Contraception [the burden of]

[Dr Mindbender]

Following on from the ''feminism is bullshit thread'' i think i touched on an important point.

In the context of sex where any consequent child is likely to be a problem, does the burden of contraception lie primarilly with the man or the woman?

Primarilly for the reasons that the woman must endure the ill effects of gestation and birth, i argue that the burden is on the man to 'rubber up'.

What say you?

[leftace53]

Both parties should take proper precautions to protect themselves.

[Dr Mindbender]

Both parties should take proper precautions to protect themselves.

the problem i have with this line is that it implies that both parties share an equal amount of the repercussions which clearly isnt the case.

Furthermore regarding the pill, as a method which provides no protection from STDs but obliges a strict routine that women must stick by in order to be effective, can this be regarded as a good thing for women?

[Quail]

I see it more that both parties should take equal responsibility because it takes both people to decide to have sex and do it. The potential repercussions of unprotected sex are definitely worse for a woman, but I don't think that makes it any more or less her responsibility to use contraception.

Regarding the pill, there are plenty of alternatives that are more reliable (i.e. they don't stop working if you're sick or take antibiotics, and you don't have to remember to take them) such as the injection or IUS, but when I was taught about contraception in school I was never really told about anything other than the pill. I also found that doctors were reluctant to give me an IUD when I asked about it.

[leftace53]

Fair enough, I'll elaborate.

I didn't necessarily mean that women should be in charge of the pill, and men in charge of condoms, I meant something along the lines of the stigma associated with asking for contraception should be deconstructed.
If the onus of condoms lie solely with men, it would imply that men have the power to control pregnancy/std outcomes, so women should always speak up and have a back up (such as carrying condoms themselves) rather than relying on someone else for the outcome that takes a toll on their bodies.

So basically there should be lines of communication open for both people to take care of contraception, instead of leaving it all up to one person.

[leftace53]

I also found that doctors were reluctant to give me an IUD when I asked about it.

This happened to me too, then again, my doctor "assumes" I'm not sexually active because I'm not married, and was reluctant as hell to give me the pill (thankfully my gyno was not as crazy). I think I need to switch doctors.

I was told of more types of birth control, but the only one that was even considered as a "practical" method was the pill. Sex ed is in the shitters these days.

[Decolonize The Left]

There are many different forms of birth control and protection. The best method is to educate oneself and one's partner(s) on all, and then choose the best combination for one's situation. Many forms of birth control can have negative side-effects, usually for the woman, and should be investigated in order to secure a practice of sex which is enjoyable for everyone.

Almost all forms of birth control act on the woman's body which places the responsibility again on her. Given that most men do not wish to have a vasectomy, condoms are an alternative which require mutual agreement and shared responsibility. On a side note, an important and often unknown/underrepresented fact, is the woman's ovulation cycle and the fertile window. I recommend that this be researched by those interested.

- August

[Blackscare]

Primarilly for the reasons that the woman must endure the ill effects of gestation and birth, i argue that the burden is on the man to 'rubber up'.

What say you?

I'd say that while you make a good point that for the above reason the man has a 'moral' burden, practically speaking though the burden is really on the woman. Only she really suffers from pregnancy, and in a situation like that you can only trust yourself fully to make sure that proper steps are taken to prevent it.

[gorillafuck]

Why does it matter? If a woman gets an unwanted pregnancy it's not like it's going to be consolation for her to know that the burden of contraception was on the man.

Also, if we use birth control pills as an example, it'd be absurd to say the burden of contraception is solely or a lot more on men unless you want men to forcibly put the pill down womens throats. Condoms aren't the only form of contraception, you know.

But playing the blame game when it comes to an unwanted pregnancy is really stupid. If two people are going to have sex and don't want a pregnancy, it's up to both of them to have proper contraception.

[Quail]

As an afterthought, I remembered this: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/male-co...roduction.aspx There is research into a male pill, but it doesn't actually exist yet. I don't know what other people think of that. It should also be noted that the contraceptive pill can be prescribed to deal with health problems in women, such as painful periods, so it's not necessarily a burden to take it, although that isn't to say that men shouldn't take responsibilty.

It can be difficult for people to educate themselves because often the pill is the only alternative to condoms people are told about (or at least, that was my experience). I'm not sure why that is. Sex education in schools isn't always great though. In some schools in the states I've heard that they try hard to push abstinence as the best method of contraception and don't really deal with the others.

[mollymae]

I agree with Zeekloid and Blackscare. Since there are several different types of birth control methods, each having their own responsibilities and implications, each couple (or group, if that's what suits you) should ideally come to their own conclusion about birth control.

[Foldered]

There is equal responsibility, or at least there should be, but if you're having sex with a random partner, the responsibility is yours, man or woman.
I wear condoms that I bring (or whatever) because I am a man, if I was a woman, I would take the pill (or have an IUD) and have condoms anyway.