Pills without the Soap

[omorka]

A timely link, from several people: The anti-abortion crowd finally comes out as anti-contraception, too. (Requires registration; sorry about that.)

The whole thing is pretty terrifying, as most such reports are. But this is the part that nearly made me puke:

Besides "Girls Gone Mild," she sponsors "Purity Balls," which fathers attend with their teenage daughters. "We think the relationship between fathers and their daughters is the key," she told me. At the purity ball, a father gives a "purity ring" to his daughter — a symbol of the promise she makes to maintain her virginity for her future husband. Then, during her marriage ceremony, the daughter gives the ring to her new husband. Abstinence Clearinghouse's Web site advertises the purity ball as an event "which celebrates your 'little girl' and her gift of sexual purity."

In other words, we're completely back to the idea that a woman's sexuality is an object, and the ring is a link of chain that binds it, which is given by its original owner - the sire, the father - and then taken by its purchaser - the husband. Dear mother of all things, if that's what the ring means I will melt mine. (Fortunately, my father never had his hands on the things, the man who blessed them may believe weird things about contraception but not about the ownership of women, the man who carried them respects women, and the Spouse wears his just as I wear mine.)

Ugh. Anyway, now would be a good time for all women - currently sexually active or not - to get themselves a diaphragm. It's relatively cheap, reusable, and it and a tube of contraceptive gel are easily enough hidden. Even if the other options disappear, we'll still have that. (Although I suspect condoms, being male-focused, probably won't go away completely, even if the nutcases have their way with the Pill.)

Comments

[greeneyedpagan.livejournal.com]

Twice, in one day, I have heard things that I knew to be true long before many people did. This unfortunate turn of events I have been yelling about for fucking *years* (well, not just me - many of us who are good at "reading between the lines", but still...no one (including those of us who knew) wanted to believe we would actually go this far backwards.) The other thing, well, it is not for discussion here, but in its own way is just as scary, and affects many of us just as closely as the birth control/women as objects/virginity as bargaining chip does. And yeah, it's about sex, too.

I'm one unhappy Priestess today. On sooooo many levels.

Thanks for sharing this with your list, however.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Also, see your gynecologist about an advance prescription (http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pri&dt=060508&cat=frontpage&st=frontpagemorningafter_060508&src=abc) for emergency contraception. At least that way you only have to worry about whether the goddamn pharmacist will DO HIS JOB when you present it!

[pinesandmaples]

Or switch to using vitamin C...

I'm surprised more women don't know about that. It works quite well for my circle of folks in West Philly and is far cheaper than most other methods.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

No way would I trust something like that in the event of a rape.

Fundi. Religion is anti-life. Humans are killing off God's creations

[quantumduck.livejournal.com]

See, this is why I cannot understand the people around me. When I was a child there were 3 billion people on the planet. That was too many to be sustained. Now there are seven billion! How on earth can anyone think unwanted births are a good thing? How can an additional population of poor, angry, attention starved people help anything? Human being are multiplying too quickly. We all need to do our part to stop the alarming number of births on this planet!

Also, I'm sick of good condoms being expensive and hard to buy! If more people did the right thing and used a glove the things would be cheaper! I want to encourage everyone to have more sex with condoms. A good condom makes sex safer for everyone (at least where penises are involved). Clearly people are having premarital sex. How could a little latex make that sin any worse? So get out there and sheath some peni. Help me out people!

[emmacrew.livejournal.com]

What's more, Dr. Trussell added: "There is evidence that there is a contraceptive effect of breast feeding after fertilization. While a woman is breast feeding, the first ovulation is characterized by a short luteal phase, or second half of the cycle. It's thought that because of that, implantation does not occur." In other words, if the emergency contraception pill causes abortions by blocking implantation, then by the same definition breast feeding may as well.

Oh, boy, maybe we'll get a ban on nursing next.

I actually got ticked off at the NYT for having a big link to the "should emergency contraception be offered OTC" poll right over a photo of the pills in RU-486. It's bad enough that the nutbars try to inextricably link the two in people's minds...

Registration free

[wyldraven.livejournal.com]

Here's the same article, made available without the registration.

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/050806WA.shtml

Talk to Action

[wyldraven.livejournal.com]

http://www.talk2action.org/section/Reproductive_Rights

T2A is an activism site involved in the fight against just these kinds of people. Link above has more information on the status of this battle.

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2006/5/2/81737/65743
This article goes into some depth regarding the current problems.

[greeneyes-rpi.livejournal.com]

How horrifying. My father and I never really discussed my sexuality, but I'm pretty sure he never thought that he owned it. Nor did he ever consider that he was selling me to drangelo.

The world is going mad. The ignorant fear the future and yearn to return to their spiritual/intellectual childhood. Some of us continue to fight against the darkness.