Gandhi’s birth control of choice

I recently read an article about the correspondence and meeting between two of the most independent thinkers of the 20th Century, Margaret Sanger and Mahatma Gandhi. The two activists met in 1936 when Sanger traveled to India to speak with Gandhi about birth control. By that time Sanger was advocating internationally for artificial contraceptives and [...]

Of Sterilization and Birth Control: A Rant

Monday, 7 December 2009, 15:20 | Category : Birth Control
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Today I found out some very exciting personal news: My insurance company will completely cover for me to have the Essure procedure done!

To give a brief overview for those not familiar with Essure, it is a non-invasive sterilization procedure where your gynecologist goes in through your cervix and inserts a small coil into each of [...]

Are Conscience Clauses Ethical?

I know that the headline of this post sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s not. Arizona recently passed a law that allows health care workers and pharmacists to refuse women access to reproductive health care if they feel that it goes against their conscience. The state’s bill is no different than the federal [...]

Does Birth Control Affect Mate Selection?

Tuesday, 13 October 2009, 9:14 | Category : Birth Control
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A new study published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, women on birth control may be subconsciously altering their mate selection due to the hormonal changes caused by birth control. According to the study’s authors:
Female and male mate choice preferences in humans both vary according to the menstrual cycle. Women prefer more [...]

What is the Abortion Pill?

Monday, 5 October 2009, 8:06 | Category : Abortion, Birth Control
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There is a lot of misconceptions about mifepristone, also known as RU-486 or the abortion pill. Many on the anti-choice side say that mifepristone is the same as emergency contraception, which is also known as Plan B, but they are not the same thing.
Mifepristone is a steroid that is used to induce abortion. [...]

New poll reveals interesting data about Catholics and choice.

I had the pleasure of participating in a conference call with Catholics for Choice yesterday morning to hear about the release of a recent poll the organization conducted about Catholic voters and their opinions on health care reform and reproductive health care coverage.
923 Catholic voters, selected randomly, participated in the poll, and 84% of participants [...]

Recession-Proofing Your Birth Control

Times are tough, and birth control is expensive. Still, unintended pregnancy would be a catastrophe for most women in this economy. A recent study by The Guttmacher Institute found that one in four women were having difficulty paying for gynecologist visits and more frightening, skimping on birth control – cutting pills in half, skipping a [...]

Is Yaz Safe?

Tuesday, 29 September 2009, 8:00 | Category : Birth Control
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Swissmedic, the Swiss agency that is responsible for overseeing the safety of medications, is currently investigating the safety of the birth control method Yaz. The investigation was launched after a woman died from a pulmonary embolism that is believed to have been caused from taking Yaz.
The Swiss investigation comes at the same time as [...]

Will Generic Plan B Actually Increase Access?

Thursday, 10 September 2009, 7:45 | Category : Birth Control
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This summer the FDA approved the generic version of Plan B, the emergency contraception pill, and ruled that the pill should be available to women 17 and older over the counter. A recent article in Ms. Magazine praised the decision, stating that the generic form of Plab B, called Next Choice, will go a [...]

Birth Control Subsidies Are Back, Baby!

During the Bush administration, women’s rights were on the chopping block. Access to abortion was restricted, funding for birth control and other family planning services was eliminated, and fehttp://feministsforchoice.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=1940&message=1deral tax dollars where pumped into religiously-based abstinence-only programs. Thankfully, some of that is starting to change under the Obama administration. According to the [...]