Hat Tip

To pandagon and their absolutely fabulous post regarding Emergency Contraception and the wingnuts. MUST READ.

Some choice quotes:

The belief that women are impossibly stupid is the only way that misogynists can square away their misogyny with themselves—they don’t hate women! They just want to take away our rights to protect us from ourselves! The law is a big neck cone so the stupid bitches don’t chew out our stitches.)

YES-- GOOD

The attempt to redefine woman-controlled contraception as “abortion” speaks volumes about both the anti-choice agenda (ban all female control over reproduction) and their understanding that their actual goals are so far to the right that they can’t be spoken out loud. In an effort to stop new, effective contraception from getting into the market, anti-choicers launched an unfortunately successful misinformation campaign to convince people that EC works by sloughing off fertilized eggs. It doesn’t. The overwhelming evidence suggests that it couldn’t work that way. Anti-choicers exploit scientific unwillingness to speak in absolutes to suggest that it could conceivably slough off a fertilized egg and therefore they figured that people’s ignorance of biology would fill in the rest until people assumed that’s how EC must work.

Blogger, Amanda Marcotte also does some great deciphering on the medical "how does it work" aspect of E.C. For one thing, we are a culture so uncomfortable talking about sex we tend to go with a lot of misinformation. For instance... the movie "Look who's talking" and the famous conception scene where it appears that there's sex and then miraculously-- A BABY-- video below, spliced quite brilliantly with Star Wars.

Most people tend to overrate the importance of male orgasms as the central event in baby-making and assume, wrongly, that conception must occur within seconds or minutes of ejaculation. The myth makes a rough kind of sense, and it’s aided mightily by patriarchal frames that give credit for making babies to men (from the idea that conception-not-pregnancy makes a baby to the naming of children after their fathers). In reality, sperm are built for endurance for a reason—conception often takes up to three days after sex to occur, which is why the window for using EC is 72 hours, though the longer you wait, the worse the chances of it working get.

I *heart* Marcotte.

Click here to read it all in full. It's a sweet post.

New study shows Medical Abortion is safe

Hooray for this article

It actually has some medical fact in there!

While previous research has shown surgical abortions don’t increase the risk of problems in later pregnancies, little research had been done into the impact of medical abortions.

And good news according to a study on more than 12,000 Danish women:

Women who use abortion pills rather than the more common surgical method seem to face no greater risk of tubal pregnancy or miscarriage in later pregnancies, according to a new study.

The article also gives interesting history of medication abortion -- how it became legal in France in 1988 but by '89 the Bush administration had made it illegal in the U.S.

Medical abortions appeal to women because they can do it in the privacy of their home, can seem less intimidating than surgical abortion and just about any doctor can prescribe the pills.

Problem is that most doctors won't prescribe this pills-- not because they're worried about safety but because they're worried about violence from anti-choicers.

Happy One Year Anniversary E.C.

CNN has shocking news. Sales for the morning after pill went up -- now that you can get it over the counter.

Shocking, right?

It's easier to get. So more people are getting it.

Can I get a "DUH"?

The end of the article gives lip service to the nutters.

Conservative and religious groups argued that easy availability would promote promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases among teens and others.

Yeah, they've got it now. I really wanted to go out and nail every guy I met but I wasn't sure I could get some EC. Now that I can-- PARTAY! On a side note, "birth control promotes promiscuity" when translated from conserva-speak is actually: "Giving women options to prevent pregnancy means they can enjoy protected sexual relationships. And that is bad. Women enjoying sex without threat of children! AHHH SLUTS!"

Of course getting the FDA to approve over-the-counter sales for the morning after pill was tricky. It took years and more than 60,000 letters or support and many signed petitions. There were people at the time who argued that if we dared to approve EC it would start up sex cults among teenagers. No, seriously.

We need to wake up to the scary truth! The conservatives and religious right aren't
just against abortion-- but they want to outlaw birth control as well. They believe women should have NO control over their bodies and people should not be able to plan their families.

So for now, we celebrate-- one year ago today Emergency Contraception was given the green light to be sold over the counter. That is a victory for the good guys. However, pharmacists can refuse to dispense the drug and conserva-nazis want to take the right away so keep fightin' the good fight.

Dogs > Women

Dear Footballers, beat your wives not your dogs

Today NFL quarterback Michael Vick accepted a deal to plead guilty to federal conspiracy charges involving an illegal dogfighting operation.

The Vick dogfighting scandal has been HUGE, GIGANTIC NEWS since it broke. And for good reason-- it's horrific.

Court documents released last week showed that two of Vick's alleged partners said he helped kill dogs that didn't fight well, and that the three men "executed approximately eight dogs" in ways that included hanging and drowning.

Hold on.... I just threw up a little in my mouth.

Seriously, it takes a special kind of asshole to do that to an animal.

The NFL has dropped hints that it'll be a long time IF EVER before Vick plays again. People keep saying how "troubling" this is for the NFL. Why then, doesn't it trouble these people when their star athletes abuse women?

This blog post says it all

It was only last summer when Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brett Myers assaulted his wife in full view of onlookers, dragging her in the street by her hair and slapping her repeatedly. He was charged with assault and battery by a Boston court, but his employer, Major League Baseball, declined to level any punishment, saying, through a spokesman, "It was an off-field incident and it's the player's private life. We're going to let the legal system run its course." The league has no policy requiring suspension of players charged or convicted in domestic violence cases.

This horrible scandal with Vick should shock and disgust us all. But dragging your spouse by her hair is "a private matter"? Please tell me these people don't buy their own B.S.? Can you really delude yourself that much?

I realize I'm not the first, nor am I the only person to bring up this point but it just bothers me that the NFL is so blind.

Though they'll test their players till kingdom come for illegal substances, and kick them out of the league if they test positive enough times, apparently being charged with beating your wife -- and in some cases, being convicted of it -- just doesn't measure up.

When can we expect a public apology for disregarding women in this way?

I'm gonna venture.... NEVER?

Hugh Hefner is all knowing

Check out my girlfriends, they only need the one chair

The media always needs a scandal. Last week it was an alleged sexual assault at the Playboy mansion. At this time, the case has been dropped because the alleged victim is declining to press charges. The "feminists are evil lying bitches" folks are coming out in drolls concluding that this is further proof that rape is nothing more than hype so women can win court money to pay for boob jobs (really--- I read a blog today claiming just that).

I have no clue whether or not this rape occured. I was not there and don't know the circumstance--- from what I can gather online, the woman claimed to be assaulted while unconcious. Naturally that makes pursuing a criminal investigation tricky as she has no memory of the attack.

I feel the need to speak up since once again, jerkwads are claiming this as a victory for the "women lie about rape" camp. Would it really be out of the quesiton for a woman to be raped at a Playboy party?

ABSOLUTELY NOT. This is actually the perfect breeding ground for a sexual assault.

Free flowing booze (and likely drugs) combined with an overcrowded, oversexed atmosphere where people are pushing limits and acting wild. What do you suppose men assume about female Playmates or women who attend Playboy functions? I'm betting they have it in their mind that these women are free and loose about sex. Is it any surprise then that a sexual assault could or WOULD happen there?

Thank goodness Mr. Hefner went on TV to set the record straight. *SARCASM*

Yes, it's true there was insuffiencent evidence to proceed and the woman declined to press charges but this happens constantly in sexual assault situations. Rape is often a 'he said/she said' situation. And in this case alcohol was involved (to the point where a woman was unconcious). Add to the mix that the woman was MORE THAN LIKELY dressed provacitively or acting our sexually... I mean, would you want to go into court with that working against you? Often women decline to press charges because they don't want to open themselves up to ridicule or questions that put blame on them. Can't you hear it?

You went to the Playboy mansion? Without your boyfriend? Wearing that? Flirting with whom? How did you dance? You kissed how many people? You drank HOW much?

Mr. Hefner stated on TV that "absolutely no rape occured." He even tells the reporter that this woman MADE UP the story to placate an angry boyfriend because she got home late.

Cause the "Sorry I'm late honey, I was raped" excuse is so much easier than the "my car broke down" excuse?

Mr. Hefner's speaking to media about this is beyond vile. He offers no proof of this story except that "there's no question about it." In this particular interview, Mr. Hefner does not say he spoke with police or the alleged victim.

I want to remind Mr. Hefner that at this time, the woman has NOT recanted her story, merely declined to press charges. I imagine she thought she could avoid this sort of press/speculation/circus if she dropped the charges--- turns out, Mr. Hefner's going to call her a lying whore in public anyway. And he's got hords of trolls doing it online as well.

If this was a false accusation, it's horrible for the people involved and for women who ARE raped. But if this assault did occur and this is how the media reacts, it's just one more situation that's going to keep real rape victims afraid.

New Rule

Dear comment-leaving-people,

I will post comments that I disagree with if it raises an actual point. I'm glad to discuss things. But I will not be publishing comments that are unbelievably stupid and full of resentful sexist whining. If that describes you, please run along elsewhere. I will not pity-publish your posts here any longer

Thanks.

xoxo
Tobes

YES!

I want to marry this woman. For shiz.
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