1. Whether a woman wants to have a baby or not, there is a time in every woman's life when she does not prefer to get pregnant, even married women use birth control!
After the birth of my 3rd child, I began having trouble with my periods, and my doctor put me on the year-round pill so I wouldn't have any periods. Who needs pain and hemorrhaging once a month? It's not healthy to lose all that blood from age 11 til your 50's! Our ancestors were always either pregnant or nursing or died young, so women did not have as many periods in previous generations. And, for women with ovarian cysts, their doctors put them on the pill to prevent ovulation, which aggrevates their condition. It has been a blessing for me. And, I was fortunate enough to have the children God gave me.

Sarah at 12:27PM on Aug 8th 2008

2. By the way, I do agree that this ad, and all ads for birth control, viagra and feminine products are insulting and ridiculous! And some health insurances pay for viagra but not birth contol? That is insulting and demeaning, because in most cases, the women have to be in charge of birth control.

Sarah at 12:36PM on Aug 8th 2008

3.
WTF??

Should women become pregnant everytime sex occurs?

Leslee is a moron !!

mac at 1:10PM on Aug 8th 2008

4. Ada,

OCP's are abortifacients!

OCP's are very seriously harmful to women and even deadly.

Menstruation, on the other hand in over 99% of the time are normal and many modern day women menstruate regularly, get pregnant and nurse up to several children and live long, healthy and productive lives.
I know a good many of hese kinds of beautiful women (including myself). These women average about 6 or more children. The most has 12.

Menstrual cramps are over-rated. And for that 1% who truly suffer from medical condtions that cause the severe pain and hemorrhaging, they fit into the medically and morally ethical use for hormone therapy category.
It's a downright shame to convince women to take OCP's indiscrimanantly simply for trading a few moments of pleasure for high risks of blood clots, cancers, heart disease, stroke and even death.
Women appear to accept these risks, though, seemingly because the other option is rejection and loneliness.
"Thanks", in part to the media and men and pornography backers.

Nina at 1:10PM on Aug 8th 2008

5.
Sarah,
FYI for you,
Medicaid and the Higher Courts are in a serious conversation at present. Medicaid is seeking to not cover birth control pills due to the medical/legal complications of it being an abortifacient.
And, I agree with you, about the women having the responsibilities dumped onto them. And, that sad fact won't change unless women as a whole help men learn to respect them and love them in a healthy and balanced way.
I also agree with you that OCP ads are ridiculous and degrading!

Nina at 1:17PM on Aug 8th 2008

6. mac,
As you know, women only get pregnant during their fertile time (ovulation).
I'm not being sarcastic at all so I hope you don't take me that way.
I just wanted to share with you that there is such a thing as NFP (natural family planning) which uses no pills, condoms etc. and it not the rhythm method.
It allows sexual intercourse up to 21 days a cycle, depending on the woman.
My husband, admittedly, had a tough time with agreeing to do the NFP method. But, honestly, what won him over was that I promised to actively love him every single "on" night and he promised to cuddle the other 7-9 nights.
It didn't take long for him to realize he was getting a darn good deal!
It's a fact, most people get sex 1 a week on a good week and you can bet they're using birth control.

Nina at 1:31PM on Aug 8th 2008

7. Well they never really show the middle-aged hubby with a raging hard-on in the Viagra or Cialis ads either. Nor does one really need an onscreen demonstration of the effects of a stool softener to know what that does.

I think most of the target audiences for these medications understand their main purpose.

bob at 2:21PM on Aug 8th 2008

8. I feel the commercials are insulting to women, with their attitude in discussing a serious issue for women. It is nothing to be carefree about, as they present their products in a way,,,like sex in the city,, a group of young 30's to 40's sitting at a party ontop of a roof in New York, with one woman of spanish decent, one white, one black, and one asian, smilling and and being carefree about a serious choice in a womans life while sipping drinks,and checking men out,,, this is not just about pedriod control and decreased discomfort with period!! I agree, these commericals, and others like them, insults our gender,intellgence,race,and the true issue at hand a womans right to have choice of her body,,while abortion is not for me because of my choice for my own personal religion this is my choice only for me. I feel that these comercials are about as serious as one for breakfast cereal. They should deal with the issue at hand so that woman have choices, and that is what we need and deserve. Don't get me startedon how dumb maxi pads or tampon commercials are!!!!

katie at 2:40PM on Aug 8th 2008

9. I'm surprised Janesophie hasn't hopped on this thread yet. I have no doubt what so ever that she will state that women should get pregnant whenever they have sex, because that is the 'natural' order and goes according to God's plan.

Personally, I think the stigma of birth control and preventing pregnacies is that it plays to the belief that women should not be sexual beings. They shouldn't seek out sex for the sake of having sex. They shouldn't be like single guys looking to get laid in a one night stand. Sex, for women, is something that should be done, not something that should be enjoyed.

Of course this view is aided by female celebs like Brittney and Paris Hilton playing the debauchery to the hilt and forcing women's sexuality into two extremes. On one hand you have Janesophie telling women what they ought to do with themselves, and more importantly what they should not do, and then you have Brittney and Paris going nuts and making complete jackasses out of themselves and turning their sex lives into complete wrecks.

There's no comfortable middle ground where a woman can publicly say 'I like to have sex, and I'm going to do it, and I'm going to enjoy it.' She's either a slut or a prude. Anything else just fails to capture our attention.

Somber at 3:06PM on Aug 8th 2008

10.
Nina,
As you know, there are other forms of sex. Sex that has a near zero chance of pregnancy....no pills, no rhythm, no cycle count....but alas, some folks call it Sodomy - they try to regulate that as well.

If no egg is fertilized, the drug can in no way be an abortifacient(how does one abort something that does not exist?) !


On a less sarcastic note, congratulations. You seem to have found happiness with your partner.

mac at 3:16PM on Aug 8th 2008

11. mac,

I enjoyed a good chuckle there. (Sodomy isn't something I'm "into" and so I'm definitely not it's poster-girl proponent:)
The pill is abortifacient absolutely when ovulation occurs. The ovualtion thing is not as clear cut and neither is the abortifacient activity, unfortunately, for the most part. But, I do see your point. Thanks.

I hope you've found the same happiness with your loved one.

Nina at 3:37PM on Aug 8th 2008

12. Well, to Ada's point, I have no idea why the birth control pill remains so controversial. Geez, it has been around since the early 1960's. Unless you are a staunch Catholic (not many of those left, let's face it) or object to it otherwise on moral grounds, birth control is every woman's right. How sad that some conservatives want to push women back to a bygone era - no birth control, no abortion rights, no rights at all. Hey, why not just take away a woman's right to vote, own property, and put her back in hoop skirts?

David S. at 3:55PM on Aug 8th 2008

13. Dave, you are overreacting here.
It's not only staunch Catholics that prefer natural methods (as opposed to the Un-Natural ones).

So, 21 days out of the cycle aren't enough for guys like you?

Of course you want it when you want it and since you add zero percent responsibility to that part of your relationship with a woman, sure, be outspoken that she should have the right to birth control.
Obviously you also don't care if murder's committed in the process.
hoop skirts(eewwwee) vs. cancer,death,stroke,etc)
Somehow, I believe that if a woman REALLY had a choice in the matter, she'd pick the hoop skirt.

I don't know for sure.

All of the women out there-what say you?

Nina at 4:09PM on Aug 8th 2008

14. I am confused by the comments. If the pill prevents ovulation so that no ova is fertilized then there can be no killing of a fertilized ova which is a baby. Why do people object to and want to interfere in a woman's right to control her reproductive life? Why are so people so obsessed with what takes place between other people's legs? It would seem that those people who oppose the pill or who believe safer methods of birth control should be available can donate to research that supports their views. I find those who believe that painful menstrual periods don't exist or are exaggerated cannot be very bright or knowlegeable about the subject. I used to hurt so badly I prayed for death. My gynocologist told my mother my periods were painful because I was sexually promiscuous. I was eleven at the time and a virgin. I remained a virgin until age 27 when I discovered love for the first time. Anyway no one can truly say that something is the same for everyone. And every woman should be free to determine what she will do about her reproductive ability and the babies she will give birth to. I do not believe in abortion but I am very strongly in favor of family planning.

Anne Anderson at 4:28PM on Aug 8th 2008

15. When China legislates government-enforced sterilization, people cry "horrific." When people voluntarily sterilize themselves through chemicals or self-mutilation, Americans say "hooray."

Go figure. The pill is just another method of aborting babies and promoting activity that incurs STDs. Now that's horrific.

preteristvision at 4:24PM on Aug 8th 2008