Im a mother of six, and a Mormon. I have a good understanding of arguments surrounding abortion, religious and otherwise. I've been listening to men grandstand about women's reproductive rights, and I'm convinced men actually have zero interest in stopping abortion. Here's why
If you want to stop abortion, you need to prevent unwanted pregnancies. And men are 100% responsible for unwanted pregnancies. No for real, they are. Perhaps you are thinking: IT TAKES TWO! And yes, it does take two for _intentional_ pregnancies.
But ALL unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. Period. Dont believe me? Let me walk you through it. Lets start with this: women can only get pregnant about 2 days each month. And thats for a limited number of years.
That makes 24 days a year a women might get pregnant. But men can _cause_ pregnancy 365 days a year. In fact, if youre a man who ejaculates multiple times a day, you could cause multiple pregnancies daily. In theory a man could cause 1000+ unwanted pregnancies in just one year.
And though their sperm gets crappier as they age, men can cause unwanted pregnancies from puberty till death. So just starting with basic biology + the calendar its easy to see men are the issue here.
But what about birth control? If a woman doesnt want to risk an unwanted pregnancy, why wouldnt she just use birth control? If a women can manage to figure out how to get an abortion, surely she can get birth control, right? Great questions.
Modern birth control is possibly the greatest invention of the last century, and I am very grateful for it. Its also brutal. The side effects for many women are ridiculously harmful. So ridiculous, that when an oral contraception for men was created, it wasnt approved
because of the side effects. And the list of side effects was about 1/3 as long as the known side effects for women's oral contraception. https://tinyurl.com/y8zapds5
Theres a lot to be unpacked just in that story, but Ill simply point out (in case you didnt know) that as a society, we really dont mind if women suffer, physically or mentally, as long as it makes things easier for men.
But good news, Men: Even with the horrible side effects, women are still very willing to use birth control. Unfortunately its harder to get than it should be. Birth control options for women require a doctors appointment and a prescription. Its not free, and often not cheap.
In fact there are many people trying to make it more expensive by fighting to make sure insurance companies refuse to cover it. Oral contraceptives for women cant be acquired easily, or at the last minute. And they don't work instantly.
If were talking about the pill, it requires consistent daily use and doesnt leave much room for mistakes, forgetfulness, or unexpected disruptions to daily schedules. And again, the side effects can be brutal. IM STILL GRATEFUL FOR IT PLEASE DONT TAKE IT AWAY.
Im just saying women's birth control isnt simple or easy. In contrast, lets look at birth control for men, meaning condoms. Condoms are readily available at all hours, inexpensive, convenient, and dont require a prescription. Theyre effective, and work on demand, instantly.
Men can keep them stocked up just in case, so theyre always prepared. Amazing! They are so much easier than birth control options for women. As a bonus, in general, women love when men use condoms. They keep us from getting STDs, they dont lessen our pleasure during sex
(Out of characters, but the twitter thread keeps going).