Thousands of children are deprived of birth due to lack of vasectomy regulation

[buckethead]

Have you looked into Soilent Green lately?

[Jaxson]

I am perplexed by the whole political debate that is surrounding contraception.  Our society has disdain for the stereotypical irresponsible single woman who has no problem with having as many children as she wants and then expects everyone else to foot the bill.  The incorporation of birth control into health care plans, IMHO, is a rational and proactive way to make sure that women are able to have access to family planning resources.  We are not going to stop people from having sex, but we can afford to make available the options to keep them responsible.  On a side note, many young girls and women take birth control pills for their own general health. 

[BridgeTroll]

I am perplexed by the whole political debate that is surrounding contraception.  Our society has disdain for the stereotypical irresponsible single woman who has no problem with having as many children as she wants and then expects everyone else to foot the bill.  The incorporation of birth control into health care plans, IMHO, is a rational and proactive way to make sure that women are able to have access to family planning resources.  We are not going to stop people from having sex, but we can afford to make available the options to keep them responsible.  On a side note, many young girls and women take birth control pills for their own general health. 

Your "perplexation" appears to come from not understanding the issue...  The only area where the supply of birth control is an issue is for Catholics.  It is a government interferance with religion issue.  For the rest of the population... birth control as a practice is not an issue...  It is not an issue with me, my wife, or my daughter.  I am sure even rush limbaugh (whom I despise BTW) has probably participated in sex protected with birth control.  THE issue is who should pay for it.  There are a few very good options available "over the counter".  THIS issue is who should be paying for the birth control... the government (taxpayers) or the individual.

[Tacachale]

I am perplexed by the whole political debate that is surrounding contraception.  Our society has disdain for the stereotypical irresponsible single woman who has no problem with having as many children as she wants and then expects everyone else to foot the bill.  The incorporation of birth control into health care plans, IMHO, is a rational and proactive way to make sure that women are able to have access to family planning resources.  We are not going to stop people from having sex, but we can afford to make available the options to keep them responsible.  On a side note, many young girls and women take birth control pills for their own general health. 

Your "perplexation" appears to come from not understanding the issue...  The only area where the supply of birth control is an issue is for Catholics.  It is a government interferance with religion issue.  For the rest of the population... birth control as a practice is not an issue...  It is not an issue with me, my wife, or my daughter.  I am sure even rush limbaugh (whom I despise BTW) has probably participated in sex protected with birth control.  THE issue is who should pay for it.  There are a few very good options available "over the counter".  THIS issue is who should be paying for the birth control... the government (taxpayers) or the individual.

It is not so much an "issue for Catholics", many of whom use birth control despite what the church hierarchy says. It's an issue with the standing church hierarchy. Ever since the pill was invented (primarily by a faithful Catholic) there have been Catholics who have used it and argued that it should be approved. Even a vocal segment of priests and bishops have argued it should be approved and have done so since the beginning.

You're right that the main thing where some (NOT all) Catholics and others have an issue here is with the government telling the Church that it must provide contraceptive coverage to employees in its secular ventures. I think at this point most American Catholics consider the Church's stance on birth control to be backwards and ridiculous; some just believe Obama's mandate to be beyond what they think government's scope should be.

[BridgeTroll]

I think at this point most American Catholics consider the Church's stance on birth control to be backwards and ridiculous;

This may well be so... but it is THEIR issue... an issue between the "hierarchy", clergy, and people.

[Tacachale]

I think at this point most American Catholics consider the Church's stance on birth control to be backwards and ridiculous;

This may well be so... but it is THEIR issue... an issue between the "hierarchy", clergy, and people.

For many of us, yes, but even more don't see it that way. A recent Pew poll found that 52% of Catholics agree that religiously affiliated hospitals and colleges should have to provide employees with birth control coverage; 46% were against it. Amusingly, that's an even higher percentage than non-Catholics despite this being seen as a "Catholic issue".

http://publicreligion.org/research/2012/02/january-tracking-poll-2012/

Catholics don't speak with one voice on this topic or many others.

[BridgeTroll]

I am sure you would agree that religious dogma is not a popularity contest ...

[Gonzo]

I find it hilarious that the church is bitching about government in their business yet they love the whole idea of that same  government allowing them to run their business scams with that nice big tax exemption....this is just one of the many examples of the right thinking they are "special"

Gee, Garden Guy, could you have been alittle more offensive? When I speak of the Church, I speak of the Catholic church. Hardly a fly-by-night operation.

Churches are not running "scams." They serve a legitimate purpose in society and should left to fulfill that purpose. Sure, there have been some that have been mismanaged, but I think that that can be said about any organization run by man.

[Gonzo]

They are NOT against stem cell research.  They object to embryonic stem cell research and the slippery slope that it entails...

Can we, as a people, really still claim stem cell research is a "slippery slope" What exactly is the downside here?

How 'bout a simple one... like say... creating fetus to harvest cells etc to make replacement parts...  For me... the key word is harvest.

Wow embryonic stem cell research does no such thing.

It recycles medical waste from ivf clinics with the express permission of the donors.

I do NOT see any "fetus created" nor any "harvesting" in this image do you?

Fertilyzed egg = embyo. PERIOD!

Stem cells harvested from umbilical chords are the ONLY exceptable cells for this usage.

[Gonzo]

I am perplexed by the whole political debate that is surrounding contraception.  Our society has disdain for the stereotypical irresponsible single woman who has no problem with having as many children as she wants and then expects everyone else to foot the bill.  The incorporation of birth control into health care plans, IMHO, is a rational and proactive way to make sure that women are able to have access to family planning resources.  We are not going to stop people from having sex, but we can afford to make available the options to keep them responsible.  On a side note, many young girls and women take birth control pills for their own general health. 

Jaxson,

Unfortunately, the irresponsible women you refer to, are for the most part women who do not have access to insurance. Thus, no access to birth control that is provided by said insurance company.

Further, even the very poor can get birth control from agencies for extremely reduced rates or free. Planned Parenthood will even give anyone who asks for it a package of condoms for free!

[Tacachale]

I am sure you would agree that religious dogma is not a popularity contest ...

I do agree with that. I don't agree that all Catholics find the mandate to be "government interference with religion", let alone that birth control is immoral to begin with.

[BridgeTroll]

I am sure you would agree that religious dogma is not a popularity contest ...

I do agree with that. I don't agree that all Catholics find the mandate to be "government interference with religion", let alone that birth control is immoral to begin with.

As a non practicing Catholic myself... I also do not think using birth control is immoral.  I go against the teaching and dogma of the church in encouraging my wife and daughter to use birth control.  I do however think the government is inserting itself or interfering with the Catholic churches teachings by attempting to force them as a church to pay for others birth control or abortion.... and they should not.

[FayeforCure]

They are NOT against stem cell research.  They object to embryonic stem cell research and the slippery slope that it entails...

Can we, as a people, really still claim stem cell research is a "slippery slope" What exactly is the downside here?

How 'bout a simple one... like say... creating fetus to harvest cells etc to make replacement parts...  For me... the key word is harvest.

Wow embryonic stem cell research does no such thing.

It recycles medical waste from ivf clinics with the express permission of the donors.

I do NOT see any "fetus created" nor any "harvesting" in this image do you?

Fertilyzed egg = embyo. PERIOD!

Stem cells harvested from umbilical chords are the ONLY exceptable cells for this usage.

Wow, yeah........according the religious dogma Heaven must be populated by the Souls of embryos........and women are embryo killers every time they have their period 
because millions of fertilized eggs never implant to even become an embryo (in the scientific meaning of the word).

BTW, the above picture showed the fertlized ovum magnified.......
Below you will find the actual "tip of a needle" size ovum depicted and the eventual picture of a first stage embryo still just the size of a period at the end of a sentence.........note that the word embryo is used only AFTER implantation:



The very first speck after fertilized ovum is the blastocyst ( a 5 day old fertilized ovum)...........these are being discarded by the thousands EVERY day at ivf clinics around the US, and a minute number like .000005% are used in stem cell research with the express consent of the donors.

Why don't people like you go try to save them at the ivf clinics rather than harrass the sick and injured, and the scientists who recycle this ivf trash.

[BridgeTroll]

Not sure what you are in such a tizzy about Faye.  Your side won... and we are now dissecting and removing desirable parts from 5-7 day old blastocysts and experimenting on them.  My personal concern... is what happens when we discover that... for example... fetal skin is a much better replacement for burn victims.  Will we let em grow a bit more before skinning em?  Perhaps we find that fetal brain cells will replace brain cells of those with head injuries?  Is a month old fetus more human than a 5-7 day old one?  How about a two month old fetus?  will we one day pay women to grow replacement parts for us?

I... me and myself... am concerned about the future ethics of scientists and medical officials in this area.

[FayeforCure]

Not sure what you are in such a tizzy about Faye.  Your side won... and we are now dissecting and removing desirable parts from 5-7 day old blastocysts and experimenting on them.  My personal concern... is what happens when we discover that... for example... fetal skin is a much better replacement for burn victims.  Will we let em grow a bit more before skinning em?  Perhaps we find that fetal brain cells will replace brain cells of those with head injuries?  Is a month old fetus more human than a 5-7 day old one?  How about a two month old fetus?  will we one day pay women to grow replacement parts for us?

I... me and myself... am concerned about the future ethics of scientists and medical officials in this area.

Ironically fetal stem cell research has always been legal..........so to go after banning embryonic stem cell research to prevent fetal stem cell research from taking place is like putting the cart before the horse.

Of course the fetal stem cells are taken from spontaneously aborted fetuses, because believe it or not there are plenty of those without having to "grow them in a lab"

I'm in a tizzy on this because as a nationally recognized stem cell research advocate who was even quoted in the Wall Street Journal, I have to shake my head at the sometimes purposely ill-informed opposition to embryonic stem cell research, that tries to use the fear factor in dissuading the ignorant people from understanding the very limited scope of embryonic stem cell research that will nevertheless have a huge impact on our future health care and its associated costs.