by Chris Wiegard
Member since:
September 12, 2006

The Pill needs to be prescription-free.

November 22, 2012 11:40 AM UTC (Updated: November 22, 2012 05:01 PM UTC)
views: 0 | 6 people recommend this | comments: 43

http://www.slate.com/blogs/trending/2012/11/21/over_the_counter_birth_control_ob_gyns_endorse_but_chances_remain_slim.html

Yes. Too many pregnancies are still unintentional. Too many men are pushing too many women into intercourse against their better judgement. As we all know, the technical term for a women who attempts to prevent pregnancy by guessing which day in her cycle it is, or trusting her man to withdraw at the right time is simply "Mom." This is the root cause of two negative things: abortion, and teen parents.

it is time to stop requiring a prescription for birth control pills. Unfortunately, religious groups and morality crusaders are standing in the way. that's a shame. because the more you fight contraception, the more you encourage abortion. We have had a 5% drop in abortion rates over the past few years, as people have gotten better at using reliable forms of birth control. We need to push this trend further. How about a 20% drop in abortion rates? How does that sound?

Comments: 43

Dennis Gilman Nov 22, 2012, 12:37pm UTC
Most brands are prescription-free here in Jamaica and in several countries. It's even distributed free to those who can't afford it. What's the problem there?

Since abortion is a crime here, the government decided to make contraception as affordable as possible. They hand them out freely in high schools. Some religious groups used to protest, but the government simply ignored them and now they keep their mouth shut!
Dennis Gilman Nov 22, 2012, 12:38pm UTC
GAH!; FINALLY after six tries!
Hyper Intellect Nov 22, 2012, 12:52pm UTC
I know you caught a lot of flak recently for tapping recommend on a Gather post with biblical backing for homosexuality-as-sin, and commenting thus.

I used to be christian, so I identify with your position.

And while I see your view as superstitious & harsh - or at least encouraging the poor treatment a whole class of global citizens has long received - I am thankful you do not seem to be one of the harsher fundamentalists on that topic.
Dennis Gilman Nov 22, 2012, 4:33pm UTC
Many thanks Hyper Intellect. My unwillingness to be harsh results in tons of flack from the other side too.

The harsh view requires one to be a hypocrite. As I had remarked in a comment, homosexuality is never mentioned on its own in any scripture I know. Other forms of immorality are always mentioned along with idolatry, greed, betrayal etc, yet the other forms of immorality are treated as less serious or of no consequence.

God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) should we also condemn divorcees? You have to be a hypocrite to toss bible verses about as your reason for condemning homosexuals.
David K. Nov 22, 2012, 6:33pm UTC
I would be interested in what the medical community thinks of free pills. After all, we're talking taking medication that plays with a person's hormone balance and doing so every day of the year for usually many years. Reactions to the treatments can sometimes be serious, though obviously not very often.

Wouldn't it make sense to continue to have the pill by prescription so that the taker could be monitored for side effects?
Chris Wiegard Nov 22, 2012, 10:40pm UTC
Maybe making them free of cost is more important than making them free from the need of prescription. I will mull this over.
Dennis Gilman Nov 23, 2012, 10:54am UTC
My opinion is making them free of cost is more important.
Ruta Skaði Nov 23, 2012, 1:37pm UTC
Super-cheap and prescription-free in Mexico. College days (early 90's), we'd pick them up en-mass just over the border at the Rosarito Beach pharmacias.

That said, I did have a prescription for them at one time. Just didn't care to use it since they were comparatively expensive in the US and I was living on a college-student budget.
Hyper Intellect Nov 23, 2012, 2:27pm UTC
Ruta has more issues than just spelling: she picked up birth control in mass?

She seems to be telling fairy tales about places that dispense fairy tales - not embryonic girth control pills.
Ruta Skaði Nov 23, 2012, 4:34pm UTC
OMG! Spell-check had some non-consensual relations while I was asleep!
Becky Paulsen Nov 23, 2012, 10:21pm UTC
Uhh, I hate to say it Ruta, but Hyper has a point about picking up birth control in large quantities--I was in college during the free love era in the late 70s, but your experience sounds like a lot more fun! ;-)
Ruta Skaði Nov 24, 2012, 2:56am UTC
Ha, ha... We'd actually go to Rosarito Beach for the cheap lobster and 6% beer. The pharmacias were just a convenient stop on the way home. And since we didn't travel there frequently, I'd just go ahead and stock-up.

And I had a boyfriend. ;-)
Becky Paulsen Nov 24, 2012, 9:09am UTC
So you got all liquored up & then picked up "convenient" mass quantities of birth control? I'm not sure you're helping your case, LOL.
Ruta Skaði Nov 24, 2012, 1:14pm UTC
Guess my hedonistic streak is starting to show -- one of the main reasons I don't have any kids, too much work! Besides, I can borrow them from relatives whenever I'm having a maternal moment.
Hyper Intellect Nov 24, 2012, 4:05pm UTC
Ohhhh - so that's what a childrens library is.
Hyper Intellect Nov 22, 2012, 12:44pm UTC
Being a professional male homosexualist, I had no idea it is prescription only in The U.S.A.

A holdover from our traditional national Puritanism? How many other countries have them O.T.C.?
Ruta Skaði Nov 23, 2012, 2:02pm UTC
Places I know:
Mexico - Cheap (government subsidized), OTC.
Thailand - Cheap (government subsidized), OTC
Japan - Relatively cheap (covered by national healthcare), prescription only, and only very low dose.
Singapore - Available with an on-the-spot clinic visit, a little pricey (for a foreigner, anyway), probably covered for citizens by national healthcare.
Cambodia - market prices (far cheaper than the US), OTC, but inscrutable brand names for an American.
South Korea - Cheap, OTC (but you have to ask), pharmacies will only sell one month at a time.
Chris Wiegard Nov 23, 2012, 9:15pm UTC
that is fascinating, Ruta. It reminds me that the US health system is clumsy and odd, even with Obama's reforms.
John S. (arizona) Nov 22, 2012, 1:10pm UTC
Might have the opposite effect? Being "over the counter" the insurance companies won't have to cover them anymore (for free?), and the cost out of pocket may hinder use? That happened to me when medicines for acid reflux were approved for OTC, and believe me they are a lot more expensive off the shelf than any co-pay I previously had for a prescription. Condoms are available over the counter and that doesn't seem to have solved the problem either. Not being fully knowledgeable in the area, I'd also have to ask why they are prescription now, and what the increased dangers may be of ill health effects from somebody not going through a doctor's care?
Some Peoples Kids Nov 22, 2012, 2:50pm UTC
From many of my conversations with my doctors when birth control was an issue for me (way back in the day), their explanation of why it was prescription only was because the pill is a hormone therapy and when you play with somebody's hormones it should be monitored to some degree. This may not be the case now since the pill has been in use for so many decades, but with the problems caused by some birth control meds in the recent past (Yaz comes to mind) I don't know if I could completely agree with OTC birth control. The other reason was that it allows the doctor to hold the prescription hostage in order to make sure that the woman gets her annual pap test for cervical cancer.
Becky Paulsen Nov 23, 2012, 10:12pm UTC
I have to agree with you. The side effects I experienced had me running to the doctor. I burned out my adrenal glands, & subsequently threw my whole endocrine system totally out of whack. Hormone levels are really sensitive to change. I know from experience how much damage it can do if they're not properly balanced...you have a really good point about the pap test, too.
Becky Paulsen Nov 23, 2012, 10:14pm UTC
It's a very nice thought though, Chris!
Ruta Skaði Nov 24, 2012, 2:50am UTC
I knew someone a bit older than myself who suffered a spinal injury due to osteoporosis from early birth-control pills (70's). My understanding is that pills after the late 70's were formulated very differently with much lower hormone dosages, particularly with regard to estrogen content. You can even get a progestin-only formula now. Yaz, I believe, is partially synthetic. I've always wondered what made it worth risking.

Another change is that some of the newer formulas are safe to use for extended times, so they have a side-benefit of preventing monthly nuisances.

Personally, I still think a woman should see doctor before starting them. Everyone is different, so it's probably a good idea to get some professional attention and advice. And Americans need more access to health care, not less.
Becky Paulsen Nov 24, 2012, 9:11am UTC
You're right, Ruta. I don't know a single person who used the early forms of the pill for a long time that didn't end up with some form of cancer. It was awful! I was happy when the side effects were too much for me.
Sandi S. Nov 22, 2012, 4:44pm UTC
They can cause problems for some women, depending on other health issues. I would be concerned about someone taking them over the counter without a medical exam.
CIVIL UNREST is coming Nov 22, 2012, 4:49pm UTC
but yet you have to have kids on your health plan until 26, they feed us GMO Foods, vaccines that kill, and now lets help people kill themselves faster by putting birth control out there, ever notice the FEDS put everything out there that will kill you more than pot. BC causes blood clots, death, and many, many issues. Cigarettes have over 3,000 chemicals yet they leaglize that, more people are addicted to Prescription drugs, than non, more people die or commit suicide while on prescribed drugs.... hmmmm and yet people still take the idiot FEDS word for it. Maybe they are suceeding in Chemtrails tooo. that is why half the population is dumbed down... floride lowers IQ its proven, of course signs of it are not going to show up over night it is a slow process also known as slow kill....
Chris Wiegard Nov 22, 2012, 4:57pm UTC
pick up your gun and shoot someone, Civil. Hav a nice day.....
Hyper Intellect Nov 22, 2012, 5:27pm UTC
Homeland Security puts out extremist-cause magnets to attract - then track - the potentially violent. One never knows which ones are actually extremist, and which are venus fly traps.
jeanne clarke Nov 22, 2012, 8:14pm UTC
It's quite easy to figure it out, Hyper I. simply stick out your finger, and if it's still there in a moment, it's NOT a venus fly trap.
Hyper Intellect Nov 22, 2012, 11:33pm UTC
jeanne "chuckles" clarke
Chris Wiegard Nov 22, 2012, 5:00pm UTC
There are two problems with contraceptives in the USA. One is price. The other is access. Getting rid of the prescription rule solves #2. Number 1 is addressed by Obamacare to some extent.
I find it odd that relatively few of you are concerned by abortion. I thought I was a liberal, yet I am much more interested in reducing abortion rates than some of you.
jeanne clarke Nov 22, 2012, 8:20pm UTC
I thought abortion rates when down much more than that this year, Chris. In part, thanks to easier access to birth control. I also agree with Dennis that the idea of free contraceptives would be the ultimate answer to reducing or eliminating abortion entirely. Who really wants an abortion? Wouldn't most women - and men - prefer preventing a pregnancy in the first place?

I have always thought the morning after pill should be available, no questions asked - at least from a local pharmacy. For those who "forget" a pill, or condom, or whatever - or who have that sneaking feeling that conception may have occurred - easy access to the morning after pill might prevent quite a few abortions.
Chris Wiegard Nov 22, 2012, 9:45pm UTC
I agree. Unfortunately the Paul Ryan-Todd Akin faction feel that a morning after pill IS abortion. They are wrong, but are not interested in further discussion.
Hyper Intellect Nov 22, 2012, 11:55pm UTC
I understand that peeps are naturally sceptical of the towering intellectual powerhouse behind my pen name. And sometimes, even afraid! Yes, it's true.

Fear not - for I have solved the many long-term & vexing issues plaguing birth control.

It all really just boils down to proper training of a group of global citizens known as: barbers, hair stylists, beauticians, and - as Dolly Parton insisted in the movie Steel Magnolias - glamour technicians.

For truly effective birth control, Hyper Intellect introduces his revolutionary & amazing new: Total Birth Control System: Hyper Hair™ (©2012, ®2012)!!!
Dennis Gilman Nov 23, 2012, 9:10pm UTC
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
Becky Paulsen Nov 23, 2012, 10:08pm UTC
You forgot Trump...seriously, you do an expose on bad hair & forget Trump? You're slipping Hyper.
Hyper Intellect Nov 23, 2012, 10:19pm UTC
I disagree with Trump, but I actually like the guy. So how about an oxymoron substitute, Becky? I never heard of a white afro - before now, either:
Hyper Intellect Nov 23, 2012, 10:26pm UTC
I know, right Mr. Gilman?

I have trouble stopping my own laughter every time I view these.
Dennis Gilman Nov 26, 2012, 3:49pm UTC
Yep.
Chris Wiegard Nov 23, 2012, 9:48am UTC
Hmm. That could work.......:)
Hyper Intellect Nov 23, 2012, 10:48am UTC
I have to continue repeating my brand, otherwise the public will just revert to 'birth control hair':

Hyper Hair™!!

"Honey, let's do it tonight after dinner."
"No offence dear, but have you looked in the mirror lately?"
"Arghh - I have birth control hair!"
"We've been childless going on a decade now."
"What can we do about it?"
"I'm not a big fan of kids running around while I'm trying to watch T.V. - keep going to that same Hyper Hair™ salon."

Join the Conversation
Chime in! Become a Gather member to comment.
Already a member? Sign in
top
 
Gather | Friends | Groups | Share
About Gather | Engagement Marketing | Gather Points | Advertise on Gather | Gather Press | Privacy | Terms of Service | Community Guidelines
Books | Business | Celebs | Entertainment | Family | Food | Giveaways | Health | Money | Moms | News | Politics | Sports | Style | Technology | Travel | Writing
Version 18247, "Zach"; Copyright © 2013 Gather Inc. All rights reserved.