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Strollerderby
A new study shows that parents talk to their kids about sex, but not about birth control. Hot tip: if you don’t want to be a grandparent too soon, that’s a conversation you shouldn’t skimp on.
While most parents are having The Talk with their children, the study, commissioned by Planned Parenthood and the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health, found that talk covers the mechanics of making babies and stops short of explaining how not to make little ones until you’re ready.
Why are parents keeping their kids in the dark about birth control? In some cases, that may stem from a belief in abstinence-only sex ed. Some people really think kids shouldn’t know about contraception.
A lot of us, though, are just squeamish about getting into too much detail with our kids. Or we think they’re too young to know. I am not one of those parents.
image credit: renjith krishnan
I think we can all agree on one thing: current birth control options, while numerous, all leave something to be desired. Hormonal birth control makes some women feel sick and others feel crazy. Condoms are effective, but not necessarily comfortable. Diaphragms require physical skill to insert and can be bumped out of place. Tubal ligation is invasive and permanent. And foams, creams, and gels are less effective on their own and, I’ve heard from regretful friends, can make you itch and break out.
The other major downside? Most of the contraceptive options available today, with the exception of condoms and vasectomies, put women in the driver’s seat. But scientists are trying to change that. Continue reading »
Does natural family planning even work?
There’s a joke some of my friends like to tell: “What do you call people who practice Natural Family Planning?” “Parents.”
The joke being that “natural family planning”, the practice of avoiding conception by avoiding intercourse when a woman is fertile, doesn’t work. Proponents say it’s extremely effective when used correctly, but even if that’s the case, it’s a method extremely vulnerable to human error.
Yet it’s a popular one, especially among conservative Christians who oppose the use of most forms of birth control. NFP isn’t just for the God-fearing, though. Plenty of my liberal hippy friends have tried it over the years.
Now, a couple who once wrote a book praising the practice are speaking out against it.
Are federally subsidized pap smears really worth shutting down the government?
Keep your laws off of our bodies. Is that not clear enough? Should I say it louder?
What is it about male lawmakers and their insistence that they know what’s best for women to the extent that they’re willing to shut down the entire government of the United States over the issue?
Our country is on the verge of having our government close for business, and now word comes that it’s about subsidized Pap smears. Does that mean that there’s someone, or a group of people, who are pro-cancer? Really?
State bills targeting abortion rights are rapdily increasing.
Restrictions on abortions are getting a lot of attention in the government lately. In fact, in over 30 states, there is legislature currently being proposed to restrict and/or limit abortions right now. In some cases, the proposed bills are being passed swiftly.
This past February, the House of Representatives also passed a measure that would bring an end to federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
It beckons the question of whether the Supreme Court would ever overturn Roe vs. Wade after it has been in effect for nearly 40 years.
This past week, Idaho’s Legislature approved a ban on most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. That ban came right on the heels of a bill in South Dakota which now mandates a three-day waiting period for abortions. It also requires women seeking abortions to undergo counseling at a pregnancy help center.
Anti abortion group 'Always Life' is using President Obama's image in their latest campaign.
The Texas-based anti-abortion group, Always Life is once again stirring up controversy and proliferating racial hatred. Their recent plans to install 30 billboards across the South Side of Chicago to draw attention to their claim that a disproportionate number of black women seek abortions, was met with opposition from anti-abortion campaigners.
Known for their over-the-top ads (back in February, they paid for a NYC billboard that displayed a picture of a little African-American girl and stated, “The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.”), their most recent ads contain President Obama. The billboard has a picture of Obama’s face next to the words “Every 21 minutes our next possible leader is aborted.” It also encourages women to visit an anti-abortion website, thatsabortion.com.
Chemical clues to how sperm finds egg
Would you or your husband take a male contraceptive pill?
Two studies published yesterday in the journal Nature give us hints at how a male contraceptive drug could work.
Separate reproductive biology teams in Germany and the U.S. have figured found key chemical steps that successfully lead sperm cells to egg, giving us clues both about what causes infertility in certain men, and how we could harness this chemical pathway to block fertility in others.
Here’s what they found: Continue reading »
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