Text 6021, 55 rader
Skriven 2008-01-20 14:56:57 av Daniel Prather (1183.pol_inc)
   Kommentar till text 6015 av Dan Ceppa (1:138/666.0)
Ärende: Pro-Choice
==================
  Re: Pro-Choice
  By: Dan Ceppa to TIM RICHARDSON on Sun Jan 20 2008 05:42 am

 > Has it occured to you that information about birth control is not
 > reaching those that need it because the Conservative/Religious
 > Right refuses to allow it?

In addition to that, I'm assuming he either hasn't ever purchased such items,
or simply doesn't read the materials enclosed.  If you buy condoms, the
literature included in the box explicitly tells you that it's not 100%
effective (more like 97% I think, when used properly).  Birth control pills
also come with a little booklet that details all of those statistics as well.

From what I understand, the way those statistics work is that for every 100
times a couple has sex and uses the device or medication properly, it will be
successful at that percentage.  So 3 times out of 100, a condom will fail.  For
hormonal contraception, it's more like 99%, but still.  That means 1 time out
of every 100, it may fail.  I don't know if those success/failure rates are
entirely accurate (they're close), so don't anyone hold me to them
specifically.  I'm just writing off the top of my head with the numbers rather
than looking them up specifically.

In addition to that, there are a number of things that can make them all fail:

 * Condoms could be defective from the start
 * Condom wrappers could have been compromised in some way
 * Either the male or female could accidentally snag the condom on a fingernail
while unrolling it
 * It can be put on upside down
 * You can be too "vigorous"
 * You could not take it off soon enough after you've "finished"
 * You could be larger or smaller than the "average" so that it doesn't fit
properly
 * Some antibiotics interfere with hormonal birth control and render it
ineffective
 * Some women don't properly absorb the hormones
 * Some women can't take hormonal birth control at all due to other conditions
 * IUDs can become disloged or plain not work
 * IUDs could prevent implantation in the uterus, but result in ectopic
pregnancies (which requires medical intervention, always)
 * Sterilization is not always effective, as tubal ligation or vasectomies can
reverse themselves, not be done "thoroughly" enough, etc.

I mean, really.  They're not perfect.  They have a pretty good track records,
and can largely be seen as overwhelmingly effective.  But they're not 100%, and
accidents happen.

With all of this aside, it's STILL the female's body, and it's still the
female's choice.  If she's raped, her choice.  If it's an accident, it's her
choice.  If she intentionally gets pregnant and then has an abortion, it's
STILL her choice, distasteful as that may be.

-- Daniel
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