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Recently, it was the 50th anniversary of “The Pill.” Countless reports popped up on TV and the radio and the Internet chronicling the history of The Pill and mostly it was positive. We all know that for some women the pill doesn’t work well and those women develop health issues. A doctor must closely monitor them and sometimes by changing brands they can find a brand without side effects but not always. One report stated that at one time or another 80% of all American women have been on The Pill.
Of all the reports I heard or read, the one that was the most significant to me was that if nothing else The Pill forced women to see their doctor once a year. It is the only way to obtain The Pill, through a doctor’s prescription. Women’s health clinics have “used” the pill to bring patients to them for health care, women who typically would not spend meager dollars for health care but who do want The Pill. By getting them into the clinics the providers are able to check the women thoroughly for a variety of health care issues. Though The Pill possibly could be found through illegal channels it isn’t necessary. Most clinics provide The Pill on request and often free but only after a health evaluation.
The distribution of The Pill has not been without controversy. Some believe it promotes promiscuity by removing the fear of pregnancy. And, of course, The Pill does not protect women against STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). Many people are worried about the long-term use of The Pill and others worry about immediate use issues. However, doctors have always been open and direct about the possible problems with The Pill and everyone takes it feeling that the risk of an unplanned pregnancy by not taking it outweighs the risk of a “possible” problem with taking it. There are also religious objections over its use. The debates over The Pill and abortion are endless and not for discussion in this posting. I have another egg to hatch today. (Pun intended.)
I have never heard objections, religious or otherwise, over the huge numbers of men taking Viagra (sildenafil citrate) or similar erectile dysfunction drugs. I have heard and read hilarious jokes and have viewed countless cartoons. Some cartoonists are very talented! In fact, famous men have been known to promote male enhancement drugs on TV. While preparing this blog I read about a number of well-known celebrities who take the drug recreationally, not because there’s a genuine need. One celebrity takes it though he is still able to perform normally. His problem is that he must wait for a period of time before performing after his previous performance. Poor guy. He has to WAIT. (Try to write something like this without using the words that would be fun to use. eBlogger would not like it. It’s very difficult.) If we think about it for a minute it’s odd. The Pill prevents pregnancy; Viagra does everything in its power to promote pregnancy. No objections? Have we forgotten how the egg gets fertilized?
Let’s take a look at this scientifically. If a male injects a female with sperm, the little swimmer works its way to the female’s egg and if it’s a lucky little swimmer it pokes itself into the egg and a pregnancy could develop. In the days before male enhancement drugs, men sometimes were not able to impregnate the objects of their affection eliminating the fear of pregnancy at least some of the time. Often inebriated males at parties, bars, and clubs ceased to function and though they made efforts to have sex with the girls they often were not able to. Instead a form of romantic mauling took place without the act reaching a conclusion. No longer a problem. Now no matter how drunk or stoned they are they can still perform. Some men with erectile dysfunction can (theoretically) take it well into their hundreds. Sperm in very old men has been known to produce babies. These drugs have turned normal healthy men with normal healthy sex drives into out of control baby machines. But if women take The Pill the fear is that they are going to be promiscuous. Really?
The original purpose (I hope) of the development of these male enhancement drugs was genuine. To help men who through illness or age or anxiety problems were no longer able to have normal sex lives. A normal sex life—not a 16 year old at a party popping enhancement drugs like candy to have an all night orgy. But that’s what has happened. Viagra and other drugs like it have gone wild and are now sold like party drugs. When Suddam Hussein was captured everyone came out of the woodwork to tell the world about his odd behaviors and one of his behaviors was his addiction to taking huge quantities of these drugs so that he could stay “ready” for hours and hours and “party” his brains out with many women.
And we’ve all seen the eye-popping TV commercials with the horrifying disclaimer at the end (I looked up safety issues with Viagra and the list is huge. Of course, not all men will have the side effects listed in the huge list. It wouldn’t matter anyway. They would take it if their eyes popped out of their sockets and their arms fell off. Who needs arms?)
These enhancement drugs are widely available to any adult or teen legally or illegally. It’s a party drug. It’s often taken with ecstasy/XTC (Methylenedioxymetamphetamine/MDMA). Almost any male can request a prescription for one of these drugs by making up excuses about performance issues and they get it. It’s so easy to obtain that it’s taken to parties and passed around—often with XTC. The commercials for male enhancement drugs on TV outnumber The Pill commercials. With all these men and boys running around with perpetual “readiness” we should be shoveling The Pill to our girls at birth.
The gay community doesn’t have the pregnancy concerns but they do have health concerns. In fact, whether straight or gay, all men running around having even more sex than ever before in history (if that’s even possible) puts our entire society at risk for spreading STDs and worse.
For every mother with a teen daughter who attends parties and is worried that if her daughter takes The Pill she may dance on table tops and fall into the arms of drooling boys, remember: the drooling boys are now fortified. Boys and men who are “ready” can be very persuasive.
Start buying baby clothes.
Each week in this spot I will report an instance of good customer service (if any) but without embellishment. Just a business or an entity that knows how to treat customers.
This week I received excellent customer service from:
CalTrans-(in response to a complaint)
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