"Birth Control is for Sissies" shirt

[Wolfie]

No shit, the elderly and retired people were giving you dirty looks for your shirt. I tabled at the farmers market for a reproductive rights organization one summer, and I can't even count the number of women over 50 who came up to us and said some variation of, "Thank you for your work. I remember the days before Roe vs. Wade and birth control, and I hope we never go back to that."

My parents are in their 60's so not that old (at least not in terms of my family) and they are both horrified about all the stuff going on right now. My dad is a cradle Catholic and a moderate Republican, and he's even stopped listening to his former favorite talk radio station.

[Wolfie]

Do these type of people not get that BC is used for other reasons besides preventing pregnancies? Or do they just not care?

I think it's a little bit of both, the not caring is augmented by the fact that they think that women are second class citizens.

My mom, sister and myself have ALL been on BC for health reasons, not just contraception.

[Wolfie]

For more facepalming action, check this out, especially the comments:

http://barefootandpregnantblog.blogspot ... -life.html

So apparently women who like that the pill prevents ovarian cancer should just prevent ovulation for that purpose by pregnancies and breastfeeding instead. When I see things like that and stuff about abortions being dangerous, I'd really like to see well-done statistics on risks of a complete pregnancy vs. ovarian cancer and abortion complications.

And I'd like to see somebody who does have problems with cyst and refuses to take the pill actually go on it and realize how whacked up your hormones are from those cysts. And since your hormones are all whacked out, it's not like you're going to get pregnant all that easily anyway.

[Sunnichick31]

[ Now, where can I find a pro-choice shirt that will fit my round body and still look good?

Check Cafepress

http://shop.cafepress.com/pro-choice?page=3&rpp=28

[MonkeyMomma]

Frankly, I'm surprised that a not very clever or funny maternity shirt warranted a lengthy, breathless blog post. Oh! Someone didn't like my t-shirt! My feelers! They hurt!

[YPestis]

The lady is crazy and not a very good catholic either. The Church acknowledges medical reasons for contraceptives. They allow it on their employee insurance as long as there is a medical indication for it. And yes, there are plenty of medical conditions that require regulation/cessation of your ovulation cycle. Out of the top of my head, I remember during my OB rotation, we had quite a few women that were given contraceptive due to menorrhagia, some eventually required blood transfusion. There were also patients with painful ovarian cysts, irregular periods, and good ol' dysmenorrhea. Not everyone is blessed with a perfectly functioning reproductive organs. Even the Church realizes that.

[RR88]

I think the shirt is pretty rude. This blogger and her friends seem to relish the idea of motherhood-as-martyrdom. One woman wrote:

I need a shirt like that to wear when I'm out with my 3 year old, 1 year old and newborn. Perhaps then I wouldn't get any comments like, "Oh my, you have your hands full."

...Does having three children under the age of four not cause one to have full hands? I don't understand her objection.

[SquirrelySquirrel]

I'm in the camp who doesn't believe she got nearly the reaction she thinks/claims she got.

Oh, fuck off.

I hope that this commenter never runs into me or any other woman with PCOS. Women without "healthy, properly functioning fertility," who don't have easy access to "the actual medicine" of pregnancy.

Where does the line start to punch her for her stupidity? I ovulated for 17 of the 21 months I nursed my daughter. She was exclusively nursed and I was pumping an extra time a day when I started.

Not that it fucking matters. Women should take BC for any and all reasons that they so choose, including preventing pregnancy. And taking the Pill instead of constantly being knocked up and/or nursing doesn't negate the fact that the Pill does indeed help prevent cancer by suspending ovulation.

[Maude]

My comment is still up. Either she hasn't noticed it yet, or she's at least allowing dissenting opinions.

[Wolfie]

I think the shirt is pretty rude. This blogger and her friends seem to relish the idea of motherhood-as-martyrdom. One woman wrote:

I need a shirt like that to wear when I'm out with my 3 year old, 1 year old and newborn. Perhaps then I wouldn't get any comments like, "Oh my, you have your hands full."

...Does having three children under the age of four not cause one to have full hands? I don't understand her objection.

I don't get it- they take it as an insult when somebody states the truth, that they have a lot of work, yet they like to whine about how much work they have and come up with all sorts of ways to organize and make it harder.

Yeah, three little kids is HARD. I don't know how my mom did it since my dad didn't help out much.

[Anise]

My comment is still up. Either she hasn't noticed it yet, or she's at least allowing dissenting opinions.

I think you worded it very nicely. Hopefully it will continue to remain up.

[mockingbird]

I don't get it- they take it as an insult when somebody states the truth, that they have a lot of work, yet they like to whine about how much work they have and come up with all sorts of ways to organize and make it harder.

Yeah, three little kids is HARD. I don't know how my mom did it since my dad didn't help out much.

I took that as being annoyed with hearing it all the time. Which would be annoying but I'm sure most people are simply trying to be nice or start up a conversation. Of course, if you're a martyr mother, you take every annoyance to heart because it shows how much pain you go through daily.

[Funky Chicken]

Well I use hormonal BC for several medical reasons - one of these is to prevent the detrimental medical condition, known as pregnancy, which would give me a much greater chance of death or disability than if I were not to become pregnant..

[Maude]

I think you worded it very nicely. Hopefully it will continue to remain up.

Thanks. I'm surprised it came out coherently what with how annoyed I was when I wrote it. Even when I was young, I always equated birth control with being responsible. I don't think that connection will ever not be instinctively made in my mind.

[Kishiria]

I almost typed, "Catholics like you make me glad I left the Church," but I didn't. She'd probably be all happy that I'm gone.

[rachelsmith1989]

Oh, fuck off.

I hope that this commenter never runs into me or any other woman with PCOS. Women without "healthy, properly functioning fertility," who don't have easy access to "the actual medicine" of pregnancy.

:o

I...cannot believe she's actually said that. Face meet brick wall multiple times : :angry-banghead:

I might be the ideal "no birth control" candidate she's looking for. Before I was prescribed I didn't have regular periods and I didn't know how hazardous it was to my health until I went to see an OBGYN at a PP no less. So I guess before I partook in the sissy Satanic communion that is BC, I was not using BC and also not "sinfully" ovulating and "saving myself" for my future husband. A triple win, but for all the wrong reasons...

[GeoBQn]

Just to be clear, those were comments on a post, not from the OP, although I'm sure she loved them. You can find those comments (and more! Much more!) here:

barefootandpregnantblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/some-medicine-is-life.html#comment-form

ETA: While I started on the Pill to treat PCOS, it shouldn't matter why a woman wants to take it. I'm sick of the people who make the anti-contraception argument that "pregnancy isn't a disease." The main goal of medication is to maintain or return to a standard of health. For me right now, that standard means having normal testosterone levels, being free of chronic conditions that unbalanced hormones would bring, and not being pregnant.

Another comment from that post:

I mean, seriously, riddle me this:

What disease does birth control prevent? Sometimes it's used as a crappy treatment for diseases, but it doesn't prevent them. Aids? Nope. any STD's? Nope. Endo? Nope. PCOS? Nope. ANYTHING? Nope.

Unless, of course, you think a human being growing inside you is a disease. In which case, say so-long humanity because when you think your own progeny is a disease, we're going the way of the dinosaur.

Every birth control commercial on TV specifically states that it does not prevent any STDs. The Pill doesn't prevent endometriosis or PCOS, but it certainly helps prevent painful complications that require surgery, chronic heart disease and diabetes, and infertility problems that can happen when those conditions are left untreated.

As for "crappy treatment," I doubt this woman would want to switch places with any of us that had horrible health problems before getting treated with the Pill. Or maybe prayer is working as treatment for her and not for anybody else?

[rachelsmith1989]

Just to be clear, those were comments on a post, not from the OP, although I'm sure she loved them. You can find those comments (and more! Much more!) here:

barefootandpregnantblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/some-medicine-is-life.html#comment-form

What would some of those commenters say about a women who had to chose between her life and the baby's life when she's diagnosed with cancer during a pregnancy? (off the the BC topic path, but still as curious as ever). I've read some stories about this kind of happening...

[Dinorah]

Nestle actively market their products in a way that leads to the death of actual, live children in developing countries. If she cares more about imaginary dead baby parts than that, then spoiler: she is not pro life. But then none of them are. :roll:

Indeed they aren't. Otherwise, wouldn't they worry about, say, people dying in wars? Or the death penalty? It's extremely interesting how many conservative Catholics seem to completely forget that the Church officially opposes both the war in Iraq and the death penalty?

And that older women disapproved is barely surprising, considering the anti-feminist backlash... soon old ladies will be ranting about the good old days of women's rights :cry:

[nimerha]

Holy shit. My fiancee (and I, for several months) used to live like two houses down from this dipshit.

STREAMS CROSSING. This feels so weird. Also I want to slap her across the face.

Observe this motherfucking crap:

Liam went into anaphylactic shock a few months ago, brought on by an as-yet-unknown allergen. I spent eight hours with him at the hospital, talking with doctors and nurses about the ingredients in what he ate and trying to identify the culprit. I was trained to use an EpiPen, and the hospital gave us a prescription for two with strict instructions to keep it with Liam, always.

We didn't have insurance then. The EpiPens cost us $280 dollars. You didn't see me barreling into a Congressional hearing to demand free life-saving medication for my son. No, the Ogre and I did what responsible adults do. We used money we had set aside for Christmas presents to pay for the necessary medication. Our kids didn't get gifts from us this year. They didn't notice, either, because they got plenty from their grandparents and aunts and uncles. If they had noticed they would have been disappointed, but the Ogre and I would have let them know in no uncertain terms that their brother's life is worth more than any gift.

Guess what else you can do to prevent pregnancy? Close your damn legs. Hold an aspirin there if that what it takes, and go ahead and call me a misogynist all you want. This medication that women are demanding for free is completely unnecessary. Completely. Guess what's not unnecessary? Being able to breathe. You can prevent pregnancy by the simple expedient of not having sex. You can't prevent an asthma attack that easily. Nor an allergic reaction, especially when the allergen is unknown. Inhalers and EpiPens and insulin and heart medication save lives. Birth control absolutely doesn't. And it makes me furious that our government and our culture value their sex lives more than they value the life of my child. The HHS mandate is an insult to the American people, and any rational person would see it as such.

from barefootandpregnantblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/some-medicine-is-life.html

[FakePigtails]

Wow, kudos to those standing up to her and her little NFP buddies in the comments!

[freejoytoo]

What a fucking bitch

[MrsYoungie]

If I saw someone wearing such an odd slogan on a t-shirt I would probably give them an odd look as well. It's a confusing message. It's insulting. Are you calling those of us with small families "sissies"? Why? I'm confused even now as to why she feels she needs to wear an offensive message - and seems to assume that people will find it offensive. Revelling in her martyrdom.

Also confused why a harnless remark like "you have your hands full" is taken as further proof of her persecution. Sounds like stamdard playground mom chatter to me.

Talk about spoiling for a fight!

[MonkeyMomma]

Another comment from that post:

Well, besides reducing the risk for ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and osteoporosis ... yep, nothing!! :doh:

[MrsYoungie]

I left a comment. We'll see if it gets through.