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Originally Posted by shetlan  In church ruled victorian England, abortions where on the same tier as murder. People didn't try home based methods because they didn't "want" to go to the doctor, they tried them becasue the doctors just wouldn't perform an abortion. This was pretty constant through the western world - only changing in America in 1973 as a result of Roe vs. Wade.
Additioanlly, you assume that it was still a problem back them - that doesn't mean it was.
Let us also note that one in a million teenage girls getting pregnant (as the situation was in Victorian England and the US for most of its life) doesn't constitute a problem. Keep in mind, it was a social taboo because it was unheard-of.
On the other hand, at any one time 7.6% of all women in the US are pregnant - and only 43% of them will actually deliver their baby. These are the current stats - the 70's and 80's numbers are significantly higher. |
You weren't talking about England-- you said the U.S. Otherwise, I would have mention the Puritan taboos. But, this was before America was a country.
The stats aren't one in one million--it did probably drop during the Victorian Age, but I don't believe it was like this in "the US for most of its life", Even if you show statistics, remember, it is only what society Choosed to report--how much was never reported or suppressed?
No I don't assume--it was a problem. Just because the numbers weren't as readily available then as later (Perhaps, again, suppressed?) doesn't mean there was a sudden "problem" in the '60's and '70's. It simply came more to Public Light--girls keeping their love children, etc.
How do you know they didn't want to take it to a doctor, who would probably have blabbed it around town? Were you There?
You mentioned 60's/70's; not the 80's.
You weren't around in the sixties and seventies; anyway; I held back saying this--but: I was there. You can't trust everything in Wikipedia, you know. I have seen B/S in it since it can be edited by anyone, you know.
I do agree that the beginnings of school Sex Ed was oddly paralleled by the surge of Public Information on the statistics of teenage pregnancies. However, many a whorehouse was a clean way to get a boy his start without spreading as many STD's around. Too bad most are suppressed, except in rural counties of Nevada, due to "morality". Possibly this had something to due with the "upsurge", too?
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Originally Posted by bloodlusta But they (condoms) would not be sold to minors |
Good point; I forgot to make it. Rubbers weren't legally sold to kids, until some time in the 'sixties--Shetlan seems to forget this. See "Summer of '42" for an amusing incident about this.
This seemed to be an oxymoron started by Churches: i.e; since we don't want kids to have sex they shouldn't be able to buy protection; and such Stupid Rot as that.
It is like outlawing Fuse, nowadays--it is only encouraging making unsafe, unreliable home made fuse that will only cause More accidents (of an "explosive" nature in this case.)
Did you know in Japan, they are "individually tested"?
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Originally Posted by shetlan Contraceptives have a nasty habit of failing - and they do nothing to prevent the transmission of STDs. |
Yes, they do help prevent some STD's. Not nearly 100% safe, though--from STD's OR pregnancy, unfortunately.