Let the Pill Go Free.
What do you think?
Monday, June 28, 2010
Over the counter birth control?
at 7:56 PM
Talking about On being woman
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
About Me
- sherry
- I believe in the power of words-- be they written, spoken, or put to music; my vocation is to communicate the immensity of their power. More than anything, I want my life to matter.
Peace. Love. Books.
Stories that have shaped me
Fun on the Internet
Inspired by
Friends
Talking About
- Teaching (101)
- Friends (80)
- Family (61)
- relationships (of the confusing sort) (61)
- life (59)
- mothering (44)
- Photos (41)
- Home (39)
- Fun on the Internet (37)
- foster care (30)
- On being woman (29)
- Faith (28)
- pregnancy (25)
- Christmas (24)
- Books (23)
- Confessions I really shouldn't be making (18)
- summer (18)
- depression (16)
- politics (16)
- Letters to Klara (15)
- parenting (13)
- Movies (10)
- theatre (10)
- Vacation (6)
- Librarianship (5)
- sweat pants (4)
- Travel (3)
- Love (1)
The Old Stuff
"A bird does not sing because it has an answer.
It sings because it has a song."-Maya Angelou
6 comments:
I suppose I don't see a problem with it being over the counter as opposed to its current status.
Miffed with the writer for not considering all options outside of the pill; aka the only one I support: natural family planning. But that's a whole different discourse.
Moreover, they mention it as non-addictive but it feeds habits which I think are not good for the welfare of men & women.
From a medical standpoint, I think the author glosses over quite a few facts. I have personally observed (through various relationships with women) the pill having side effects that range from nearly nothing to severe mood swings, changes in menstruation, etc. While a more mature female might be able to understand and account for these issues, I'm not sure a 13-year-old would know what to do.
Not to mention, the author indicates the mildly unpleasant effects of accidentally taking one extra pill, but what happens if you take 10? 30? 100? I honestly don't know. I recognize that 100 Tylenol might be equally as dangerous in severe amounts, but what additional risks could the pill cause outside of death (i.e. permanent reproductive harm, etc.)?
Secondly, and much more importantly, I disagree with the author's premise. Perhaps the pill hasn't changed women's problems in society because children weren't the problem to begin with. The author bemoans the ineffectiveness of the pill so far and then suggests the solution is more of the pill.
I don't think the way to help women better balance family, work, and other pursuits is to increasingly isolate them from their families, which is what this proposal would do. With an over the counter pill, girls don't have to have a discussion with their parents about becoming sexually active, safe sex, or using this far-from-perfect medication.
If I were a parent, this is not an option I wouldn't want made available to my daughter (or to my son's girlfriend) without me knowing about it.
The author uses the guise of minor inconveniences (i.e. needing a prescription on Sunday or on vacation) to introduce an idea that would further deteriorate the family structure in this country.
We need stronger and better family relationships in this country, not fewer and more isolated ones.
In the interest of full disclosure, I do not oppose the pill on principle as some Christians do. I just believe that it should only be used when the choices and consequences involved are fully understood - something which I don't believe a young teenage girl is capable of on her own.
From a woman's point of view, I think it would be a great thing if it were available OTC. I think that a woman has the right to decide what kind of birth control she chooses to use. If anything, it would be empowering women to prepare themselves and take control of their sexuality.
From a mother's point of view, I would hope that there would be some sort of age restriction as to who is able to purchase the pill. As far as my daughter and the pill go, I hope to have the kind of relationship with my daughter where there is an open line of communication. Ultimately, I don't think that sex during adolescence is the right decision, but I would want it to be available if she were thinking about it. I know that this probably makes me feel sound like a very liberal and irresponsible parent, but I feel like there are too many instances where young girls get pregnant because they are poorly educated and are fearful of their parents. I want my daughter to be able to talk to me about sex. I don't want her to feel like she has to feel pressured into it when she's not ready. I want her to know that she is in control of her sexuality. And when the time is right I want to be able to have a mature discussion about how to protect herself.
I really feel like women have the right to decide when they are ready to have children and women have the right to protect that choice.
I know my comment may not make a whole lot of sense, but it is all something I feel really strongly about. I feel like I have a gazillion thoughts flying through my head, but unfortunately my fingers move WAY SLOWER than my mind does.
First, I don't know how I feel about this. I'm really looking forward to discourse surrounding the subject, however. My inclination is, yes, women should have ready access to all effective, safe methods of pregnancy prevention--with or without a doctor's care, but I do have some reservations.
Raj, Although I'm not necessarily agreeing with the author's arguments or premise, as far as I understand, the author is saying that the pill has been ineffective because it's not readily available. My question, though, is not about this particular op ed piece, but about whether or not you all feel it is a good idea to make the pill readily available over the counter. I just used this piece to open the dialogue.
Raj and Lucy, I don't anticipate the availability of over the counter birth control having a significant impact on parental involvement. In California, minors can get prescriptions for hormonal birth control (from a clinic or their doctors) without parental permission. When I was a teenager, on the times when my mom accompanied me on office visits, my family doctor asked my mom to leave the room at the end of each of our visits so I could talk alone with her. I always really admired her for that. As a teenager, my doctors always made it clear that they were open to discussing my questions about sexual health, outside of my mother's ear shot.
My greatest concern is that, obviously, hormonal birth control doesn't prevent STIs. I'm concerned that, apart from the fear of pregnancy, many women with multiple partners will choose to forgo condom usage and will not be under a doctor's care while making that very risky decision.
Also, for many women, it take a few tries to find a hormonal birth control that works best with their needs/bodies. It's best to have a doctor's supervision during this process, but my inclination is that women with "issues" with a particular pill will seek their doctor's advice.
What about if it was only available behind the counter (as many other drugs are)? The consumer would still need to have a conversation with a pharmacist before purchasing "the pill." Would that be a valid compromise?
My first thoughts are how the pill being available over the counter seems dangerous to women. I have heard far more negative experiences with the pill than positive. Synthetic hormones are a pretty serious thing to mess with. It can cause infertility issues, hormonal issues and can be an abortifacient, and who knows what else. It seems to me that making it OTC makes it too easy for someone to be on it and be uneducated about it. I think asking a woman to go to a dr. to get a prescription for it is a pretty easy thing to ask considering how powerful it is.
Post a Comment