The morons who rule us are pushing legislation, known as LD 31, that would require teenagers to get their parents permission to receive birth control pills. Yes, that's right...no birth control bills for teenage girls unless they ask mommy and daddy for permission first. Let that sink in for a second.
How many teenage girls are NOT going to get the pills now because they don't want to share their sexual habits with their parents, for whatever reason? How many more teenage pregnancies will we get as a result of this nonsense, which basically strips minors of their rights to receive medical care unless their parents give the ok, no matter if their parents are abusive, negligent, or simply moralizing pricks.
My friends, this really is a low blow. Let me tell you something: teenagers are going to screw. Yes, they are. It's what teenagers do. Always have, always will. Now, this could be problematic for any number of reasons, but in and of itself it is not some great crime, and certainly much of what is problematic about it can be minimized by easy access to contraception.
NPR did a piece on this last night, which, as is often the case, had me bashing my head against the steering wheel, nearly leading to a horrific accident (I should stop listening to NPR). Thankfully, many parents are petitioning to oppose this horrible legislation, but, this being Maine, there are plenty of ignorant hicks ready to stand up for the Antifeminist Tradition. Here's a particularly idiotic example of the bill's supporters' logic:
But supporters of the bill say the petition-signers do not represent the majority of Maine parents. One of the bill's co-sponsors, Republican Sen. Lois Snowe-Mello of Poland, says many parents in her district tell her that their children's ability to get contraception without their permission has them feeling left out of the picture. "We've got to let our children know that having relations is very serious and that it leads into a whole change of life for them," she says.
Hey, dumbfuck Senator, you know what leads into a whole change of life, having a fucking baby at 16, you stupid cow. I fail to see what allowing a teenager access to medical care without a parent's permission has to do with a parent being involved in teaching their kid about sex. Those two things have, literally, NOTHING to do with each other. All this legislation does is ensure that when the parents (inevitably) fail to convince their 16 year old about the perverted evils of Sexytime, such 16 year old will be far less likely to have the pill that magically prevents them from getting preggers after a steamy night in the parking lot behind the Dutch Treat.
But, of course, this isn't, and has never been, about the welfare of children. It's about policing the bodies of young girls...because they are precious inviolable holy temples, or should be, or some shit, and if they are not precious temples then they are diseased syphlitic whores. And there is absolutely nothing in between. Amen.
