Sex, Birth Control, and Public Policy (A Pragmatic Approach)

Okay, first of all I get the idea of personal responsibility. I do. If you’re going to have sex, you should be responsible enough to provide for your own birth control. I get that, but…

As a matter of public policy, for the greater good of everyone involved (i.e. all of us), and beyond that, as a practical matter, as to what actually costs the taxpayers less money…

You are opposed to abortion. You are opposed to unwed mothers and single parent families. You are opposed to “welfare mothers” having babies just to receive more handouts. Your are opposed to illegal immigrants having “anchor babies”. All valid positions, but explain to me then why on earth you are also opposed to providing free birth control.

It seems to me that providing free birth control (and education to go with it) is not only the best way to address each of those issues, it is also the most cost effective way to address each of those issues.

To me it seems simple. If you want poor people to stop having babies, if you want poor people to stop having abortions. Give them birth control, and show them how to use it.

(And please don’t give me the abstinence nonsense either. Asking people to stop having sex is both absurd and naïve. It is contrary to human nature, and any time you try to fight human nature I guarantee you will lose. It’s a fact of life. Literally.)

That you are also opposed to birth control tells me you are not interested in actually solving the problem. It tells me that either you are caught up in some religious or ideological argument that has no basis in reality. Or that you hate women. Or that you hate poor people. Or both. Or all three.

Whatever your reason or reasons, I say this to you. Get over it. Seriously, get the fuck over it. Get over it, stop arguing just for the sake of arguing, and set about actually trying to fix the problem. And for God’s sake, if you can’t do that, at least stop making it worse.

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