Well, hell. I wasn't going to get myself involved in any more of these opinion threads -- got tired of getting slimed -- but as Catspaw proves repeatedly, it's hard to keep a Big Mouth down...

I've written articles in two separate cities about programs designed to intervene in the lives of young women, based on the idea that a lot of inappropriate sexual behavior is more of a self-esteem issue than one of sexuality. These are effective programs, but a hard sell. The research is pretty solid, however, that the more options you give a young woman (and I'm talking life options here, not birth-control options) and the more self-respect she can build up, the fewer unwanted pregnancies happen.

It's fascinating to me how much some religious folk have made the unborn fetus almost a holy icon, but basically don't care much for the already born human person who just happens to be a female in her child-bearing years. If we could create a society that respected girls and boys' humanity, and raised them to be actual human persons rather than consumers --of sex, of music, of stuff and stuff and more stuff -- we might find ourselves with a birth rate that stays relatively reasonable. People -- not just kids, but us grownups, too -- have sex for a bazillion reasons and only about five of those reasons actually have to do with sex. More often it's about being viewed as desirable, being affirmed as potent, pleasing the one who says s/he wants you, being admired and respected, gaining status, and sometimes just getting our skin touched in a pleasing way. Maybe if we could just start focusing on taking care of some of those needs in a healthy, affirming and life-producing way, we could stop worrying so much about the end of the process: abortion or unwanted babies.

Make art, not babies.

WyoWoman