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Showing posts with label contraception. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contraception. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Small Government
Not a full post today (stay tuned, though; more this week!), but I thought that you might... appreciate... this.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Dear Virginia, I'm Ashamed
Dear Virginia,
Recently, your government has been looking at a few bills that, if passed, would be an abominable injustice to women in your domain. I know, I know, everyone and their mother's been talking about this for the past few days. But I'm not sure that you've really thought this through. I mean, Virginia, you do realize that these bills would be hugely harmful, right? Both to the women whose rights would be infringed upon... and to the cause you're presumably trying to serve here.
At the end of the day, Virginia, restrictions on abortions only lead to more illegal abortions. There aren't any fewer "dead babies" in the end, but there are more injured, maimed, and dead women. I realize that maybe you don't find women as cuddly and cute as zygotes and fetuses, Virginia, but they're people too. In fact, they're much more people than any clump of cells with no personality, no memories, no independence. When you pass bills such as the Personhood and Informed Consent bills currently in the state Senate, the primary effect of your action doesn't protect those clumps of cells. The primary effect of such bills is to put women – women with personalities, women with memories, women who would have a good measure of independence if only the government would stay out of their bodies – in a situation where they will put themselves in serious danger to do something that should be easy. Not to mention legal.
Recently, your government has been looking at a few bills that, if passed, would be an abominable injustice to women in your domain. I know, I know, everyone and their mother's been talking about this for the past few days. But I'm not sure that you've really thought this through. I mean, Virginia, you do realize that these bills would be hugely harmful, right? Both to the women whose rights would be infringed upon... and to the cause you're presumably trying to serve here.
At the end of the day, Virginia, restrictions on abortions only lead to more illegal abortions. There aren't any fewer "dead babies" in the end, but there are more injured, maimed, and dead women. I realize that maybe you don't find women as cuddly and cute as zygotes and fetuses, Virginia, but they're people too. In fact, they're much more people than any clump of cells with no personality, no memories, no independence. When you pass bills such as the Personhood and Informed Consent bills currently in the state Senate, the primary effect of your action doesn't protect those clumps of cells. The primary effect of such bills is to put women – women with personalities, women with memories, women who would have a good measure of independence if only the government would stay out of their bodies – in a situation where they will put themselves in serious danger to do something that should be easy. Not to mention legal.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Sexual Miseducation
So, I hear the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina is hosting a sex-ed film festival in Chapel Hill on February 19th. I wish that the sex-ed that I went through had been so enjoyable, as my friend assures me that "Saved!" is hilarious, and the other two films being shown don't look too terrible either (though perhaps not as amusing). It makes me wonder what kind of sex-ed the average American teenager gets.
For me, sex-ed brings to mind my experiences in high school (It was called "Family Life" of course; sex is a dirty word and heaven forbid we expose our teens to that kind of linguistic smut!), where the teachers informed girls in their classes that boys had no interest in lasting relationships and that any sexual escapades would follow the lines of "wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am" and then end in STDs and pregnancy. I hear the boys were told that, should they have sex, they would be infected with every STD ever and their penises would shrivel up and fall off. Condoms were never mentioned, nor was birth control. I didn't attend some little tiny high school in the middle of churchland; this was at the largest public high school in a large school district.
For me, sex-ed brings to mind my experiences in high school (It was called "Family Life" of course; sex is a dirty word and heaven forbid we expose our teens to that kind of linguistic smut!), where the teachers informed girls in their classes that boys had no interest in lasting relationships and that any sexual escapades would follow the lines of "wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am" and then end in STDs and pregnancy. I hear the boys were told that, should they have sex, they would be infected with every STD ever and their penises would shrivel up and fall off. Condoms were never mentioned, nor was birth control. I didn't attend some little tiny high school in the middle of churchland; this was at the largest public high school in a large school district.
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