Banned Doonesbury Cartoons

I found out recently that there was a set of banned Doonesbury comics that deal with the transvaginal sonogram that women seeking abortions are forced to undergo. I obtained the strips from this link.

Here are the cartoon strips.
(optional viewing: right click image and click 'Open Link in New Tab/Window' for zoom ability. Original image available here.)

The War on Women: My Letters to my Leaders

I know it is incredibly important to speak up about the issues on which our leaders are voting. That is why I'm encouraging everyone to contact their government officials and speak up! Below is my letter that I just sent to my Representative and Senators. Please visit the government pages and contact yours. If we don't speak up, we can't complain later.

http://www.house.gov/
http://www.senate.gov/


Greetings,

I find it important to speak up in light of several bills and laws being proposed by conservative religious lawmakers that severely hamper and undermine my religious freedoms and reproductive rights and those of all women. As my elected government official, I hope you will take interest in my thoughts as it is your duty to fully understand how these laws will play out in reality and how they truly affect the citizens for whom you are supposed to work.

I do NOT support “personhood” laws that declare that life begins at conception. This law is unnecessary and potentially harmful to many women. The intent of this law seems to be to outlaw contraception and abortion, but it is possible to interpret this law in a way that holds women of miscarriage responsible for involuntary manslaughter. These “personhood” laws are of no assistance to our society.

Likewise, I do NOT support banning contraception. There are many women who use these medicines for more than reasons than prevention of pregnancy. Some of these medicines prevent several types of cancer, regulate hormones before attempting pregnancy and assist those afflicted with severe cramping. It negatively affects women to put an outlaw on such medicines that are tools that assist with the health and well-being of women’s daily lives. Of course, these medicines are also used to plan responsibly the birth of children so that women can wait until they create financially solid situations before bringing children into this world.

I do NOT support any ban on sterilization. This may be covered under contraception, but I wanted to shed a special light on it. As a woman who intends to remain without children for my lifetime, I will be turning to sterilization and am so thrilled that the cost will be fully covered under the Affordable Care Act. Sterilization is used by women (and men) who already have children and know their limits well enough to know they are not interested in having any more children because of financial or other reasons. Sterilization is also used by those like myself who are not interested in a parenting role, but would like to continue to support children in capacities such as aunts and uncles and employees or volunteers to children’s organizations. Knowing the limits of one’s life is an important step in being a responsible person. Each person has to have the option to fulfill that for herself or himself.

I do NOT support making abortions illegal and incarcerating doctors who perform them. Although I understand that fetus’ do become humans after completing the gestation period, I do believe that it is up to the individual to choose whether to continue the pregnancy or abort. I believe that there are many misconceptions about abortion and the more people understand it, the better we can do to make sure women do not find themselves in that situation. But outlawing abortions does not stop them from happening; outlawing abortions endangers women who then seek out abortions in unsafe medical conditions. Women need to have options such as abortion and it is up to the individual to use this option or not.

I do NOT support forcing those women who seek to have abortions undergo a transvaginal ultrasound. This is unnecessary, degrading and violates a woman’s ability to choose without harassment. These mandates degrade women who have already thought long and hard about their options. They understand full well what a pregnancy entails and being forced to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound will not change their mind, nor make the choice any easier. It only adds another medical bill to a woman who has made up her mind and it insults her ability to make a decision.

I do NOT support changes being made to sexual education classes such as we have recently seen in Utah. In order to make sure that future generations have information about sexual health, we need to make sure they have ALL the information, including information about contraception. My belief is that ‘abstinence only’ teachings are ineffective and dangerous. Everyone knows that telling a youth not to do something does not ensure they will not do it, but often times can seem like one more rule against which to rebel. Our youth need to grow up with solid facts so they can make solid decisions. After all, half of all pregnancies are unplanned. We fail our children if we don’t give them all the information and let them be prepared for whatever they choose. It is up to parents to ensure that after learning all the facts that the children know what the families want them to practice.

I do hope I’ve covered all my bases. I do NOT support anything that hampers the reproductive rights, freedoms and choices for anyone. It is important that the Federal Government maintain the separation of Church and State. Laws such as those mentioned above undermine that understanding because they are moral teachings of religious groups that are being forced upon millions of people of varying religious, personal beliefs. The individuals that are against contraception, sterilization, abortions and any such things have every right to hold those beliefs and live them out in their own lives, but they have NO right to enforce their beliefs on a nation comprised of individuals from every walk of life. I refuse to stand by and let religious groups overstep their bounds and try to write their beliefs into law. This nation was built upon religious freedom and I refuse to be denied my rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in the ways that I see fit. I refuse to be ashamed of my belief that women need access to options to create better lives for themselves and for future generations. I refuse to stand by during this war on women and watch women’s rights be denied and to regress on so much work that has been hard-fought and earned by my predecessors.

While I’ve hopefully still got your attention, I want to assure you that I DO support the rights of non-heterosexual couples that wish to marry. This is very much a civil rights issue. We are talking about the basic rights of millions of people. To me, it matters not that a homosexual couple cannot physically procreate on their own. There was a time when sterile heterosexual couples were frowned upon within religious communities because of their inability to procreate. Those who oppose the right of LGBT persons to commit to each other are looking at it from the stance of religion. LGBT people are not asking to be married in the churches, but to be recognized as human beings by their own government. LGBT couples often times are better parents because they have actively chosen to become parents rather than many heterosexuals who just got pregnant. These LGBT couples need to have the same rights to care for their partners and families as do those who are in heterosexual relationships. If not, their basic rights as human beings and as citizens are being denied.

I do not feel comfortable knowing that there are people from the religious groups that are working so hard to deny the rights of millions of people in this nation. I see those actions as negative, hateful and un-American. This is why I am speaking up and hoping that my voice is being heard. As a nation, we need to ensure that our citizens are being protected, that their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are being protected and promoted.

I sincerely hope that you will keep all of this information in the forefront of your mind as you are asked to weigh in on these issues. As a member of your jurisdiction, I have spoken my thoughts and my beliefs. As my elected official, I hope that you will take this to heart and understand that much is at stake. I entrust you with my wishes, hoping that my government officials will not let down all the women, men and children, gay, straight, transgender, religious, non-religious, human people of this powerful nation.

Sincerely,

D. Smith
Omaha, Nebraska

The Ongoing War on Women: Conservative Lawmakers in 2012

Throughout history, there has always been an ongoing war on women and in the U.S., it's currently being led by religious conservative lawmakers, known to us as Republicans. I'm not drawing a line in the sand, but looking at one that was already drawn, long before I got to the beach. If you ask many people, they will tell you there are only two parties in the U.S.of A: Republican (Conservative) and Democrat (Liberal). There are members of each that see their political party of choice as 'right' and the other party is automatically 'wrong'. Therefore, they have drawn a line in the sand and refuse to step anywhere near that line, instead pointing fingers and calling names at the people on the other side. Lovely, isn't it?

I was raised Catholic, but before long, found my way to a frame of mind that is friendlier and more at peace with my beliefs and inner workings. Each person in this country has a right to choose a religion or to choose no religion. But some Christian-based lawmakers are not content with the separation of Church and State and want to enforce their religious beliefs on the citizens of a supposedly secular nation. I, as non-Republican and non-Democrat, and a woman, have a HUGE problem with this, as do many people I know, male and female.

In the news recently, there are many things that go against the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. There are many Republican lawmakers aiming to criminalize abortion, to deny access to contraception, to basically punish women for wanting to make choices about their procreative life. I'm going to provide links to these articles, briefly explain them and let you fume on them with me.

IN THE NEWS:

• States are passing "personhood" bills to say that life begins at conception and to give rights to fetuses. This law, if interpreted strictly, could have unintended consequences: bans on contraception, criminalizing rape victims and convicting women suffering miscarriages as guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Obviously, one may say, no one's going to take it that far. But then, what is the point of decreeing that a fetus is a person? It is simply a matter of religious agenda, meant to hamper the right of a woman to choose. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/16/us-anti-abortion-senate-idUSTRE81F29920120216 
• Oh and apparently an amendment was made to the Oklahoma personhood bill that says masturbation "shall be interpreted and construed as an action against an unborn child"  What fresh hell?! Oh, and don't even think about putting your aborted human fetus in food either, because that's in the bill too, even though there's no reason to believe it's ever happened. <smacks head>

Here's an image I created to explain how I feel about personhood bills:

When an sperm and an egg combine, you get a zygote, which will possibly develop into a human, but not necessarily so. To say that it IS a human is to count all your eggs before they hatch, which the old adage tells us NOT to do.

• In Virginia, a bill was passed, and will most likely be signed by the conservative governor, that says a woman who wants to receive an abortion MUST have an ultrasound. Since many abortions are done within the first 12 weeks, most women will be forced to have a probe inserted into their vagina, whether they want to or not. Pretty close to rape, actually. That's right. A woman who chooses to have an abortion is going to be penetrated whether she consents or not. Some of the supporters in the article seem to indicate that she was already penetrated once and that's why she's pregnant, so she lost the right to complain about this penetration. But they just want these women to have 'more information'. According to a study: "Weitz summarized her findings in 2010 when she said that “women do not have abortions because they believe the fetus is not a human or because they don’t know the truth.”  The only reason for this bill is to emotionally blackmail a woman and make her feel guilty. The creators of this bill assume that a woman can't comprehend what a pregnancy means. I'm pretty sure these woman know full-well what a pregnancy entails.... hence abortion. Basically a woman will be penetrated against her will AND have to foot the bill for the medical rape. Way to punish women for a choice YOU wouldn't make. The link to this horrendous bit of news. 

Original link here. March is actually scarily close to the one above, but February is detailed below. So half of this is already true. And all of it is f-ing scary/ridiculous/asinine.

• This next bit is a link to how the GOP bitch-slapped women 3 times in one day: (1) ZERO women were present during a hearing on religious freedom and contraception and one woman who DID want to speak was denied because "she wasn’t “appropriate or qualified” to discuss the topic at hand.". (2) Female attendees of a conservative convention were scolded for dressing "“frumpish” or “like two-bit whores. (3) Rick Santorum's billionare backer, Foster Friess, said that women stuck aspirin between their knees as contraception. WAH?!?! Yeah. From the article: "So there you have it: modern women being told by Republicans that they’re not qualified to talk about their own sexual health, are dressed like “whores” and probably need birth control because they’re so slutty. And this is just in one day."
  Here's the video of that asshat: 

And here's the woman the GOP refused to let speak. BOOYAH!

 These three articles/links above are just a small sample of the infuriating amount of punishment being bestowed upon women as part of a religious agenda that has crept into our supposed secular nation. I say 'supposed secular nation' because with so many politicians emphasizing their religion and creating laws that focus on the sexual beliefs of THEIR religion, it is clear that these individuals cannot separate their personal religion from their duty to their constituents to represent them and create fair laws for a nation of people of varying backgrounds.

Other infuriating articles: 

• Female Fox Pundit indicates that women in the military should 'expect' to be raped and also uttered the phrase "raped too much" as if there is a certain number of times that rape is acceptable. LINK HERE.
• A bill has been proposed in New Hampshire to prevent cops from making arrests in domestic abuse situations when they haven't witnessed it. So the cop may see the scene of the crime, but have to leave an abused woman (and children) with her attacker, so the cop can go get a warrant. LINK HERE.

This kind of shit is infuriating. Especially when it happens 'all at once'. It's easy to react when you hear about this shit, bit by bit. You can contact people, lawmakers, ruffle feathers, speak up and let your voice be heard. But to have so many stories appear in such a short time period makes me want to scream. I know that I already have SO many rights in this country and that it has taken YEARS for us to get here. But there are people working to turn back the clock on what has been accomplished. How can we champion for other countries to treat women better when our standards are dipping?  How can we call ourselves a great nation when we are allowing religious zealots to make policies that affect our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? I don't live in Oklahoma, Missisppi, Virginia, New Hampshire or some of these places featured here. But dammit, I KNOW that some idiot will be bringing this crap into my home state before long. We have to fight this. Fight it in your state, let your voice be heard. Contact your lawmakers and let them know how you feel before, during and after this issues come to light.

As a woman and as a human being, I believe every woman should be able to make a choice about her body and it's ability to bring life into the world. 

I do not believe that women only have the option of 'motherhood' or 'spinsterhood'. 

I do not believe that a woman is a whore because she has sex as frequently as men. 

I do not believe a woman is a bad person for choosing to have an abortion. 

I do not believe that men are more qualified to speak on women's sexual health than are women. 

I do not believe that lawmakers have a right to bring religion into the political arena and label it 'right' and any deviance 'wrong'. 

I believe that a woman has a right to be a mother, give up a child for adoption, have an abortion, or do any combination of those actions in her lifetime without judgement or condemnation of her character.
I do not believe a woman should ever be subjected to rape, nor made to feel that it's 'expected'.

I believe that outlawing abortions does not stop abortions but puts women who still seek abortions at risk. 

I believe that women need to stop being punished for our body's capabilities and our decisions that do or do not conflict with biology's unregulated abilities.

I believe this war on women, our bodies, our choices, our access to necessary or desired health care and medicines, this hatred and demoralization, this religious zealousness, this persecution of women NEEDS TO END NOW.

I believe that men who support women's choice are much needed allies in this fight. We love you for standing with us.

So, are you going to stand back and let religious lawmakers legislate the hell out of our bodies? Or are you going to SPEAK UP?

P.S. Here is a link that give more info on the hearing in which women weren't allowed to talk about their sexual health. The article states that moderate and liberal Catholics are now okay with the HHS saying that Catholic institutions not having to foot the bill for the medical things they don't agree with.




OFFENSIVE STUFF BELOW. DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE OFFENDED. DUH.

       Personally I believe that if Catholic institutions want to continue to deny medical coverage for things they preach against, they shouldn't be allowed to claim to be an equal-opportunity employer and instead admit that they DO discriminate on gender (no female priests allowed) AND sexuality (this includes sexual orientation and a woman's choice to do IVF or have any bit of control over her sexual health). BUT I figured that didn't belong in my little bold list above, since that is more tongue-in-cheek than serious.
      Oh and here are some facts on abortion. I personally like the info about FACE: Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances. 

FACE makes it illegal to intentionally use force, the threat of force, or physical obstruction to injure, intimidate, interfere with, or attempt to injure, intimidate or interfere with individuals obtaining or providing reproductive health care services. FACE also punishes anyone who intentionally damages or destroys a facility that provides reproductive health services.

Something that always bothers me is the pro-life people out there harassing people walking into clinics. If you REALLY wanted to make yourselves useful and practice what you preach, go down the street and learn about fostering or adopting the children that exist NOW that you claim you would care for if the women at the clinic weren't aborting them. Although, and this sounds terrible... I'd rather abort a fetus than to have it end up adopted by some religious zealot that harasses people. BUT because I'm a responsible person, I want to continue to have the right to make decisions in regards to MY body and my life and not be subjected to religious persecution because I don't believe these lawmakers have a right to control my uterus. So those religious lawmakers... they can feck off anytime now! >=P

     So, on a level of '1 to 10', 1 being "not so offensive" and 10 being "Dear Lord, burn this heathen!" how offensive was that? ;)

Girl Scout Cookies, Transgender Children and Planned Parenthood

The following image made the rounds on the internet and garnished my support and the support of others that promote transgender issues as well as Planned Parenthood. What follows is my letter to the Girl Scouts informing them I ordered double my cookie amount because of this image. A rep from the Girl Scouts responded, so you can see what the official standing of Girl Scouts is on Planned Parenthood. Not really a stance, so much as legal jargon to save their butt. Disappointing, but at least they support transgender children.

The image in question that made the rounds on the internet. I think it was supposed to be a conservative scare tactic, but it had the opposite effect on all the liberals ;)

MY MESSAGE TO GIRL SCOUTS:

Greetings,

... I'm sure you are aware that some conservative people may be boycotting Girl Scouts because of the ties to Planned Parenthood and allowing transgender children to be a part of Girl Scouting.

This jpeg had found its way into my facebook news feed. http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxtj8l6XwY1qdm9vwo1_500.jpg

I wanted to let you know that I purchased DOUBLE my order BECAUSE of these issues AND have shared this information with my friends. It's very important to me that young women are well-informed AND that those with different gender identity are welcomed into a supportive environment. I sincerely hope the information in the jpeg is actually true as it makes me feel proud to support the Girl Scouts.

I also hope that you will continue on the path of providing girls, whatever their orientation, a supportive environment that provides them with the information they need to make good life choices.

Thank you!
-D

THEIR RESPONSE: 

Thank you for your message to Girl Scouts of the USA. We appreciate
your interest and kind words. Girl Scouts is proud to be the premier
leadership organization for girls in the country. Placement of
transgender youth is handled on a case-by-case basis, with the welfare
and best interests of the child and the members of the troop/group in
question a top priority. That said, if the child is recognized by the
family and school/community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl,
then Girl Scouts is an organization that can serve her in a setting that
is both emotionally and physically safe.

Further, the Girl Scout organization, including local Councils, does not
take a position on abortion or birth control, nor do we endorse or
provide funding to organizations such that advocate on these issues.

GSUSA does not provide any financial support to Planned Parenthood, nor
do we have any national collaboration or relationship with that
organization. We believe issues related to health and sexuality are
private matters for girls and their families.

We are aware of several websites, some by current and former Girl Scouts
and volunteers, that take issue with the Girl Scout organization on a
number of topics. We applaud these individuals for pursuing the
principles we teach in Girl Scouting regarding identifying an issue that
they feel passionate about and working to address it. At the same time,
we also disagree with many of the points made on these sites, some of
which we feel are inaccurate. Our positions on many of these issues
haven't changed, and we believe these websites do not accurately reflect
Girl Scouting.

For the sake of clarity, once again, Girl Scouts does not take a
position on abortion or birth control, does not have a relationship with
Planned Parenthood on a national level and does not plan to have one.

Because Girl Scouting is a beloved American institution, our name has
the power to draw attention to topics that might otherwise go unnoticed.
As a leadership organization, we must always respect the right of others
to express their views and we will continue to support girls who care
deeply about an issue and have the courage to stand up and take action,
even if we do not agree with what they say.

Thanks again for support of Girl Scouts.

So there you have it. The image from scared conservatives and an official response from Girl Scouts. :)

"Never Say Never"

Recently, via social media, I asked a drag queen (one of my favorite entertainers) if he thought he would ever have kids and he said "probably not but you can never say never". Maybe he meant he couldn't say 'never' and that is his right. Some people may not see children as a part of their lives but could be open to it 'should the stars align'. More power to 'em on their life adventures! (And may they be prepared!)

But for those of us who have thought long and hard about the decision to procreate/raise children, we can say 'never'.  For me:
I will never be President of the USA.
I will never be a marine biologist.
I will never be a doctor.
I will never climb Mount Everest in the buff.
I will never procreate/have children.

Of course, there is ALWAYS the possibility that I may be put in a mother role, due to unforeseen circumstances that I don't want to imagine. (For me, this does not include dating a man with kids, b/c I feel so strongly about it, that if a man has kids, the dating will not even commence. We all have our standards and if you wouldn't bend your 'no drugs' rule for a drug addict that could be 'the one'.... then don't be surprised if I stick with my guns on the child thing.)

As a female at age 26 (some would say: too young to decide to be CF but not too young to be a mother?!?!), with my experiences of being a child, being a babysitter, being a camp counselor and being an aunt for the past 12 years, I think I have the right to say the word 'never' when it comes to the child decision. 

Yet there is a stigma that follows this declaration. There is something about humans that when they hear the word 'never' they want to point out to that 'it's possible!!!' Sure, many things are possible. Notice that I didn't say "I will never kill another human being"? Because, technically, it is possible. Of course, I do my best to avoid it but a situation calling for the death of another person could arise, i.e. self-defense. Or someone just really pissing me off. JUST KIDDING!

But humans just want to be right and sometimes that means saying: "You never know".

1) There is no benefit to the person saying this except supposed 'bragging rights' were I to 'change my mind.' Therefore this statement is self-serving and egotistical. It will NOT make me change my mind as it is NOT persuasive and has no bearing on the reality of birthing and raising children.
2) With the amount of technology and knowledge we have, it is very possible to avoid pregnancy altogether, so I'm quite sure I 'know' I won't be having children.
3) Whatever possibilities that may occur in life, it will never change the amount of responsibility that children bring.

This last one is very important. Saying "I'm not having children" is not the same as saying "I'll never move to Texas". Someday, I may move to Texas but it is not an occurrence that comes with a lifetime of responsibility or change.

Sometimes, I think 'I could possibly be persuaded to adopt years into the future' but then I remember... in most cases, where the kids come from doesn't affect the amount of work that children bring. Adoption, though less physically demanding than birthing and diapering, (I don't like the baby years) does not prevent me from having to deal with all of the other things that I am trying to avoid by not having children in the first place. In this case, adopting would actually be selfish of me because I would be doing it to feel better about myself, to feel as if I'm helping children out. But I'm not helping them out if I don't actually want to have kids around me 24/7 for the next couple decades.

I counteract this 'impulse' to help other people by volunteering with special needs kids. It leaves me both exhausted (after 3 hours) yet very fulfilled. I can then tackle all of the other life goals I have for myself that factor into my decision to remain Independent of Dependents.

It's similar to a situation I faced recently at work. I could stay at my regular job that had all the perks I enjoyed or I could apply for a job that doubled my pay but would stress me out with quadruple the work-load and many job elements that I am happy to not currently have. I had to fight the impulse of 'but I feel like I should' to really identify what is best for me. And I really am all the happier for it, despite not having the extra money that I wasn't missing anyway.

So, while saying "I never want kids" sounds flippant and therefore deserving of a flippant "Never say never" response, saying 'never' is not flippant when it is actually the end result of a well-thought out decision.

And it is a very important decision that should be respected whether a person chooses something you would or not. I choose to remain Childfree/Independent of Dependents/The Fun Aunt because it is what I truly desire and I know that will give me the space/time/energy to be happy/free/me. But I also need to respect those who have chosen the Children Choice. If I'm not supposed to ask 'Are you sure?' to a woman who says she wants children, I deserve the same respect when stating my desires for my future.

So, if you could 'never' imagine your life without your children, know that I feel just as strongly about 'never' having children. Yeah? So if I say 'never', you better believe it! ;)

Peace.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that employing the concept of 'never' can have a negative connotation, implying that a person isn't open to the marvelous possibilities of life. But the list of things I'll never do are realities I'm okay with and would rather not do anyway. It's possible to employ the concept of 'never' and keep a positive and realistic view on life and what an individual desires in his or her own unique life. Capiche?

A Childfree World?

     The interesting thing that I hear some non-Childfree/Independent of Dependent (CF/IOD) people indicate is that NOT replenishing our population is a BAD thing. With the world population set to surpass 7 BILLION people I fail to see what is so important about upkeeping these staggering numbers. A good number of the global population does not have access to clean water, sufficient food or health care and these are people who will be procreating for not utilizing contraception.
     The above article states:

 "Over the next forty years, nearly all (97%) of the 2.3 billion projected increase will be in the less developed regions, with nearly half (49%) in Africa. By contrast, the populations of more developed countries will remain flat, but will age, with fewer working-age adults to support retirees living on social pensions."

The argument I have heard is related to that last fact about less working-age people in developed countries. The article also points out:

"Although the issues immediately confronting developing countries are different from those facing the rich countries, in a globalized world demographic challenges anywhere are demographic challenges everywhere," said Bloom.

     So while it may be tempting to turn a blind eye to areas like Africa, you can see from the data that it will be responsible for half of the world's expected growth. In my personal factless opinion, (yes, I'm basing this off my perceived knowledge and would be interested to see solid research)... one of the reasons the African continent is affected by staggering numbers of HIV and pregnancies (and therefore orphaned children with HIV) is because of religious missionaries (Catholic? Christian?) that condemn the use of contraception. It creates a disconnect for the people in their daily lives. I do know of a friend that was working with the Peace Corps in Niger and was involved in a group instructing women about their personal health and contraception and from what I know, my friend was touched by how well-spoken these women were and how they took hold of the knowledge given to them.
    That project is very much in line with Bloom's call to action in the above article:

"We have to tackle some tough issues ranging from the unmet need for contraception among hundreds of millions of women and the huge knowledge-action gaps we see in the area of child survival, to the reform of retirement policy and the development of global immigration policy. It's just plain irresponsible to sit by idly while humankind experiences full force the perils of demographic change.""

 To me, it is foolish to think that as a population we need to keep procreating in order to 'meet our needs'. There needs to be restructuring in many areas to accommodate for the population be it larger or smaller.

Sometimes I wonder if those against contraception are afraid that the film "Children of Men"  from 2006 will become a reality. The film's summary: In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind. Yeah, this isn't likely to happen. But the fatalists that are against the use of birth control seem to think it will.

     To me, birth control is a use of technology that allows people to be more responsible in choosing if and when to bring more humans into this world. There is an example of this in Brazil.

     Basically, the government subsidizes the cost of birth control in Brazil, leading women to have less children in their families as of late. This can be an important step in breaking the cycle of poverty and preventing children from living without access to basic needs. The article states: "Despite having the most Catholics in the world, 80 percent of Brazilian women of childbearing age are using some form of artificial contraception" 
      This is very intriguing because the Catholic Church strongly opposes the use of contraception in any form. People are often very susceptible to the ordinances within their religion so for individuals to go against the expectations of a religious institution is very telling. My opinion is that many religions are out of touch with women's rights due to their patriarchal nature. Women are not just here to produce offspring for men but some religions seem to think so. Yes, I suppose many women do want to have children and therefore play into that part of biology but there are those of us who do not feel the biological urge and that is our prerogative. There comes a point in a person's life where they look at their religious upbringing and they look at what they want their life to be and they find an answer.
     Reproduction issues are not just a matter of religion but can have some political basis as well, as we see in China.  China has been known for it's 'one-child policy' which limits the number of children that a couple can have. But there are a growing number of couples or individuals who do not have children in China. This is sometimes for financial reasons or in cases of individuals, for lack of partner (whether by choice or situation). Of course, all the reasons to stay Childfree in Western nations must be true as well throughout the world. 
     At the end of June, this article detailed some reasons that a growing number of U.S. couples are staying childfree. The beginning of August showed that many NYC women are Childfree-minded as well.   From the June article: "...Nearly one in five American women now ends her reproductive years without children, up from one in ten in the 1970s." 
      As a childfree woman, this makes me happy. NOT because I hate children and think no one should have them (not true at all) but because these articles and facts show me that not only nationally, but internationally, men and women feel more freedom to follow what they know is right for their lives. With the use of technology and resources, we have access to others like us who support and understand this lifestyle. The propensity to procreate is reaffirmed daily in movies and advertisements and personal lives and interactions with parents who evangelize on the benefits of kids. Parents have all the reinforcement they need in other parents but childfree people need reinforcement as well.
    Childfree people are aware of what children are like. We all have been children, we all have been around children. If you are a responsible parent, we respect your decision as long as you don't force it upon us. My wish is that having children is seen not as 'the next logical step' but as one possible result of a well-thought out decision. I know what is right for me and even if I could be a good parent, if it is not what will make me happiest, it is unkind of people to encourage me to procreate. I never encourage them to get rid of their children with the adage "You'll change your mind" that so many childfree people hear from parents. I hope that with time and discussion, people will be allowed to make a decision and let others enjoy the happy result of theirs. I also hope that more children that need parents will be adopted into loving, caring homes. I am thankful for those people that can open up their hearts and homes to children that are in need in this world. To me, that is a sign of a wonderful parent... to love a child that isn't biologically yours but to love and provide for them as though they are. 
     Nia Vardalos, one of my favorite creative souls in the world, along with her husband, Ian Gomez, adopted a little girl, and is a proponent and a spokeswoman for an organization: Help Us Adopt. Adoption to me is a better option than fertility treatments because instead of spending gobs of money and years on fertility treatments, you could find a blessing in a child that needs you immediately. Humans are the only creatures that go through such lengths to extend our genetic makeup, yet we see videos and news all the time of animals that suckle and care for young that are outside of their species. I have chosen a childfree lifestyle because that is what works for me but I heartily applaud with all my heart and soul the wonderful people who can look past their DNA and/or the desire to birth their own baby and make love for adopted children a part of their lives. Peace.

In case you missed them... articles listed above:

• World Population to Surpass 7 Billion in 2011; Explosive Population Growth Means Challenges for Developing Nations  - Science Daily - July 28, 2011

• In Brazil, Women's Changing Roles, Attitudes Leading to Smaller Families  - PBS News Hour - Aug 30, 2011   

• In China, having children is no longer a given   - Los Angeles Times - Sept 02, 2011

• The No-Baby Boom  - Shine on Yahoo - June 28, 2011 
  
  
• We Say No to Babies and Yes to NYC: More city women are taking a pass on the Mommy Path  - New York Post  - Aug 2, 2011