Wiggin, you seem to be forgetting the women who can't take the pill, for whatever reason. When I reached my 30's, my blood pressure soared! I could no longer take the pill. I opted for the depo-provera shots, but not all women want a shot ever 3 months, or can afford the office visit it entails every 3 months. I was lucky because Medicaid did pay for it.

Yes, women have lots of options when it comes to birth control. Yes, a woman should take responsibility for her body and her health. BUT, a real man will still use a condom! Especially for the one night stands and the random hit and run fucks!

When The Kid was in high school, they had a mandatory class their Jr. and Sr. years, called Health and Life. I guess BFE was still behind the times, because all they taught was abstinence. (That has changed since 2006 when The Kid graduated. Now they teach prevention and abstinence, but at least they now mention birth control and STD control) Of the 12 or 13 girls in his Sr. class, 8 were mothers before graduation and 1 was pregnant at graduation. I guess abstinence didn't work so well!

If you go back to my generation, mid to late 40's now, you find a few more abortions than you would expect. In my class of 15 or 16 girls, I think 8 had abortions before our sophomore year was over, and 1 was pregnant and planning to give it up for adoption. (Her family were strict Catholics, but she missed the part about unmarried sex, I guess!) Now I realize there isn't much to do in BFE except drink, drive around, and fornicate, but we still had a high percentage of pregnancies in our class. I think the Jr. class had an equally high number of abortions. I have no idea about the Sr. class. The Freshman class only had 1 or 2 pregnancies that I know of, and both ended in abortion.

Is that rate too high? Yeah, IMO! But putting a number on how many is too many is a bit hard. I do believe anyone who goes for a 2nd abortion because they are using that as a method of BC, should receive counseling and be given a good lesson on BC and ways to prevent pregnancies. If for no other reason than the fact that abortions are a serious medical procedure. We know repeated abortions raise the probability of medical problems.

*Caution, personal anecdote ahead*

I have a friend who has had no less than 6 abortions. (possibly more) She had an allergic reaction to the early pill, so assumed the newer ones would cause the same problems, couldn't afford the shots, and hated condoms with a passion. She tried an IUD, and it almost killed her, she was one of the few that it caused uncontrolled bleeding. So, she decided to use abortion as BC. The last one she had, at age 46, was the one that caused her a shitload of problems. Somehow her uterus was punctured, possibly because it was weakened from previous abortions. She came home from Colorado, (nearest place that performs abortions) and thought the bleeding was normal, since she had bled after her other ones. Her husband just happened to come in off the road. (Yes, you nosy people, she was married to The Friend. She is NOT the one he left me for!) He hadn't even known she was pregnant! The next morning, when he got up, she was pasty white, and cold to the touch, but still coherent. (At least as coherent as Mona ever got! lol) He immediately took her to the doctor in Casper, when they had to give her 3 units of blood, and perform a hysterectomy. What amazed me was, she was pissed they did a hysterectomy. Stupid woman!

The point of that little story is...using abortion as a form of BC is damned dangerous, and can prove fatal, in some cases! I feel anyone who has 2 should be educated in other forms of BC! (Of course, if it is for medical reasons, that can be a bit different. It's still dangerous tho.) To say nothing about the fact that NOT using a condom increases the chances of getting an STD!

Have I always followed my own advice in regards to the condom...no! Have I had multiple pregnancies...yes. Have I had multiple abortions...HELL NO! But, as I have gotten older and more outspoken, I find it easier to ask a man to wear a condom! I think many young girls are embarrassed to ask a man about diseases. (Yes, that man might lie about that tho.) I also think many of them are embarrassed to ask a man to wear a condom. For some reason, asking questions like that seem to be taboo. We need to move past the embarrassment and start having open discussions about sex, STDs, and birth control. Until we move past that embarrassment, we will have unwanted/unexpected pregnancies, some resulting in abortion. We will have STDs passed around, and the medical problems that go with them. We just need to learn to be more open about our sexuality. I tried to teach The Kid the reality of sex...it can cause infections if the partner is infected with an STD, and it can result in pregnancy. I also provided him, and a few of his friends, with condoms. I can honestly say that none of those pregnancies in his graduating class could be attributed to him. He has decided to wait until he is more financial stable and finds the woman for him, before he has sex. I am proud of him for that decision.