Saturday, November 06, 2010

it's doing the opposite of working

In 1960, the birth control pill was approved for use in the United States. It was, and continues to be, heralded as the beginning of a "sexual revolution" in which women were freed from the consequences of an unwanted pregnancy. Up until about five minutes ago, I didn't know the rate of pregnancies in unwed mothers in the 1960s. Do you know what it was? Incorrect. It was 4%.

Do you know what the rate of pregnancies in unwed mothers is today? Wildly incorrect. It is 41%. I'm not saying the issue is simple. It is undoubtedly a complex one. What I am saying is that the birth control pill doesn't seem to be working. In fact, it seems to be doing the opposite of working. A 100 fold increase instead of a decrease? Nice try Science. I'm on to you.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very true, Max! Being of a "certain age" (old) I remember how the pill freed people to be laissez-faire, with sad consequences! We thought we were getting freedom, instead got a whole new set of problems. The pill does work usually as far as I know, so it's weird. Mom

Anonymous said...

Could it be that some people don't bother to get married anymore??? It could also be profitable to raise them alone.

Anonymous said...

Hey, freedom isn't free!