Quiverfull and Women's Health

[justoneoftwo]

1 hour ago, docmom said:

I wonder how much of this behavior has to do with gaining control of a part of their lives.  They are completely under their husband's headship, unable to make decisions but no-one can force them to eat (outside of putting down a feeding tube).  If a side effect is to stop them having so many children so much the better.  I have definitely seen a number of patients make really bad medical decisions because saying no to medication was the one thing in which they had autonomy.

I think this is likely.  Often anorexia actually has to do with looking for control, not just eating or weight issues.  As that is basically what is happening here it wouldn't be at all surprising to find the psychology is similar.  

[iweartanktops]

1 hour ago, Mrsaztx said:

@GenerationCedarchip my thought was that "all sins are equal" idea, if one is attempting to close their bodies to the possibility of kids or whatever the hell they say, that is a sin. Would continuing along those same lines in order to eliminate a pregnancy not be an equal sin? Of course all this is insanity so I can't expect any answer to satisfy my brain, I guess.

Be careful. Trying to wrap your mind around fundie logic could result in a massive headache! 

49 minutes ago, Shoobydoo said:

 Wouldn't that sting like the dickens?

I'm stinging just thinking about! Fuck. 

[Cats B4 Quivers]

While none of my extended family members are fundie, I do have some Super Catholics and they firmly believe in breeding like bunnies. There is this one clutch of cousins who "let go and let God". Incidentally, they all live in the USA.

My mom, her siblings and most of her cousins all have a pretty reasonable number of children and none were born within very short time frames between babies. And then you get to my grandmother and her siblings and cousins who I snidely thought never figured out how sex and babies are interrelated. Sadly, these greater number of births also have an increased number of babies that miscarried or died very young. The earlier generations were far poorer and had fewer social safety nets or chances to improve their lively hoods (other than risking everything and emigrating). It is interesting that my mom's generation had better education, chances for economic improvement, and social safety nets but they for the most part chose having fewer children. 

It's frustrating seeing funny women drag their bodies through one pregnancy to another pregnancy to yet another pregnancy with the briefest of intervals between them. Their headships need a solid shaking because the risks are terrible and they have no right afflicting their wives with non-stop pregnancies. I know, I know, telling the headships is pointless because they benefit from the bragging rights endless pregnancies give them, both as followers of their God's will and the proof of their getting laid on demand. Jeez, they have the emotional states of teen boys.

 

[browngrl]

4 hours ago, docmom said:

I wonder how much of this behavior has to do with gaining control of a part of their lives.  They are completely under their husband's headship, unable to make decisions but no-one can force them to eat (outside of putting down a feeding tube).  If a side effect is to stop them having so many children so much the better.  I have definitely seen a number of patients make really bad medical decisions because saying no to medication was the one thing in which they had autonomy.

I think you have a good point. Control and the issues around it are an aspect of an eating disorder such as anorexia so I can see how that would apply in this situation too.

edit: just saw the post of justoneoftwo and realized that what I've written is really just a repeat 

 

[BackseatMom]

4 hours ago, Cats B4 Quivers said:

 It is interesting that my mom's generation had better education, chances for economic improvement, and social safety nets but they for the most part chose having fewer children. 

Actually, there is a pretty well proven link between increases in education and prosperity, and decreases in the number of children (on average). For example, as a group, women with PhDs have fewer babies than almost anyone.

[Heathen525]

Sort of related:

I read that in the fifties the idea was to have your babies close together so you would get the baby stage out of the way in one fell swoop. I think it might also have to do with limited bc options, so you would have as many kids as you wanted and then get your tubes tied, for example.

Anyway, my grandmother had 5 babies by the time she was 30 and then she was done. Sadly, one of the babies died due to being born prematurely. He was conceived shortly after my mother was born. Closely spaced pregnancies increase your odds of having a premature infant. So quiverfull is not only bad for mothers but babies also.

[PennySycamore]

1 hour ago, Heathen525 said:

Sort of related:

I read that in the fifties the idea was to have your babies close together so you would get the baby stage out of the way in one fell swoop. I think it might also have to do with limited bc options, so you would have as many kids as you wanted and then get your tubes tied, for example.

Anyway, my grandmother had 5 babies by the time she was 30 and then she was done. Sadly, one of the babies died due to being born prematurely. He was conceived shortly after my mother was born. Closely spaced pregnancies increase your odds of having a premature infant. So quiverfull is not only bad for mothers but babies also.

My mom had us four kids in a little over 4 years with the two oldest born within a year's time.  After I was born, my mom had her tubes tied. My mom told me once that a diaphragm doesn't work if you leave it in the dresser drawer!

[Howl]

Horrifying.  At least some of these women will slip into full blown anorexia and not even know when they crossed the line. 

[nausicaa]

On 1/19/2016 at 4:48 PM, Black Aliss said:

There's also the technique my parents used, which the women of our church referred to as "leaving church before the final blessing" but that requires buy-in from The Headship (as well as a modicum of control on his part).

I've always wondered about this as well. Especially since I have no doubt many of these devout men still watch porn and would like to experiment with, ahem, ducking out of the church by various allées.