[Taxacom] Pro-natalism vs. biodiversity

[Kenneth Kinman]

Hi Dick,
      I don't think it is really a sexist attitude.  Sure we should
provide condoms to males who need them and want to take responsibility
for their potentially reproductive actions.  However, in a majority of
cases, I suspect the female will be more likely to insist that the male
wear a condom if she is not wanting to become pregnant.  The reality is
that failure to do so will fall onto her shoulders, not only to bear the
child, but too often to support and raise the child as well.             
       My response was mainly in response to the suggestion that
education of women was the main solution.  But that is only part of the
answer, because education is not much help if the woman doesn't have the
tools to use that knowledge.  Just think how frustrating it would be to
know how to to control your reproductive future, but not even having the
most basic tools (condoms) to implement that knowledge.  Sure it would
also be nice to provide her with birth control pills if she thinks that
would be more effective and more helpful (especially with a male who
just doesn't like condoms), but birth control pills are more expensive
to produce, and condoms are certainly better than nothing at all.  We
need to do what we can with the funds available, and more widely
available condoms would be a good start when other options are
unavailable.  Besides, I strongly suspect that the naysayers, like the
Pope, would object somewhat less to condoms than to birth control pills.    
      Anyway, if males want the condoms, I am definitely in favor of
making them available to them as well, but in a majority of cases, I
really think the female is more likely to be the responsible one,
especially when things get "hot and heavy" and hormones tend to
overwhelm the calmer, more rational parts of our brains (which then kick
in only after the fact).  Birth control pills are perhaps more helpful
in such circumstances, but a condom is certainly far better than no
control measures at all.
       ------Ken  
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