#birth control
‘bodily autonomy for some marginalized groups but not all’ will literally never, ever work. the right to abortion and the right to medical transition and the right to engage in gay sex and the right to take birth control are inextricably linked by the core right of bodily autonomy. shooting one kills them all. support others’ bodily autonomy or yours will be taken too
I had been studying STI’s in preparation of a trip to other countries to help women in need. A 15 year old girl overheard me and my friend talking and came over when my friend had walked away. From here on out we will call the 15 year old Sophia.
Sophia: Hey, I over heard your conversation and was wondering if you could help me. I think I’m pregnant.
Me: Oh, okay. Have you taken a pregnancy test?
Sophia: Yeah, it came up negative.
Me: Oh, that’s good. You are most likely no…
Sophia: But we’ve had sex since then.
Me: You know the tests don’t predict pregnancy, right?
Sophia: Well, I thought they might be able to…
Me: Well, did you use protection?
Sophia: Yes! We used condoms.
Me INTERNALLY:
I was really happy until I realized this 15 year old had thought pregnancy tests could predict pregnancy’s so I asked her a little more.
Me: How did you use the condom?
Sophia: Well, he put it on his penis.
Me INTERNALLY: GOOD FOR HER!
Sophia:Then he took it off and put his penis inside me.
Me INTERNALLY:
Me: Why did he take the condom off before sex?
Sophia: Because it had spermicide in it.
Me: I understand how you could have thought that but that isn’t how condoms work. The condom acts as a barrier between you and your partner to protect against STI’s and then it catches his sperm so that they can’t fertilize any eggs. However, this method isn’t 100% effective so a lot of people will pair it with other forms of birth control to be safe.
Sophia: Well, my family is pretty strict so I can’t go get another test and I can’t use any other birth control.
Me: Would you like me to take you to get another test?
Sophia: We also used the pull out method.
Me: Well, that is a good thing to try but you have to be very good with the timing for it to be absolutely effective. Not to mention the fact that there is sperm in precum. Most of it will die out due to the acidity of the urine it comes into contact with so the chances are low that the precum could have gotten you pregnant.
This went on for about an hour. She would tell me how they tried to be safe and then right after explain how they didn’t actually do what they needed to. For example, when her boyfriend had pulled out, he had done so AFTER he ejaculated and then wiped himself off on her thigh.
I drove her to a drug store and walked her through all the contraceptives they had and then walked her through how to take the pregnancy test. Luckily she was not pregnant but I don’t think she was ever able to understand just how lucky she was. She was 15 years old with religious parents (famous for being against Planned Parenthood) who kicked out her older brother for getting a girl pregnant. She was taught sex ed in school but she wasn’t taught how to protect herself, only how to abstain.
Planned Parenthood teaches people how to have sex safely. It helps with birth control and STI testing. They give breast AND testicular exams to help make sure you are healthy. The help both men and women with UTI’s and they are there to help. Don’t defund Planned Parenthood. Don’t talk about defunding Planned Parenthood. Talk to your kids and be open or they will go to a stranger for the talk.
FYI I just got my birth control renewed at home over the internet for free with this website. https://heyfavor.com/
Favor | Online Women’s Health & Personal Care
They asked me basic questions over the internet about my health and insurance and then about my birth control history for a nurse practitioner to prescribe a medication. Some states require a video visit but mine didn’t. With my insurance it was free but they said most cost around $6-15 a month without insurance with the appointment costing $15. You don’t need parental permission in most states and they stated the packaging is discreet. I’ll let y’all know when I get my first package but so far, it’s been an easy website to use.
It doesn’t take the place of a physical exam and STI testing and hormonal birth control won’t protect against STIs but you can also buy a variety of sex products such as condoms (male and female), lube, pregnancy tests, and plan B. It also works in most states including Texas where some drs are hesitant to prescribe bc and planned parenthoods are hard to find. You can also get prescription acne medication.
We should all pitch in to prevent women who can’t keep their legs closed from facing the consequences of their mistakes.
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Condom packaging for “Prentif Servis pak”, London, England, 1935-1945
This small packet is empty. The condom it once held – “specially packed for the forces” – may be long gone, but the remaining packaging presents clues and raises questions about the missing object. For instance, why was it important to withstand “all climates”? Why the emphasis on not leaving it in a “public place”? Why would the armed forces be issued with condoms anyway? And, apart from the obvious, what might its owner have actually used it for?
The condom is likely to date from the Second World War, when they were issued in their millions – and for good reason. Military planners were only too aware that for much of the First World War, what was hospitalising most soldiers on any given day was not war wounds but sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – then known as venereal diseases (VD). This was a historical problem and soldiers were constantly warned about the physical dangers and personal shame associated with VD.
Issuing condoms, particularly to servicemen posted abroad, was one measure aimed at reducing VD levels. Hence the need to withstand “all climates”. Those supplying condoms also knew that many sexual encounters involving soldiers inevitably took place away from their army base – perhaps in backstreets or public parks. The warning not to cause offence by leaving them in a “public place” was especially prominent. Of course, soldiers need to be highly resourceful and condoms were put to imaginative use during the Second World War. They were convenient waterproof storage for personal items or for carrying high explosives. Soldiers bartered with them and even used them as currency. And during the D-Day landings, they were used to cover rifle barrels – protecting them from salt water as soldiers waded ashore. A use echoed decades later by soldiers in Iraq who have used condoms to keep the sand out of their gun barrels.
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Well here’s your chance! I give you the step-by-step guide to making your very own 17th century birth control!
- Find some animal intestine. Sheep or pig will do just fine
- Soak the intestine in water for a few hours (you might have to experiment with this step a bit to find what works for you)
- Turn the gut inside out and macerate (soften) it in a weak alkaline solution, changed every 12 hours
- Scrape the intestine carefully to remove the mucous membrane, leaving only the peritoneal and muscular coats
- Expose to the vapor of burning brimstone (again, time of this step should be experimented with)
- Was with soap and water, inflate, dry, and cut into 8-inch lengths (or whatever length you deem necessary)
- Finish by adding a ribbon to the open end to tie around the base of the penis during use
And voilà, your very own protection against the scourge of syphilis! After use, it can be washed and hung up to dry. Also, make sure it’s soaked in water to make it supple before use.
Source: The Sexual History of London
We oppose the nomination of Representative Tom Price for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Rep. Price’s legislative record shows that he wants to punish women by intruding in our personal decision-making and pushing comprehensive reproductive health care out of reach.
His past record of punishing women and families includes voting to:
- Repeal the Affordable Care Act
- Defund Planned Parenthood
- Ban abortion coverage
Now, raise your hand if you already feel victimized by the nomination of Rep. Tom Price for HHS Secretary.
That’s what we thought.
The good news is that you can take action RIGHT NOW by letting your elected officials know where you stand! We need you to tell the Senate to oppose the confirmation of Rep. Tom Price for HHS Secretary: www.bit.ly/RejectPrice. Then, encourage your family and friends to do the same!
Are you with us?
Destiny Lopez, Co-Director of All* Above All, issued the following statement in response to President-Elect Donald Trump’s announcement that his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services will be Representative Tom Price (R-GA).
“Price has voted for extreme bans on abortion care and coverage and vowed to end Obamacare. This nomination is yet another signal that Trump plans to make good on his promise to repeal Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood, and punish women who have abortions by making the Hyde Amendment permanent. Trump has no mandate to take away women’s basic rights and we plan to fight these heinous proposals every step of the way.”
Brayden Olson for Loloestrin Fe! Check out these cute videos on social media!
Brayden Olson’s work for Loloestrin Fe birth control. Keep an eye out for these fun gifs on social media!
The health care repeal bill is moving in the Senate. Thirteen men are writing this bill behind closed doors. Trumpcare would gut maternity coverage, “defund” Planned Parenthood, and take away health care from millions. Defunding Planned Parenthood would cause a national health disaster — and the people who would be hurt most would be those struggling to get by.
October 26, 1916: Margaret Sanger is arrested on obscenity charges for publicly advocating birth control, proclaiming that with birth control, people can “fuck like bunnies.”
There are things you can do, right now, to help protect yourselves and others from what the court is about to do. First and foremost - lay in a stash of Plan B. Not just for you, but for your uterus-having friends and relatives. It has a shelf life of about four years, which gets us through the midterms and the next presidential election. Some GOP-controlled state legislatures have already started trying to restrict it - they’re coming after Griswold vs. Connecticut next, for sure. (And by extension, Obergefell - they said as much in the draft decision.)
(Additional note: Please keep in mind that Plan B does not always work well for people who are over 165 lbs.)
I can’t help when it comes to RU-486 - you still have to be prescribed that, it’s two doses, and you have to be under medical supervision. But some states have already restricted it, so be aware that 486 and Plan B are going to get restricted next. Which leads to my next suggestion:
If you are able to, get an implant or an IUD - something that is not the pill. We might lose the pill to legal restrictions, but there are other ways to prevent pregnancy - and if the pill being legally restricted or banished happens, it won’t happen right away, as something huge would have to change in order for states to circumvent the FDA. But we are watching a huge change unfold in real time, so it’s far from impossible. If you can change, do it now. Something being legal is also not the same as something being *available* - which is to say, more pharmacists/independent pharmacies could start refusing to carry various forms of BC, or put things like condoms behind the counter.
I feel like I have said this countless times in the last couple of years: find your Janes. By which I mean, find the crew that is organizing to help people with uteruses obtain abortions. If you have a local PP, that might be the place to start. They might have a GoFundMe - or just a donation drive - to fund travel for folks who need to come from out of state for abortions. If you know how to find any of the older lesbians in your community, that might be a place to start, too.
If you are too young to know, Janes used to be networks of women, including many lesbians, who would ferry people with uteruses to underground doctors who did medically safe abortions. Scary as shit, but I think we’re going to need them again.
That’s it for now, except to say: stay angry. And loud. Express all of that outrage to every elected official you have, and for Goddess’ sake vote in the midterms, straight blue. Start marching.
Edit: I just reblogged another post in which some wonderful soul put together a whole bunch of helpful links to abortion access funds and information about how to access an abortion if you need one. Please see that if you are in need of information.
Because we should all have the right to open arms and should choose to open our arms before bearing them. 100% of profits made from this EVERYBODY.WORLD x Semaine T-shirt will go to Everytown for Gun SafetyandPlanned Parenthood of New York City.
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“THIS IS MY UTERUS.”
(except when paying for abortions, pap smears, contraception, cancer screenings, std screenings) The cost for upkeep is all YOURS!
Unlocked is a video produced by Joss Whedon (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) in support of Planned Parenthood.
my eyes are puffy and red. i feel a little numb and shaky. i just want a hug and someone to tell me “everything is going to be alright”. my boyfriend is thinking about breaking up with me. we’ll find out tomorrow. it almost feels like russian roulette in a sense. things are gonna be fine. tomorrow is a new day & i’m no longer fucking with that birth control. hell no. happy thoughts. praying for posi.
