Posts Tagged ‘birth control’

In case you missed it, May marked the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill’s approval by the Food and Drug Administration. This seems like both an extremely long and an extremely short amount of time. On the one hand, it’s somewhat amazing to me that there existed a time in which birth control wasn’t readily available (though, rationally, I know this must be true)… and on the other, there seems like so much work left to accomplish on issues surrounding birth control (i.e. access, price). For an interesting perspective on some of the latter issues, check out this editorial published in the New York Times.

But, as you might expect, it’s not all fond looks back. Some groups are attempting to use this anniversary as a rallying point, as a way to convince anti-choice individuals to speak out against the evils of birth control. And birth control is pretty evil, if you weren’t already aware. Full explanations for can be found here, but here’s the Cliffs Notes version:

1) “The mentality of contraception opposes life”
2) “Contraception encourages risky sexual behavior” and leads to sexually transmitted infections
3) “Contraception only increases abortion”

The last one is kind of a doozy, isn’t it? I’d attempt to break it down a bit for you, but I don’t really understand the argument myself, so just rest assured… there’s very little logic behind it.

Regardless of the crazed individuals who want to control every aspect of a woman’s medical decisions, I think it’s important that we take a minute to appreciate what the introduction of birth control has meant to our lives. To acknowledge the (probably somewhat difficult) decision the FDA made fifty years ago. And to come together to continue to work to make birth control accessible and affordable to every one who wants it.

Mark your calendars folks, because June 5th is “Protest the Pill Day: The Pill Kills the Environment.” Yes, this Saturday, 27 “pro-life” groups are coming together to rail against birth control pills, evidently because trying to control one aspect of a woman’s medical decisions doesn’t take up enough of their time. So on June 5th, the American Life League, Human Life International, Operation Rescue, and others are urging people to stand outside a local pharmacy, Planned Parenthood clinic, random doctor’s office, or any busy intersection with a sign protesting birth control.

So why are these organizations so dead-set against forms of birth control? Well, the protest’s website, www.thepillkills.com, attempts to explain their reasoning. Like any medication, hormonal birth control can occasionally have some risks, which is exactly why it’s dispensed by doctors and physicians, who can evaluate whether the drug is appropriate for a patient. But the website sensationalizes these side effects, along with the (very) rare deaths that have sometimes been linked to birth control use, and even goes so far as to suggest an enormous conspiracy. Besides effects on humans, the site also attempts to make the case that birth control is “making male fish, frogs and river otters less masculine.”

The website’s obsession with the “feminizing” of fish and other animals is pretty fascinating (and I could probably write a fair amount about the connection the site then makes to humans eating these fish, and the implicit use of homophobia as a scare tactic, but that may be a bit off topic) . And if you actually look at the article the website used to make its case on this issue, it  is more focused on “the environmental effects of chemicals that aren’t being filtered out by sewage plants, including pharmaceuticals and pesticides that can mimic hormones.” This is an environmental problem, but not something that can strictly be blamed on birth control. It seems to be much more about the lack of proper precautions in the disposal of medications and other chemicals. Not that the people behind www.thepillkills.com would want to be bothered with those facts.

No, they instead hide behind whatever articles or theories they can find to further their real agenda: trying to control the medical decisions of all women.

They can say that they want birth control banned because of health risks or the environment, but I just don’t buy it. The website has too many references to violating “Church teachings” and “Bringing Jesus to Planned Parenthood” to make me think this is nothing but a (very) thinly veiled cover for attempting to (yet again) impose a group’s “moral” values on everyone else.

What I don’t understand, and what I think I never will, is why it’s so important for some groups of people to control what every else does. If you don’t want to take birth control, no one is forcing you. No one from Planned Parenthood is trying to get legislation passed to mandate that every woman must be on some form of hormonal birth control. No one is calling for mandatory abortions. We simply want these options to be available to women who need or want them. If you don’t, then don’t use them.

If only it were actually as simple as that.

What do you think of “Protest the Pill Day?” Is it even something worthy of our time or attention?