Reply #15: to the Religious Right. . . . . . [View All]

[Tansy_Gold]

. . . . anything that allows a woman to have control over her SELF -- body, mind, soul, bank account -- is an affront to their god. They can all go to their particular versions of hell, as far as I'm concerned, and good riddance. :puke:

I get concerned, however, when DUers discuss the politics of emergency contraception and the politics of mifepristone as if they were the same thing. Even if they get into arguments with RRers, they need to know and appreciate the differences.

There are many RRers who do not know the difference, too. They need to know, even if they wouldn't care anyway.

Recent statistics show that abortion rates are down as much as 20%, thanks in large measure to the increasing availability of emergency contraception. For many women, especially those who do not have health insurance coverage for contraceptives, the failure of a physical barrier form of contraception -- condom, diaphragm, etc. -- can be catastrophic. They face the alternatives of gambling by waiting a few weeks to find out if they are pregnant and hoping they aren't because they can't afford an abortion, or getting emergency contraception. For other women, a regimen of hormonal contraception is physically debilitating (nausea, excessive weight gain, mood swings, etc., not to mention increased risks of cancer for some) and they can't tolerate the higher rates of hormones.

And then there are those who have no control over events -- the victims of rape. The availability of emergency contraception eases at least one of the traumas: they don't have to fear that this already horrible event will lead to pregnancy. And for those who are in situations where the reporting of a rape may be more dangerous than silence, OTC EC will be, forgive the pun, a goddess-send.