BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Pro-Choice Anti-contraception activists

Abortion has been the perennial issue between pro-choice and anti-choice activists. Now the fact that anti-choicers don't like birth control either is coming to light. What do you think is the best thing the pro-choice camp can do to combat this new facet of the anti-choice movement?

Argh, UBB ate my post.

Long post short - restricting or eliminating birth control removes women's rights. It seems we are going backward.

Could it happen? It doesn't make sense? This is a subject I'm not up to speed on, so please be tolerant with me if my question seems dumb.

Question? Is it only ever various religious groups or people who push the anti-barrow? Or are there other groups too?

Anyway, I agree with the comment that it's a backward step if it were to succeed. Yep, sure do.

It's being pushed primarily by religious groups, like the Roman Catholic Church. It's a concern because of the various conservative judges Bush has appointed over the past eight years. There's more information on this issue here:

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"Now the American Life League is encouraging people to protest birth control pills in front of facilities that provide them. The primary basis for their arguments is that even before fertilization, human ovum should be considered pre-born children � this is my assumption, based on their contention that birth control pills are in fact abortifacient because they create a �hostile environment� for the creation of life."

Surely you jest! Wow! Well I don't know where my eggs go every month, but they sure as hell don't turn into babies! The female body must be the biggest natural 'abortifacient' machine on the planet then.

I've never looked upon my monthly ovum as a pre-born child. Just as a 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 cups of flour, a bit of milk, square of butter and egg sitting on the kitchen bench isn't a cake. There's the potential for a cake, but it's not a cake.

Gaye, I'm going to try again.

It wasn't so long ago (both my parents lived through it) when a woman was fired or not hired when she got married. Even after that, women are assumed to be the primary caretaker, and if they are of childbearing age, are assumed that they *will* become pregnant and take time for all of the medical appointments, then maternity leave, then will be more dedicated to kids than the job.

Removing the option of birth control gives a woman exactly three choices. Remain celibate both outside and inside marriage, use family planning, or have children. Family planning, while more effective than nothing, is not anywhere near foolproof, and if contraception is banned, I am 100% certain abortion would be banned. So, in order to remain totally child free a woman would have to be celibate, which is ridiculous within a marriage, and pretty darn ludicrous in my opinion for a grown adult.

So, if we remove contraception, we are faced with the high probability that most women will have children. Given the type of ideologies that protest birth control, how long is it until women are *forced* to stay home? Or if not, how long until they are officially discriminated against in the workplace, because of course, they are or should be more invested in the home?

As soon as I see how this election shakes out, I'm going to get sterilized before it is too late for me to do so.

I wonder if that there doesn't explain at least part of the antipathy certain religions have towards women. Combine this (that women's bodies can take "life" away) with the fact that women have the ability to "create" life within their bodies, and you have something that doesn't sit very comfortably in some religious mindsets requiring an outside control over life and death. Maybe a discussion to move over to your forum, Gaye?

Gosh Trish, that last comment of yours just shows how terribly concerned you are about where all this desire to control women's birth control options might be leading.

How crazy is it all?

I can't help thinking 'aren't there much bigger issues on the planet'? If any religious group wants to make an issue of 'right to life' then why don't they show it by getting involved in helping the living first?

So many tragic little children's faces on humanitarian websites needing adoption, fostering and homes. Why don't they focus on that instead? If I saw someone protesting outside an abortion clinic without a little refugee baby on their hip (which probably isn't the best place to take a child, I admit) I'd want to tell them they were full of it. Why not put up or shut up?

World Vision for example. I know it's not much considering...., but I've got one credit card going just for World Vision child sponsoring. And I feel inadequate even about that.

Back on topic. Without legalized birth control we return to a situation of backyard abortions. Is that the alternative? How gruesome!!! Very nasty for the victims and highly profitable for the quacks. And Pennyroyal or Peppermint Tea can only do so much.

I had children using the Billings method! LOL. Not that I mind now. No way!!!!But it sure was a surprise at the time, I can tell you. I was almost tempted to hunt down Dr Billings and tell him a thing or two, but being a christian and a pro-lifer I didn't.

It's not anyone else's business but the womans what she does with her body, or her life, so long as she's taking responsibility for herself.

I've seen what eventuates with unwanted or inconvenient children. It's just darn terrible.

Mind you, I've known women who didn't want children and had them, and are wonderful, and very happy mothers.

But having an unwanted child, very sad. They're emotionally handicapped even before day one! I have nightmares sometimes about the condition of some of the unwanted kids lives I know. I'm like that. It really gets to me.

Anyway, enough of that. I was just returning here to say, 'keep up the good work'. And that I completely agree with your position and forum purpose. Also, I've read your banner, so I imagine that means you've come in for some pretty serious flack.

So just offering an alternative POV. Soldier on, keep on truckin', and more power to ya'.

The more freedoms for women won, the better!

Thanks. As for trolls, on a scale of 1 - 10, 10 being the worst, the ones I encountered here barely rated a 3. But, I'm an old veteran of flame wars - nothing surprises me.

On this issue, I get even more annoyed than on any other. The woman who will probably be my maid of honor is lucky to be with us right now. She is one of the statistics on the birth control pills - had a heart attack in her early 30's as a side effect. Part of the reason that happened is because of the moralistic arguments over the pill. Drug companies aren't doing as much research as they could to find effective birth control for women without such dire side effects. There also isn't enough research in the U.S. into a pill for men - I suspect because research on drugs of that kind overseas was finding that impotence was a possible side effect. Why would they even bother, since there's little chance that the FDA would approve a drug that could do that? They're more interested in making sure a man avoids impotence.

Gaye, that statement is more inflammatory if you don't know me.

I am very very stubborn, and while I can agree to do onerous or tedious jobs, I refuse to let anyone, especially the government, dictate what I can do, or cannot do, with my body.

I am child-free by choice, and taking away my birth control options would essentially force me to do something I do not want to do. DH is getting snipped in about a month, and sterilization is free for me as well, all I have to do is convince my doctor.

Do I believe contraception will be outlawed? Not really. I believe we may well see abortion outlawed again. In that case, I want to be sterilized, because I want NO chances of having a child, even if I am raped.

I don't want to risk hormonal contraception; I am 33, a smoker, and had a small blood clot in my leg. (near the surface, not deep, but it made me nervous) That leaves barrier methods which are only effective when you're deliberately having sex, and an IUD. I have an IUD now, and while it's nice not to have to remember anything, I have really painful cramping and spot for ~3 weeks of every cycle. Hence, sterilization.

Your paragraph about unwanted children really reaffirms my decision to be CF and my determination to remain that way. I might be a good mom to a teenager (I have a 12 yr old stepdaughter) but I have absolutely no desire to be pregnant or give birth, and I really don't like, nor know what to do with, small children. I can teach and mentor and guide, but I think I would really resent the hard job that parenting small children is.

Thanks for your respectful comments; civilized discourse is much more valuable to all sides than putting someone on the defensive, but I'm sure you know that!