QuestionHi. I am writing a paper for school and I was hoping you could help me. I am taking the pro-choice point of view, and I am going to be addressing some common arguments made by those who are against abortion. Right now I am focusing on the argument that women who have abortions are all promiscuous and irresponsible, and that given the multitude of birth control options available there should not be a need for abortion. What are some of the reasons why women do not use birth control? Also, how would you address the argument that a woman who is not married and not open to procreation should not have sex, or to put it in their terms "keep her legs closed"?
On a personal note(not sure whether to include this in my presentation or not, but I read that personal anecdotes not only make things more interesting but also really drive home your point) my boyfriend of one year and I decided to take our relationship to the next level and be sexually intimate. I went to the drugstore to purchase a box of condoms, and it cost me $7.99 And there were only twelve in a box! Now, I realize that may not seem like a lot of money to a lot of people, but for a teenage couple or for someone on a fixed income or social assistance it IS! A woman on welfare who has a child can purchase a few staples with that, such as eggs and milk!
So I thought that was a good argument. Some women simply can not afford it. Also, many drugs have side effects right? Speaking of cost, do you know how much a prescription for the Pill would cost? The Depo shot? That's going to be my main argument. That the people that are most unable to afford to have a child are the people who can not afford birth control. And one last thing. Birth control is NOT one hundred percent! My mom got pregnant with my little brother while she was on the pill, and swears that she was taking it faithfully each day. That struck me as being so totally unfair! That she did everything right and STILL got pregnant. I would so appreciate any help you could give me. The person I am up against (it's going to be a debate, and then the class votes for the person who did the best job arguing their point) is a real sexist jerk. he lives in the dark ages! He actually said the other day that he was so glad that Hillary Clinton was elected President, because women are "too emotional".And said they would take more sick days because of periods. As if a woman suddenly is unable to function because she has her period. Ugh!
Sandra
AnswerHi Sandra :)
61% of women who terminate already have a child. At the end I'll give you a good link to information. See, the birth control thing-a lot of people just can't wrap their heads around it, but it's worth a try. With every form of birth control, there are huge negatives. Hormonal birth control can be extremely expensive, or a woman can't use it because of health problems or she reacts negatively to hormones. Other women don't want to put more hormones into their body. And others don't like condoms-they can be uncomfortable and cause pain. Why doesn't the guy "keep it in his pants"? Sex is natural and fun, it's healthy, and anyone who has (a) willing partner(s) should be able to engage in it. Sex isn't a privilege for the few. And plenty of women don't want to marry. Just because someone's morals say women should be chaste until marriage doesn't mean they get to impose that on everyone else.
You got it. What the heck is with the pricing?! I remember buying a pack of three, and the cost was ridiculous. Oh, and there are many lower class individuals, and I doubt buying overpriced condoms is on the top of their list when they can barely live paycheck to paycheck.
The prescriptions vary by person, and whether or not they have insurance, and what type. Mine costs 15$ a month, which doesn't sound bad, but my psychiatric medications only cost 5$ a month. Another girl was in front of me in line getting the same birth control, and she paid 25$. I know women who pay upwards of 60$ a month for it. The side effects can be awful-nausea, headaches, basically all the symptoms of pregnancy, since it tricks your body into thinking it's pregnant. Yep, and 99.7%, as high as that is, does not = 100%. And some medications or other things can interfere with the effectiveness, which a pharmacist or doctor should be telling you, but of course they don't always, and down goes the effectiveness.
Oh my goodness, good for you for debating him, if it were me I'd probably lose it in the middle of the debate and throw something heavy at him. If you don't win the debate, it's not because of what you say, since the facts are ALL on your side, but because of people's close mindedness. Also-Hillary is probably post-menopause, and if she is, that means no more periods. And what about men being too emotional? All the presidents who have thrown this country into unnecessary war, are they not "too emotional?"
Links- http://www.prochoice.org/default.htm
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control-4211.htm
http://www.guttmacher.org/sections/contraception.php
Good luck on your debate :)
