Ema finds a typical case of a newspaper article that mangles the whole idea of Plan B contraception. It’s really not that hard to understand. Is it just that there are so many lies out there from the anti-family-planning mob that lazy journalists are easily confused?
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
The article seems clear to me that the Washington Post author is a bit confused. PZ, thanks for the link that corrects all the Washington Post’s mistakes.
And, how on Earth can there be an ‘equivalent to an abortion’ (as stated in the Post) if no zygote is formed in the first place? I like the prospect of not creating an unwanted child in the first place instead of trying to back up and smudge-up ‘mistakes’.
This is what the right wing propaganda machine and an ignorant and lazy reporter will get you–an entirely misleading article. Sadly, it didn’t appear in just the WaPo but was syndicated to hundreds of newspapers nationwide, compounding the ignorance. It’s no wonder that Dubya and his minions have managed to win so many battles with a press like this.
It’s pathetic. The bible bangers don’t dare tell the truth, because they know they’ll get it handed to them, so they prefer to “Bear False Witness” Um… Yeah… That’s the ticket.
Reminds me of the recent elections where Stem Cell research was on the ballot. The intellectually-deficient conservatives actually bought billboards saying that the research would lead to cloning. Ridiculous.
Tom—it’s more than intellectually deficient (although they are indeed that). It’s downright lying.
The fundies are worried that it *might* *theoretically* *potentially* *occasionally* *accidentally* prevent implantation (which is still not an abortion, but that’s neither here nor there). More importantly, they’re upset about the idea that a woman can have sex without risking pregnancy and, in this case, compensate for the typical-use failures of birth control (broken condom, forgotten pill) after the fact, which they hate since they don’t want the things to work as well as they do, and making birth control more efficient is therefore rather less than welcome.
So they lie. They cover up their misogyny with what they call “legitimate concerns,” in this case, that it works as a mini-abortion often/usually/always, and spread them like manure. We’re stuck defending against significantly more arguments against it than we should have to, and they come across as “pro-life” rather than anti-female-pleasure-and-autonomy.
They also pulled shit like this with the anti-gay-marriage amendment in Oregon—they went to great lengths to reassure the voting public that the thing only prevented gay marriage, not civil unions, and once the amendment passed they started shooting down attempts at civil unions by pointing to the amendment and going “the people have made it clear that they don’t want this.”
The deliberate ignorance of these “anti-Plan B” cabals drives me nuts. Science gives the fundies a non-abortion contraceptive and they still have the nerve to twist it into negative propaganda. You can’t please everyone….
They lie about Plan B, evolution, American history, condoms, global warming, and gays. They lie about stem cells and euthanasia. The religious beliefs they are trying to protect with these lies are also lies. Can anyone come up with something the Christian Right is not lying about? That would be news.
Come on people! who still holds the “law” on the vast majority? Male vs female… (gawd, even that reference is a hint!) “FeMales” have exactly what rights in a “male” dominated world? Of course everything is going to spin to the male (anti-reproductive rights) MO.
The very information you repeat and question, begs the question, “Why should this type of topic exist in the first place? hmmmm?” Women still are NOT in control of their own bodies. I don’t care what country or background or ethnicity you call home… females who have no educated CHOICE are slaves, in disguise.
> The deliberate ignorance of these “anti-Plan B”
> cabals drives me nuts. Science gives the fundies
> a non-abortion contraceptive and they still have
> the nerve to twist it into negative propaganda.
That’s because they’re actually more concerned with regulating sexual behavior than with protecting fertilized eggs.
Broad acceptance of Plan B would be a disaster for them, because it would undercut all the “murdering babies” rhetoric.
Have you considered the possibility that the editorial process in most news operations might be packed with anti-sex mobsters?
Kyra, you said just what I wanted to say. This particular attitude makes it abundantly clear that the anti-choice folk’s reasons for opposing abortion have nothing to do with the relative quality of the lives affected and everything to do with their juggernaut on what they perceive as wanton recreational sex. Science has handed them a sure-fire way to prevent millions of abortions from occurring,and still they fight it tooth and nail. It is preferable, then, for families to suffer the consequences of unintended pregnancy–or be so fearful of theses consequences that all sexual expression outside of heterosexual procreative coitus is stifled. It’s sickening that so many in our society–Washington Post columnists and all–are enabling this deluded and destructive world view.
#9:
A no-brainer there… …heck, if they could, they’d probably try to find a way to regulate the preconceived…
At any rate, Eve was supposed to be PUNISHED, not have fun! And sex is a marital baby-making duty according to doG’s plan! These days, some fundie pharmacists are even refusing to fill women’s prescriptions for regular birth control pills and other forms of contraception (under the excuse that they could hypothetically prevent a fertilized egg from implantation…)
When reading wingnut comments about this, and then the same people’s views on why no government action should be taken to ensure a lower infant mortality rate, I am always reminded of the quip that in their minds, “the sanctity of life begins at fertilization and ends at birth”.
By the way, I think PZ has written one of the best explanations of Plan B, one I have often referred people to in online debates.
That is the most insulting thing about these sorts of debates. the so-called moderates will attach themselves to this kind of story and claim that it’s the middle. they don’t understand the biology behind this and they are willing to just repeat the he said/she said argument to write a story.
My grandfather had a lot of bigoted beliefs but he was also a journalist and he would have absolutely hated this kind of story.
I think he’s spinning in his grave.
phat
So, when will this finally be settled. Who should control women’s bodies, the her government or her pharmacist?
Is it just that there are so many lies out there from the anti-family-planning mob that lazy journalists are easily confused?
No, it’s that the WaPo is one of the spearhead organisations for the far-right theocratic putsch.
Newspapers want to make money. Knowledgeable reporting is expensive, garning opinion is dirt cheap. This was done ont the cheap.
Women are using an equivalent to Plan B as we speak – if I remember correctly, it’s just a higher dosage of the most common ‘pill’, so taking multiple pills at once works the same. So they’re not really preventing its use, they’re just making sure there’s no medical supervision. Kinda like the outcome of outlawing abortion. People will still have them, but they’ll be ‘hidden’ and vastly more dangerous.
Typing that made me come up with a brilliant idea for sex ed:
In the religious right mindset, you’re allowed to do anything, as long as no one sees you and you don’t ever talk about it. So, pay a high schooler to give out contraception info at his school between classes. It’s perfect. No one will talk about it in public, but they’ll know and use it. Plus it’ll become rebellious to know about contraception.
When you repeat a lie as “so-and-so said that Plan B can cause halitosis and job loss” without noting that it’s a lie, you’re just spreading it — which can then be inferred to be your intention, because people remember what they “heard” without remembering where.
If a pharmacist tells you that they won’t fill a prescription from your doctor, please have a major screaming fit in their store until all other customers leave. Include demands to call their manager, their owner, their suppliers, and their regulatory body. Then picket them. Write letters of complaint. Take out an ad in the paper explaining why you won’t buy anything else there ever again. Or better yet, get the most gossipy newspaper in town to run it as a story.
PZ, would it be possible for you to link to or repost your old series explaining how Plan B works? I personally thought that those posts were a great rebuttal to this kind of nonsense.
I’ve even heard that some fundie doctors will refuse to prescribe ED meds to unmarried men. This article is about a Canadian doc:
http://www.consciencelaws.org/Repression-Conscience/Conscience-Repression-17.html
I’ll bet they’re far, far rarer than the ones who don’t want women to have any fun, though.
Speaking of Plan B opponents, check out this post on TBogg’s site. The picture of Rob Bluey wearing the Navy cap is a howler!
http://tbogg.blogspot.com/2007/07/bitches-got-it-coming-wingnut-welfare.html