Today’s depressing news is from Feministing (again). It seems that
- Most women don’t know the difference between Plan B and RU-486
- Most women think Plan B is an abortion pill
- Most women don’t know the circumstances under which they should take Plan B
Geez, Louise, how many times do I have to tell you? Educate yourselves, educate your community. Plan B is contraception. Not abortion. It doesn’t end pregnancy, it prevents it.
Hey, I’m past childbearing. This is for your benefit, girls. If the condom breaks; if the contraceptive fails for any reason, you can take Plan B up to 3 days after intercourse and prevent pregnancy.
Absolutely… me and most of my seemingly informed friends did NOT KNOW THIS.
And as a single, condom-using woman, shit, I NEED to know this.
PS a friend of mine made this brilliant suggestion, for us single (or other) condom-using women:
Get a script for Plan B and carry it with you just in case.
I lot of doctors are recommending exactly that; a lot of enlightened GYNs are offering that, and so is Planned Parenthood.
I had to take a friend to the hospital because she borrowed a friend’s birth control pills; surprise, her body was not happy with the sudden influx of hormones.
I find it really, really depressing that I know more about birth control, contraception, and reproduction than my straight friends. I don’t *need* to know this stuff in the same way they do. But I guess the only thing to do about it is educate, educate, educate…
But because you’re not straight, you live in the realm where you’re forced to educate yourself and not rely on the mainstream to inform you.
Educate, educate, educate.
To be honest, it has been proven that contraception does not always stop a woman from becoming pregnant. The secondary action of contraception IS abortion. To say it is not is a lie and one is not well versed in what contraception actually does.
Jeni, no such thing has been “proven.” It is thought that perhaps contraception sometimes works by preventing the implantation of the fertilized egg, rather than by preventing the egg from becoming fertilized. (It is also thought that this happens all the time, with or without contraception.)
Pregnancy, by definition is having a fertilized egg implanted in one’s uterus. An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. A fertilized egg that has never been implanted cannot be said to be aborted. If a fertilized egg passes from your uterus without ever having been implanted, you were never pregnant and therefore no pregnancy was terminated.
Exactly. Furthermore, most fertilized eggs pass from a woman’s uterus of their own accord. The female body, you see, hates life. But we don’t view that as a miscarriage — we can’t, since there was never any pregnancy.
The object of the verb “to abort” is “pregnancy.” “Contraception,” on the other hand, is merely the prevention of conception — so there’s no such thing as a secondary action of contraception; contraception is NOT, does not extend to, the prevention of having to give birth. Contraception and abortion have utterly nothing to do with each other, unless you’re a wackjob radical rightwing pseudo-Christian/Christianist jackass and you feel that it’s a better idea to run into a burning building to save a test tube of “snowflake babies” than a living toddler.
Hm. I might be bitter about this.
…
I’d also like to say that anyone who thinks that Plan B would be a grrreat primary form of birth control is an idiot, unequivocally, from the college students who like the idea of “just to be safe” to the aforementioned wackjobs who are deranged enough to believe that Plan B is viewed as “permission” to have sex.
Or maybe I’m the only person who vomits after that many hormones are introduced to my system. That’s possible.
It actually is “proven” that the birth control pill, no matter which one, does indeed work as an abortifacient. This is actually the terminology used by the companies who create the birth control pill.
You are correct in that it comes down to “what is pregnancy?” Perhaps we should dig a little deeper and ask if the non accidental destruction of a fertilized egg is in any way ok. The female body at times rejects fertilized eggs? At least this is a natural process and you are not purposefully destroying that which one either beleives is life or at least has the potential to become life. I am of the mindset that this purposeful destruction of “potential life” is indeed wrong. The fact that a womans body may reject a fertilized egg is merely an excuse to say that is is ok for me to purposefully destroy potential life.
The Physicians Desk Reference (one of the most commonly used books by Physicians) says,
“Combination oral contraceptives act by suppression of gonadotropins. Although the primary mechanism of this action is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus, which increase the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus, and changes in the endometrium which reduce the likelihood of implantation.”
Whether or not you beleive a fertilized egg is life is beside the point. You are destroying that which at least has the potential to become life.
Dr. G. Virginia Upton, Regional Director of Clinical Research for Wyeth, one of the major birth control pill manufacturers, says, “The graded increments in LNg in the triphasic OC serve to maximize contraceptive protection by increasing the viscosity of the cervical mucus (cervical barrier), by suppressing ovarian progesterone output, and by causing endometrial changes that will not support implantation.”
The birth control pill, any of them, cause changes in the womans womb that will not allow a fertilized egg to implant.
The actual definition according to Websters dictionary of the word “pregnant” is…
4 : containing a developing embryo, fetus, or unborn offspring within the body :
The definition of the word “pregnancy” according to Websters Dictionary is…
My apologies! I hit send before I should have
1 : the quality of being pregnant (as in meaning)
2 : the condition of being pregnant : GESTATION
3 : an instance of being pregnant
ooh Jeni, I remember that argument from catechism class! Takes me back, to the good old days, when nuns who had never had sex taught me everything thing I need to know about sex…
Whether or not you beleive a fertilized egg is life is beside the point. You are destroying that which at least has the potential to become life.
I’m sorry, but just because something has the “potential” to become life does not mean it therefore MUST become a living human being AT ALL COSTS. All of the eggs in my ovaries have the potential to become life; they just need to be introduced to sperm. Am I commiting a moral wrong by declining to sleep with men and therefore preventing the “potential” life within me to develop into a full human being? That’s a new one I hadn’t heard. You do realize that all those “potential lives” are dependant on the existence of a fully grown, adult woman who has hopes and fears and desires and needs, and that some of these needs include not being forced to give birth against her will as many times as her body is capable of?
Jeez louise. A zygote is not a baby.
Thus endeth the rant. Sorry Deb, don’t mean to turn this into a big flame war…
I don’t mind Anygrrl. Polite flame wars are welcome.
Jeni, I’m not interested in arguing about the “every sperm is sacred” point of view. Just not. Plan B is not, medically or scientifically, an abortifacient, it is contraception. If you choose to view contraception as wrong, for heaven’s sake don’t use any. But spreading disinformation is wrong. I believe it’s sometimes called “bearing false witness.”
Then the false information is being spread by those who create the many forms of birth control. I have given the definition of pregnancy and the definition of what birth control does according to the PDR. These are not my own words but those who have studied this much more indepthly (is that a word?)
I am not arguing that “every sperm is sacred” but what I am arguing is that once the sperm and the egg meet you are destroying life. However, even if you do not beleive this is a life it will indeed grow and become life if allowed.
“Am I commiting a moral wrong by declining to sleep with men and therefore preventing the “potential” life within me to develop into a full human being?”
My answer : Of course not! You would actually be committing a moral right! Should a woman be required to sleep around so that she may bear children? NO! This is one I have not heard! However, it is a moral wrong to destroy life or the potential life within you. This is the difference.
“You do realize that all those “potential lives” are dependant on the existence of a fully grown, adult woman who has hopes and fears and desires and needs, and that some of these needs include not being forced to give birth against her will as many times as her body is capable of?”
My answer: Of course I realize this! I myself have a 3 year old daughter and I am now beginning to understand the depth of the sacrifice I must make for her in order for her to survive. I think your point is an excellent one. So often pro lifers go in and worry so much about the baby that they forget about the woman. A woman should never be forced to raise a child that she does not want. This is why so many other options are given to women who are in this type of situation. You see, Planned Parenthood is not going to press the issue of adoption simply because it is not profitable for them. They press abortion because it is a money maker. If they cared about women they would inform us that many of us would indeed suffer from abortion and that it is not the easy way out.
I do sincerely agree with you that women should not give birth as many times as her body is capable of. I personally am a working mom. I would not mind having many children, but financially, it is impossible! Also, what about those women who psychologically cannot handle many children?
My final thoughts are this. Well, it seems I took this in the direction of adressing abortion although I was discussing birth control! I speak with women and try to help those who are facing the issue of abortion for one reason. Women have the right to choose and they should be given all their options. Planned Parenthood and many who support abortion fail women by telling them it is a “womans choice” and yet not showing a woman all her options and what choices can indeed be made.
whatever.
what I am arguing is that once the sperm and the egg meet you are destroying life. However, even if you do not beleive this is a life it will indeed grow and become life if allowed.
Since these beliefs are fundamentally theological, they (a) are your right to hold, and (b) should have no bearing on law.
I have been looking at medical material, and the top-level stuff (i.e. quick definitions) don’t include implantation in the definition of pregnancy. That is because there is such a thing as extra-uterine pregnancy (such as ectopic). It is not conducive to life. So I’ll give you that. However, the idea that “life” occurs without implantation just doesn’t exist in medical circles. “Potential life” is just a philosophy/religion question, it has nothing to do with medicine.
You see, Planned Parenthood is not going to press the issue of adoption simply because it is not profitable for them. They press abortion because it is a money maker. If they cared about women they would inform us that many of us would indeed suffer from abortion and that it is not the easy way out.
This is where you reveal yourself as a mouthpiece for anti-choice talking points, rather than simply a concerned individual. Planned Parenthood doesn’t “press” for anything. They are woman-centered and allow individuals to make their own decisions. All those seeking an abortion are given full information about the consequences and risks.
Planned Parenthood is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt not-for-profit organization, and your talk about PP’s “profits” is pure fiction.
Well, yeah.
That’s what I meant.
Jeni says: what I am arguing is that once the sperm and the egg meet you are destroying life.
From P. Z. Myers, a biologist/blogger, writing about Plan B:
Got that? No. Friggin’. Fertilization. No looney so-called-right-to-life objections.
Read the whole thing for a detailed explanation of what Plan B does do. And if that doesn’t change your mind about it, then there’s no getting through to you with any kind of factual information.
Beautiful, Tom. I’m pretty well-informed, and that’s more than I knew.
Tom, that was hot.
Thanks. That P. Z. Myers post is the definitive debunking of wingnut objections to Plan B–I find it endlessly useful.
From whence came this idea that PP is an abortion mill? Isn’t something like less than 1% of PP’s budget devoted to abortions?
Jeni wrote:
The fact that a womans body may reject a fertilized egg is merely an excuse to say that is is ok for me to purposefully destroy potential life.
Um…yeah. Pretty much. I don’t really like any of the implications that society has burdened the word “excuse” with; I’m of the mindset that an “excuse” is better termed “a reason that pisses someone off.” But if you must say “excuse,” then yes, it’s an excuse, which is fine, because at the end of the day, it is okay for you to purposefully destroy potential life. Period.
I think I need to blog about this…
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