy]

18. Why would you take birth control pills if you didn't need them?

[fortyfeetunder]

21. they don't need them?

if birth control pills now are available only by prescription, I'd assume there was some discussion between a woman and her medical practitioner about using them.

[rocktivity]

23. I was speaking of the morning after pill

It shouldn't be used as a form of birth control. If it were available without a perscription, it might be taken when there's nothing that might be implanted.

:headbang:
rocknation

[CTyankee]

28. But for some women it may be a form of birth control

Some women may not have a regular sex partner, so she wouldn't be on oral contraceptives all the time. This was the case with a friend of mine. She had an unplanned sexual encounter with an old lover and the condom they used broke.

But even if a woman used EC every now and again as her form of birth control, so what? She is still protecting herself against an unwanted pregnancy.

[Jane Eyre]

17. Plus, birth control pills are not just for contraception

Birth control pills are prescribed for reasons other than preventing pregnancy. One of those reasons is to relieve the symptoms of extremely painful periods. As a 17-year-old, I nearly blacked out once due to extreme cramps while driving alone in the family car. After that incident, my mother took me to the doctor and asked him to prescribe birth control pills for me. It was the only thing that worked for me, and it had nothing to do with contraception.

The pill not only greatly improved my quality of life during my teen years by relieving the pain that I endured 2-3 days each month, but it put an end to the black-outs that I had experienced prior to taking the medication which were life-threatening both to me and to others. The reasons that I took the pill were between me, my mother and my doctor. There is no earthly reason why I or anyone else should have to explain their medical conditions to a pharmacist in a public retail space, nor should the pharmacist ever have the power to overrule doctor's orders.

[battleknight24]

19. I'm friends with this girl...

... who had similar experiences. Althought I don't think she ever blacked out, she went to a doctor and got on the pill. It is something very necessary for some women, not just to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.

[rodeodance]

20. for sure!!

It has been on his agenda since day one (along with the Right)---people just have not had their eyes open. It is all the "little" things that add up--the many regulations put in place that are not subject to a vote or Congressional oversite.

[The Zanti Regent]

22. 59 million pinheads DID know what they were voting for!

They wanted Jesusland and they got Dumbfuckinstan along with it!

[Moderator]

24. papau

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DU Moderator

[MichiganVote]

25. End BC? Sure...Grandpa Bush coming in 9 months

[gordianot]

27. This is not a real smart position for a father of two daughters.......

Who seem to be carrying on their Father's reputation risky behavior.

They need to learn to just say "NO".