The Religious Agenda and the Morning After Pill

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The Religious Agenda and the Morning After Pill

 We in America have been told a lot of lies about sex, reproduction, and sexual health.  A recent federal district court ruling in Tummino v. Torti has illuminated at least part of the system of corruption and anti-science religious agenda we’ve been subjected to over the past eight years.  Judge Korman ruled that the FDA knowingly engaged in arbitrary and capricious decisionmaking regarding the emergency contraception known as “Plan B,” or the “morning after pill.”

For the rest of this post, I will use the words “religious” and “political” interchangeably.  I do so with intent and without apologies.  Anyone who doubts that the Bush administration was a theocracy needs to have their head examined.  The evidence could not be more clear.  At any rate, we should be familiar with the way the religious have pushed their agenda.  We got a blueprint from the Shrub himself when he invaded Iraq.  First, he stirred up emotional outrage, with the help of an unrelated terrorist attack.  Then, he spread lies about the Iraqi government hiding WMDs, and trying to buy yellow cake uranium.  Then, he strong-armed congress into doing his will with accusations of Anti-Americanism hanging over the heads of any dissenters.

We can look at the morning after pill agenda and see the same pattern.  The emotion is already built into the debate.  Since Roe v. Wade, hardly an election has gone by that hasn’t included emotional rhetoric about killing babies, or how godless heathens were turning America into a cesspool of sin and corruption because women were choosing not to allow every fetus the chance to grow into a human.  Unlike Iraq, there was no need to steal emotion from somewhere else.  The Religious Right has been stirring up emotion for decades.

Step Two is the most important in religious agenda programs.  Misinformation is the key.  With the morning-after pill, like Iraq, we had to believe that it was connected to a “known evil.”  For the religious right, that meant linking the pill to abortion.  There are still many people who have believed FOX News and their preachers.  They think Plan-B is an abortifacient, and it’s not.  The reason the pill only works within 72 hours is that it prevents fertilization.  It does not kill an already fertilized egg.  It works in essentially the same way as birth control pills.  There is no controversy about this.  The pill is not an abortion pill.  The fact that it was ever called an abortion pill is evidence of the agenda.  There was never a scientific reason to give it that name.  (There were debunked studies indicating that the pill might be implicated in preventing implantation of fertilized eggs, but these studies were, as I said, not borne out by good science.)  The United States, which grudgingly approved Plan B by prescription only, is the only country in the modern world which doesn’t have multiple legal options for emergency contraception.

The original request for OTC (over-the-counter) status for Plan B was submitted in 2001.   The FDA found that it met all of the criteria for OTC, but a single doctor (at the behest of “political forces” ) stalled the approval process by citing “safety concerns” including whether or not people would be likely to use Plan B instead of the pill, or whether average women are smart enough to figure out how to take a single dose pill within 72 hours of having unprotected sex.   (This, despite evidence from all over the world that women are indeed smart enough to figure it out, and piles of evidence indicating that women prefer birth control pills to Plan-B, given the choice.)  After five years of debating “safety concerns” such as these, the FDA denied OTC availability.  The decision was largely based on an “Advisory Committee” that was appointed with careful oversight by the Bush administration.  Instead of finding highly qualified doctors, scientists, and pharmacists, the government’s stated goal was to create a “balance of opinion” on the committee.   In case you are living in an alternate universe, this is political double-speak for “We were trying to change the decision based on non-scientific grounds.”

Let’s not make light of these facts.  Unfortunately for the religious, the facts themselves are now incontrovertible.  Even taking into account the incredibly unreasonable desire of the religious right to impose their religion on everybody, Plan B is not an abortion-inducing drug.  It is functionally no different than the birth control pill, which is legal everywhere in America.  There is not one single scientific reason why it should not be made available over the counter.  Not one.  The only objections to the pill have been religious in nature, but as they are wont to do, the religious have hidden their agenda under levels of thinly veiled concerns for “public safety.”

For those of my readers who think I’m too hard on religious moderates, take this as an example of why I must be so.  This religious imposition onto non-religious Americans can only be defended on religious grounds.  For  anyone who believes that America is a country where religion and government must be separate, the only possible response to this situation has to be outrage.  But… where was the moderate religious outrage? I’ll tell you.  The religious moderate outrage over the morning after pill was virtually non-existent.  Apart from a few Lutherans in Boston and a couple of Unitarians in Nebraska, it appears that nearly the entire body of believers in America sat by silently while science was mocked and the Constitution trampled.

Let’s not kid ourselves.  Most moderates will never stand up against fundamentalists.  They will not side with us evil atheists because this is not about living together peacefully.  It’s about religion versus science.  As I wrote yesterday, the intellectual battle has been won.  There is no debate between creation/evolution, and there ought not be a debate over either abortion rights or the morning after pill.  Intelligent Design has no place in any school.  The only argument against abortion rights is religious, and so it should be immediately dismissed without further comment.  The morning-after pill is safe and functional.  Any religious moderate who is not standing actively against any religious zealot trying to impose his will on me or any of my fellow American atheists is complicit in America’s descent into theocracy.

 


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 For the record I advocate

 

For the record I advocate the Plan-B pill precisly because it merely prevents fertilization

 

 

Hambydammit wrote:

The only argument against abortion rights is religious, and so it should be immediately dismissed without further comment.  The morning-after pill is safe and functional.

 

 

http://www.godlessprolifers.org/home.html

 

 

 

 


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I also advocate the Plan B.

I also advocate the Plan B. I've even used it once.

 

I have no problem siding with atheists on this(my religion doesn't exactly prohibit contraception, hehe).


Hambydammit
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 Oooh  Pineapple... thanks

 Oooh  Pineapple... thanks for the link!  I can't wait to see if they have any arguments I haven't already addressed.  I'd actually love it if I learned a new one.  Thanks!

 {EDIT:  What a wonky site!  How does anybody figure out what their arguments are?}

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 Argument #1:  Life,

 Argument #1:  Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness.  This is defeated scientifically.  Fetuses are not humans.  This is defeated legally.  Fetuses are not persons.

Argument #2: Anti-abortion movement is not responsible for clinic bombings.  Irrelevant.

Argument #3 Anti-abortion violence negates pro-life goals.  Irrelevant.

Argument #4  Abortion is killing.  I've addressed this already.  Many times.

 

Why I do not care about this person's arguments:

Dodo-head-feminist wrote:
I fear adjusting them [my thoughts]into the pattern of an argument because I do not want to warp my ideas into something they are not merely for the sake of being more coherent or compelling.

Argument #6: Value of all human life.  Subjective, arbitrary, and species-centric.  I've addressed this many times.

Argument #7: Abortion is bloody.  Yeah.  So is open heart surgery.  So what?

Argument #8: Susan B. Anthony opposed abortion.  Don't make me say it.... Appeal to... ummm what's that again... 

Argument #9: Nobody's paying attention to pro-life feminists.  Yeah... and nobody's paying attention to Creation Scientists, either.

 

Ok.  That's it in a nutshell.  No valid arguments whatsoever.

 

Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin

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Hey Hamby- maybe this should

Hey Hamby- maybe this should have been a PM to you (if so, just write me one) but what can I do to get involved and stop this fucking bullshit? I've wanted to for years, but just... well, I'm a procrastinator. A REALLY BAD procrastinator. If you've got some ideas about what I can do, where I am now, give me some leads. Oh- and I'm in west Texas. Fun, huh?!?!

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Actually I posted that site

Actually I posted that site as a counter-example to your statement, kiddo

 

 

 

 


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 Right.  And my statement

 Right.  And my statement was that the only arguments are religious.  The site you gave had no arguments.  They were all either logical fallacies or irrelevant observations.

 

Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin

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The same groups of people

The same groups of people who oppose abortion are often the same groups who are opposed to contraception. Several years ago it was proposed in Missouri to stop providing free contraception in county health clinics. Guess who proposed this idea. I have never understood the catholic view on birth control. It is assumed, I guess, that god will provide you as many children as you're supposed to have. However, if your on the pill god becomes powerless. Hmmmmm I guess that means god cannot defeat iron chariots and the pill. Wow, some omnipotent god.

"Always seek out the truth, but avoid at all costs those that claim to have found it" ANONYMOUS


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 Crazymonkie, I don't know

 Crazymonkie, I don't know of anything specific in Texas, but the most obvious things you can do to help end religio-political stupidity is join, support, and actively participate in the Secular Coalition for America.

http://www.secular.org/

This is the only atheist lobby group in America, and it runs pretty much entirely on donations.

Beyond that, you can attend local government meetings, speak up when they ask for comments, and encourage all your atheist friends to do the same.  You can write your congressmen and get your friends to all do the same.  Search for non-religious not-for-profits, and see if you can find any grass roots organizations in your area.

If you're on any networking sites like facebook or myspace, don't be afraid to use them for atheist networking.  We're getting railroaded politically, and it's primarily because there are millions of people who don't speak up for fear of offending their mother or their spouse or something.  Be loud.

 

Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin

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Odd, I always thougt to make

Odd, I always thougt to make a logical fallacy one would have to make an argument.

 

 

 

 


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 Aha.  Pardon me.  The

 Aha.  Pardon me.  The only valid arguments are religious.

Before you get into a tizzy, remember that validity isn't the same as truth.

 

1. God says, "You should not commit abortion."

2. Everything God says is true.

3. Therefore, "You should not commit abortion."

 

This is a valid argument.  It's just not true.

So, I have never seen a valid non-religious argument against abortion.  Pardon me for assuming you'd know I meant "valid argument" when I said "argument."  Most logicians pretty much discard non-valid arguments, since they have no use whatsoever.

 

Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin

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 Actually, Pineapple...

 Actually, Pineapple... you've got me.  This is a valid argument:

1. Abortion is taking a life.

2. Taking a life should never be done.

3. Therefore, abortions should not be done.

It's a stupid argument, but it is valid, and not religious.  I retract my statement about non-religious arguments.

 

Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin

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Cali_Athiest2 wrote:I have

Cali_Athiest2 wrote:

I have never understood the catholic view on birth control. It is assumed, I guess, that god will provide you as many children as you're supposed to have. However, if your on the pill god becomes powerless. Hmmmmm I guess that means god cannot defeat iron chariots and the pill. Wow, some omnipotent god.

It's quite simple to me. The top dogs probably don't believe in God. I think they're just using it to get wealthy. They want their followers to have kids so they can keep getting that money.

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The only reason anybody

The only reason anybody fights for abortion is so they can have sex and not have to deal with the consequences of their actions.


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I sense a troll badge.

I sense a troll badge.


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Bobby Dean wrote:The only

Bobby Dean wrote:

The only reason anybody fights for abortion is so they can have sex and not have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

 

Oh really?

 

"THE mother of the nine-year-old girl who had an abortion this week - and the doctors who performed the procedure to save her life - will be kicked out of the Catholic Church.

The girl had been pregnant with twins after allegedly being raped by her stepfather.

An archbishop for the northern region of Brazil where the termination was conducted, Father Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, said the church was excommunicating all adults responsible for the abortion.

The operation - carried out because of doctors' fears the slender girl might die if she carried the fetuses to term - was a crime in the eyes of the chuch, he said"

 

 

So you side with the church on this? SHE'S NINE YEARS OLD.

 


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Ciarin wrote:Bobby Dean

Ciarin wrote:

Bobby Dean wrote:

The only reason anybody fights for abortion is so they can have sex and not have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

 

Oh really?

 

"THE mother of the nine-year-old girl who had an abortion this week - and the doctors who performed the procedure to save her life - will be kicked out of the Catholic Church.

The girl had been pregnant with twins after allegedly being raped by her stepfather.

An archbishop for the northern region of Brazil where the termination was conducted, Father Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, said the church was excommunicating all adults responsible for the abortion.

The operation - carried out because of doctors' fears the slender girl might die if she carried the fetuses to term - was a crime in the eyes of the chuch, he said"

 

 

So you side with the church on this? SHE'S NINE YEARS OLD.

 

The only reason anybody fights for abortion is so they can have sex and not have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

 


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In response to a 9 yr old

In response to a 9 yr old recieving an abortion after getting raped an impregnated with twins by her stepfather:

 

Bobby Dean wrote:

 

The only reason anybody fights for abortion is so they can have sex and not have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

 

 

So yo're evil then. gotcha.


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Ciarin wrote:In response to

Ciarin wrote:

In response to a 9 yr old recieving an abortion after getting raped an impregnated with twins by her stepfather:

 

Bobby Dean wrote:

 

The only reason anybody fights for abortion is so they can have sex and not have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

 

 

So yo're evil then. gotcha.

You're the one advocating the killing of babies.


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Bobby Dean wrote:Ciarin

Bobby Dean wrote:

Ciarin wrote:

In response to a 9 yr old recieving an abortion after getting raped an impregnated with twins by her stepfather:

 

Bobby Dean wrote:

 

The only reason anybody fights for abortion is so they can have sex and not have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

 

 

So yo're evil then. gotcha.

You're the one advocating the killing of babies.

 

I'm pro-life actually. And you're the one advocating the torture and death of a 9 yr old rape victim, evil one.


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Ciarin wrote:Bobby Dean

Ciarin wrote:

Bobby Dean wrote:

Ciarin wrote:

In response to a 9 yr old recieving an abortion after getting raped an impregnated with twins by her stepfather:

 

Bobby Dean wrote:

 

The only reason anybody fights for abortion is so they can have sex and not have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

 

 

So yo're evil then. gotcha.

You're the one advocating the killing of babies.

 

I'm pro-life actually. 

No, you're pro-I-want-to-be-allowed-to-kill-babies-so-I-can-have-sex-without-consequences.


Ciarin
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Bobby Dean wrote:Ciarin

Bobby Dean wrote:

Ciarin wrote:

Bobby Dean wrote:

Ciarin wrote:

In response to a 9 yr old recieving an abortion after getting raped an impregnated with twins by her stepfather:

 

Bobby Dean wrote:

 

The only reason anybody fights for abortion is so they can have sex and not have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

 

 

So yo're evil then. gotcha.

You're the one advocating the killing of babies.

 

I'm pro-life actually. 

No, you're pro-I-want-to-be-allowed-to-kill-babies-so-I-can-have-sex-without-consequences.

 

No, I'm pro-life. I do not believe in using abortion as birth control. Abortion is something to be used if the health of the mother or fetus would be in jeopardy if the pregancy went to term.

 

You're pro-I-want-little-children-to-suffer-and-die-after-being-raped. You're disgusting and evil.

 

FYI, abortion doesn't mean "sex without consequences", ever. Sexually transmitted diseases still exist regardless of abortion.


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Logic train

Bobby Dean wrote:

The only reason anybody fights for abortion is so they can have sex and not have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

 

I'd be forced to conclude from this statement that any form of prevention or removal of any unwanted consequence would be bad.  This would relate to something as simple as a seat-belt (condom?) as it prevents excessive death/injury which can be a consequence of driving a vehicle.  In this same route would not medical intervention on a crash victim be seen as attempting to avoid the consequence of the crash itself?  Humans try to maximize wanted effects while eliminating negative ones.  Sex is considered fun (good), so humans try to maximize sex while minimizing its (mainly) unwanted consequence of child birth.

 

I agree that abortion should be used as a last resort, but can't possible see the logic in trying to say abortion is bad due to avoiding a consequence of sex.

 

 


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Cpt_pineapple wrote: For

Cpt_pineapple wrote:

 

For the record I advocate the Plan-B pill precisly because it merely prevents fertilization

 

 

Hambydammit wrote:

The only argument against abortion rights is religious, and so it should be immediately dismissed without further comment.  The morning-after pill is safe and functional.

 

 

http://www.godlessprolifers.org/home.html

 

 

 

 

Plan B, (like birth control pills) can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the wall of the uterus. It's an abortofacient.

 

"3. How does Plan B work?

Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Plan B acts primarily by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary (ovulation). It may prevent the union of sperm and egg (fertilization). If fertilization does occur, Plan B may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb (implantation). If a fertilized egg is implanted prior to taking Plan B, Plan B will not work. "

www.fda.gov/CDER/DRUG/infopage/planB/planBQandA.htm

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spike.barnett

spike.barnett wrote:

Cali_Athiest2 wrote:

I have never understood the catholic view on birth control. It is assumed, I guess, that god will provide you as many children as you're supposed to have. However, if your on the pill god becomes powerless. Hmmmmm I guess that means god cannot defeat iron chariots and the pill. Wow, some omnipotent god.

It's quite simple to me. The top dogs probably don't believe in God. I think they're just using it to get wealthy. They want their followers to have kids so they can keep getting that money.

And don't forget control.

Nobody I know was brainwashed into being an atheist.

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Gauche...did you read the

Gauche...did you read the original post?


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I've been doing research,

I've been doing research, and Plan B is over the counter just not to women under the age 18.

So yeah, it wasn't denied OTC status.

 

 

 

 

 


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I didn't read it but now

I didn't read it but now that I have I think "debunked" is kind of a strong word. Debunk means you show something to be false. But in those studies they don't know when fertilization occurs. They administer it after they believed fertilization occured, so the most you could say is that there's no evidence of a post-fertilization effect.

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Quote:I've been doing

Quote:

I've been doing research, and Plan B is over the counter just not to women under the age 18.

So yeah, it wasn't denied OTC status.

I believe this is why Hamby said, 'For teenagers'.

Quote:
"Natasha has just come up to the window from the courtyard and opened it wider so that the air may enter more freely into my room. I can see the bright green strip of grass beneath the wall, and the clear blue sky above the wall, and sunlight everywhere. Life is beautiful. Let the future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence, and enjoy it to the full."

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Kevin R Brown

Kevin R Brown wrote:

Quote:

I've been doing research, and Plan B is over the counter just not to women under the age 18.

So yeah, it wasn't denied OTC status.

I believe this is why Hamby said, 'For teenagers'.

 

Actually, he just went on a rant as to how it was banned due to them thinking it's an abortion pill

 

Hamby wrote:

After five years of debating “safety concerns” such as these, the FDA denied OTC availability.

 

I see nothing in his post that indicates specifically "for teenagers" or "under 18"

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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 Christ on a pogo stick,

 Christ on a pogo stick, people!  Am I really that difficult to understand?

Regardless of whether or not Plan B is currently available, the events described in this ruling absolutely did happen, right?  So... rather than conclude that I'm an idiot who doesn't do his research, why not conclude that my purpose was to call attention to the events that have happened so that people will be alert to any future manifestations of this religious agenda?

"Debunked" was not the best word I could have used.  Since everybody here knows I'm not stupid, and that I understand the scientific method very well, why not think to yourself, "Gee, Hamby used a word that wasn't precisely the right one, but I understand what he's getting at"?

Pineapple, would you please go back and notice that I highlighted the method used to get OTC status denied and/or stalled?  The point isn't that people believe Plan-B is an abortifacient.  It's that the Christian Right uses (among other things) falsehoods to stir up emotions and thwart perfectly legitimate policy measures they oppose.

 

Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin

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