Feminist: Cheap pregnancy tests, condoms “for everyone, everywhere”
I guess I come down on the side of “Cheap pregnancy tests for everyone! Everywhere and not just in bars! Put them in malls and at rest stops and in fast food joints and in restaurants and in workplaces! And put condom dispensers right next to ‘em! And put info about pregnancy health care and options right next to ‘em too! But stop saying it’s just to protect potential babies and to stop women from making bad choices!”
Also: All exclamation points, everywhere.
~ Jill at Feministe, reacting to the New York Times report about the installation of pregnancy test dispensers in bars, September 14
Sep.17, 2012 6:00 am |
Contraception, Feminism, Pregnancy |
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Same here.
Many contraceptives are easily available. Some of them are quite effective. Using them is a matter of responsibility and willpower.
We’re as educated as we’re ever going to be. What’s important now is using our knowledge appropriately.
I don’t know that I’d get on board with this, but I don’t see anything right off-hand that makes me want to actively object, either. And, at least she’s grammatically self-aware. Sooo many exclamation points…
Well, that was interesting. She really needs to learn that overuse of exclamation points reduces their effectiveness.
JDC, I disagree!! I am addicted to exclamation points!!
“JDC, I disagree!! I am addicted to exclamation points!!”
I guess it’s a matter of opinion. Honestly, I prefer your overuse to her’s. :)
So… she’s admitting that the dream of having “comprehensive sex ed” is failing? Because, if PP had their way, technically kids should know enough by the time they graduate kindergarten to know how pregnancy works, how to avoid it, and where to go when they find themselves pregnant. Right? Then we wouldn’t need all these pregnancy tests, condoms, information on pregnancy and such everywhere. Riiiight?
:) Seriously, though, I’m not sure what I think about the idea. Except they better not be using my tax dollars for this… Go get a pregnancy test with your own money. Go buy condoms with your own dollars. Get educated on your own dollars and time. If you can’t afford condoms, don’t have sex.
I highly doubt anyone is using tax dollars for this. Personally I think that there should be affordable pregnancy tests in way more locations than there currently are (basically, a dollar store or online). Those things cost a ridiculous amount of money at a drugstore and they are also often intimidating to buy. I’m not saying that in an ideal world, anybody should be intimidated by such a thing, but in the real world, women do feel ambivalent about pregnancy, and often feel ashamed for having a pregnancy “scare” (such a revealing term in the first place), and needing to go and talk to a stranger – or worse, not a stranger – about it before you even know can be pretty nerve-wracking to deal with. And as someone who has experienced a miscarriage before I can understand just appreciating every little bit of privacy on this subject, and being able to deal with your own emotions to the greatest extent possible before you start bringing other people into things.
Pregnancy is a part of life, just like sex and periods. If we’re going to sell condoms and tampons in restrooms, why not pregnancy tests? I don’t have any strong feelings one way or the other about this being in a bar, specifically, because I think that the hysteria about a drink or two in such early stages of pregnancy is a bit overblown – but I definitely support increasing access to affordable pregnancy tests in a variety of public places. I know quite a few women who ran straight from the Target check-out counter right into the Target bathroom, barely even bothering with a bag. Women have been buying and using pregnancy tests in public for a long time now – why not make it just a bit easier, more affordable, and less daunting? To me, making pregnancy tests more affordable and accessible seems like the very earliest form of showing public support for and acceptance of pregnant women.
I particularly like the clarification:
“But stop saying it’s just to protect potential babies and to stop women from making bad choices!”
What IS this all for if not for making better choices? Making if EASIER to make bad choices?
More than likely the person who is going to use this is really not a person who was “planning” on getting pregnant.
I found this comment interesting:
‘It would also allow women to take pregnancy tests in a space where their partners, parents or other intimates will not discover the results — a good thing for women who may face violence, poor treatment or pressure from their partner, parent or other intimate for being pregnant (or for being pregnant and wanting to stay pregnant, or for being pregnant and wanting to end the pregnancy, or for not even being pregnant but leaving behind evidence of sex by taking a pregnancy test). And at $3 a test, they’re really really cheap – must cheaper than a drugstore pregnancy test.”
Two of the three possible reasons (one reason is repeated) for wanting to take the test are to hide the woman’s sexual behaviour from either a partner or family member. In these two scenarios the woman probably should not have had sex in the first place. The fact the someone is considering this idea as a business opportunity intimates that some women have become irresponsible/lax with respect to their own sex lives.
However, the idea is not bad in itself, and theoretically it could be used for morally respectable reasons but it does risk the chance of devaluing preborn life.
As a business idea. I am not sure this will be a success. As a public service, it is questionable.
You can by pregnancy tests at “Dollar Tree” stores (the $1 stores). I’ve bought I don’t know HOW many there. Ovulation tests, too.
Pamela, are those reliable? just curious.
Hey, MusicBringsJoy, they are quite reliable! I think they are actually more sensitive than some of the $15-$18 tests at normal drugstores.
I know! Let’s have the condom dispensors first, next to pregnancy test dispensers in case the first fails. Then next to that the Plan B machines, so you can “fix the problem” right away! Easy peesy, and no one needs to know! What could possibly go wrong?