Sex In The Public Square - contraception - Comments

Give it time

Spaced Out — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:19:35 -0700

Someday we will be so overpopulated they will be giving them out like Smarties at an Easter egg hunt.

high cost of contraceptives

Colina Tallinn — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:21:05 -0700

If men had to take birth control pills to prevent pregnancies, the pills would be free.

The High Price of Campus Birth Control

Carole the Contraceptive Reviewer — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:44:13 -0800

Hopefully the lobbying done by Planned Parenthood and others will see the Deficit Reduction Act (whose initial wording was the main culprit in causing this problem) amended to reverse this current price situation.

Early in November, bills were introduced in both houses of Congress to change the language in the Act to enable college health centers and other health care providers to pass on discounts they receive for the cost of contraceptives to students.

No one seems to know how long this will take to be finalised but the support appears to be strong for the amendment to be passed.

Condom Follow-Up

Chris — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:59:21 -0800

I'd love to hear your follow-up. I know that Audacia really appreciated the original model, and I've known quite a few women who loved it, but that's far from being a universal consensus. I think that no matter what they do to the design, the whole thing is doomed unless they can bring down the price significantly.

I will have to do a

Amber Rhea — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:20:58 -0800

I will have to do a follow-up podcast about this! Rusty and I did a podcast last year where we tested the female condom, with not so great results.

Betrayal?

Chris — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:34:54 -0700

I believe the word for which you may be reaching is "betrayal".

If I were feeling very, very polite, that would be the word I would grab for. Generally, my description of the situation would include a lot of very rude descriptions of anatomically impossible acts and speculations upon their lineage.

I'm Feeling It

JanieBelle — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:17:48 -0700

Your pain, that is. I've been utterly discouraged by the (lack of) Democratic actions since they've taken control of the Congress.

They had a resounding mandate to fix things, but have pissed it away.

I believe the word for which you may be reaching is "betrayal".

Thank you

JanieBelle — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:15:03 -0700

Yes, UDoJ is also under the CCNCSA license (with one small exception, noted at the bottom of the right hand side bar).

I was pretty sure you would be OK with it, and I just wanted to get your permission first.

Kisses

The Difficulties of Activism

Chris — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:00:44 -0700

I must be getting old.

Activism like this gets harder and harder for me; much as my brain insists that actions like are necessary, and that I shouldn't surrender to the grip of apathy, it's harder to convince my heart that stuff like this will do anything. I don't think a veto is likely; I think it's certain, unless the Dems get together and make a real push that not only gets them a 2/3rds majority with which to overrrule the veto, but can stand up to the inevitable slanders that the Republicans will hit them with about how the Dems are a bunch of baby-killin' homos and whoremongers. Yeah, it's true that assaults like these are not only ironic but positively ludicrous in light of recent events, but they still work, partly because the Dems fear them so damn much. If more prominent Democrats, like say, Hillary Clinton, were willing to be unambiguous in their support for abortion rights as a good thing, I'd have more faith, but instead they spend their time pussyfooting around and try to triangulate a "third way" that will allow them to keep their base while not looking like they like this abortion thing too much.

In the end, the Republicans aren't the real enemy of liberals; it's the Democrats.

Of course you may

Elizabeth — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:36:00 -0700

That's the beauty of our Creative Commons "By Attribution, Non Commercial, Share Alike" license. UDOJ is still noncommercial, isn't it? Because otherwise you'd need special permission ;)

May I?

JanieBelle — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 14:53:14 -0700

Elizabeth,

Thank you for the link love, for starters, and for posting this as well.

With your permission, I'd like to repost this in toto at UDoJ.

May I?

condoms

tracya — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 03:53:34 -0700

after posting this, i remembered that while birth control/tubal ligations are essential to a young woman's overall health they do not prevent STD's...casual sex still requires a barrier method.

i would never discourage anyone from using long term/permanent forms of birth control, but it can't be forgotten that HIV still exists and while highly treatable, it is not curable. i've read that the scary times of HIV=death have passed and that teens now see it as a chronic illness.

safe sex education is so essential.

Two Faces to One Coin

Chris — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:15:06 -0700

You know, it would be best if I could live my life like Elvis Costello: "I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused." Unfortunately, I just can't pull it off. America's hypocrisy towards sexual health, especially that of women, is legendary, and I shouldn't continue to be appalled, and yet I still am. Another thing you have to remember when reading the above article that kind of brings the entire issue into even clearer focus is that many health insurance companies won't pay for contraception -- but Viagra is definitely on the roster. What's that say about the relative values of the health of the cock and the cunt in the great bureaucracy that is our modern health system?

Alternet also has an interesting article that shows how urgently we value the role of childbearing for women, whether they want to or not: it talks about women who are well into their twenties -- far beyond the age necessary to drink, smoke, join the army, or vote -- are routinely denied tubal ligations simply because the doctors think they're not old enouth.

Pregnancy and disease were

Visitor — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:59:19 -0700

Pregnancy and disease were pretty controversial - or impolite in any case - but distributing smutty materials under the banner of 'protecting' morals or good health definitely has a long history, back into the Victorian era at least. I love all those code breaking movies from the 30s that were nasty as you please until the final reel when the sinners (usually the girl) gets their just desserts at last.

For the prevention of disease only....

Elizabeth — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:19:23 -0700

Chris, what a find! I hope you'll put a link on the "Links" page too! Maybe we need a "historical" category.

I wonder if the "Sold for the prevention of disease only" marketing strategy was used because disease was what single men were most concerned with, or because the idea of preventing pregnancy was too controversial or, probably, both. I'm thinking about the comic book you linked in the original post. It also makes me think about the recent Fox refusal to air Trojan ads because they mentioned the prevention of pregnancy.

Then, too, I think it's just plain cool that there were condoms advertised with names like Amazon!