Alternatives
Cardinal Pell says, “Women need real alternatives to abortion.” I can think of a couple: access to contraception and the morning-after pill.
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Cardinal Pell says, “Women need real alternatives to abortion.” I can think of a couple: access to contraception and the morning-after pill.
Exactly. A lot of people are going on about too many abortions in Australia. That’s the wrong mentality. There are too many unwanted pregnancies in Australia. Fix that problem, and you’ll find abortions drop dramatically.
Robert Corr, i think i ♥ you.
I ♥ you too, Elmo.
It takes two to tango and both parties know what the result of a bit of fun might turn out to be. It’s time people took responsibilities for their actions and when confronted with problems they should be prepared to take what comes. Personally I think that kids with only one supporting parent are missing out on a big part of life. Of course this is not always avoidable and for several reasons but in many cases it is. If the various religious faiths were able to connect more with their followers then it’d be a start. Common sense should play a big part in the preventative process too. Why rely on a pill or an operation?
Common sense should play a big part but try telling that to people when the strides are half off and action is imminent. In a perfect world they’d stop and think about it but it’s much easier said than done.
Your suggestion that contraception does something to help pregnant women is, I believe, unique in medical literature.
Finally the church takes a position I (kinda) agree with
The Catholic church in Australia has publicly stated that we need to reduce the number of abortions in Australia by giving women “real altern
Far out - it’s such a complex issue isn’t it - the pill and the morning after pill work for preventing pregnancy if used effectively, but… they are also really bad for women’s health, particularly the younger women start taking them.
Who wants an IUD after what they were found to cause in the 80’s and abortions are a lifelong nightmare for all concerned.
But I think just one way of lowering abortion figures and improving young women’s self worth would be for the media to stop brainwashing young women with advertising to think their sole worth in life is found through their level of physical attractiveness to the opposite sex. It is a pretty tawdry and 2-dimensional image they thrust on these amazingly absorbant bright little eager minds.
The concept by religious groups to keep young people celibate till they are married is ok so long as they don’t get knocked up by the ministry.
But they give with one hand and take with the other, discouraging young people from developing skills of independent thinking. It is pretty obvious that a patriarchal religion is self serving and cannot cater for the needs of women.
So in society who gives a fig about young women who run a risk of early pregnancies - there are too many people making a living and making a profit out of the shitful situation for significant inroads to ever be made to improve things.
It’s really simple folks. Every male at puberty is allowed three ejaculations which are stored for future use. Then they are vasectomised. No more unplanned pregnancies!
CL’s right. Women already have access to contraception and the morning after pill. What Pell is talking about is helping women who are already pregnant. That is after it’s too late for the pills already.
The adoption point is a pretty good one, IMO. Nobody even seems to consider adoption as an option nowadays, it’s either keep it or get an abortion. And there are a hell of a lot of people out there who’d love to adopt a baby.
Yes, Yobbo, women do have access to contraception. Their access to the morning after pill is somewhat more limited. If Pell had his way, both would be outlawed, leading to more unwanted pregnancies and more abortions.
Prevention is better than cure.
Rob: Access to the morning after pill isn’t as easy as say, Panadol, but all you have to do is go down to FPWA to get hold of one. Might be more difficult in regional areas.
The biggest problem with the morning after pill is as obvious as its name. By the time people realise that they are actually pregnant, it’s too late for such measures. This is what Pell is talking about.
The problem with making the morning after pill more widely available isn’t just a morality play from the right - I’ve seen girls take it and it made them pretty bloody sick for a few days. Giving people an advanced prescription for it so they can take it the morning after every root is something most doctors are opposed to - it’s almost in violation of their oath to encourage it instead of other contraceptive medicines.
The thing I haven’t heard anyone mention here is the injections/impants that last 3 months. An old girlfriend of mine swore by them, said there were less side effects and she didn’t have to remember to take a tablet every day. I’m not sure why those aren’t more widely used.
Yobbo - because the idea of having a toothpick sized bit of plastic and goo in your arm is still a fairly daunting one, though I agree it’s certainly worth considering, because it’s so convenient and really does reduce risk substantially.
However, it’s a very personal thing. A good friend of mine was the sickest I have ever seen her for the first month that she had one implanted. Constant bleeding, vomiting often, fluey, the works. She went back to the pill and was fine. There’s simply no fix-all solution.
Good post Rob.
Increased access to the pill would be a great start. Everytime one runs out of a script, one has to go to the Doctor, line up for generally an hour in the waiting room for something that takes the Doctor all of about 2 minutes to write out. And then, wham…fifty bucks for the consult thanks. And double whammy - $20 at the chemist for only 3 months supply (and that is buying the CHEAPER generic version of the pill). Whilst I realise that there are genuine reasons to screen patients when they initially request to go on the pill (eg. it is not suitable for people with high blood pressure) once the initial screening has been done I see no reason why the pill cant be sold over the counter by the Chemist. Surely pharmacists can do a simple blood pressure test. Hell, I know how to do a blood pressure test - its not that difficult! We shouldnt have to go to the Doctor every time a script runs out. In fact, the surgery I visit has two Catholic Drs who wont dispense the pill due to their own religious objection- so you cant just rock up the the surgery any day hoping to get a new script- you need to make sure those two doctors aren’t the only ones on duty. It is a PAIN.
There are a lot of side effects from hormonal medication which last a lot longer than just a few days like a predisposition to uterine/cervical/breast cancers diabetes and circulatory problems just to mention a few, and also the toll they take on the emotions/psyche.
There is a tomorrow and when young people want to have fun they just don’t realize the damage to their health until it is too late - unfortunately there will be a day when it catches up with them and sometimes it isn’t that far away.
The adoption caper, gives rise to forced adoption and in this day and age it probably wouldn’t be too unexpected for adoptions to end up more like baby farming for the rich and famous.
Kids should be taught to really treasure any years of uncomplicated innocence whilst/if they have them, as opposed to falling for the sexist advertising they are constantly bombarded with.
It should be a priority for young people who feel ready to start having sexual relationships to be well-informed of the risks and side effects of government/pharmaceutical company pushed contraceptions.
With HIV, AIDS and hep C and other STDs so prevalent in permissive Australian culture it is only basic self preservation to use condoms until both parties have the ‘all clear’ any way, and that would also prevent many unwanted pregnancies, not all I grant you, but a lot.
Continuing to use women as hormonal guinea pigs isn’t promoting a safe, fair or equitable solution, particularly young women, whose bodies are still growing.
Guys need to take more responsibility for themselves and their partners and should always use condoms.
Sam, the Catholic Church is against contraceptives of any kind, not just those that may make one get sick.
It’s the papal gag writers who are to blame - did you catch the sermon about how women who work are bringing about the downfall of the family unit - lol, just a classic, but unfortunately not everyone gets the humour - its just too esoteric, they need to work on it.
Every female at birth has all the eggs she’ll ever produce.
Simply remove the ovaries ASAP and store them for future use. No more unplanned pregnancies!