Here be Dragons

An Open Letter to Rick Santorum from an interested observer across the pond:

Dear Rick (I hope you don’t mind me calling you that),

I have noticed your recent achievement of almost winning in Iowa. Congratulations on only losing by 8 votes. However, I think there are a few things you may need to review before moving on to the next part of the election process.

I believed (up until recently) that you were a proponent of small government & that the state should interfere as little as possible in the lives of the people.

This may come as some surprise to you , but women are, brace yourself, actually people!! (yes really)

I know, I know, it’s a lot to take in.. but take a deep breath and continue with me.

I imagine that when you said, “Many of the Christian faith have said, well, that’s okay, contraception is okay. It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be”, you may not have been aware of this.

It may come as a shock to you that people (women – and yes really, we are considered to be people) may object to this interpretation of the role of contraception. Aside from being a responsible way of avoiding unwanted and potentially life destroying pregnancies, contraception can be, and in fact, is used to treat other medical maladies.

For example, Did you know that the most common form of treatment for acne is the pill?

I know, you probably think that we should be grateful for whatever God has chosen to bestow upon us, and that really, women should just live with the skin condition and not complain about the potential scarring or infections.

And, in fairness, you are probably right. I mean, why would teenage girls want to avoid the spiritual growth that bullying can bring.

I am also assuming that your good lady wife and daughters do not suffer from an extreme type of menstruation, so here’s a little biology lesson to help you out:

Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining (roughly translated: the walls of the womb bleed until the lining is gone). It occurs on a regular basis in sexually reproductive-age girls/women. Regular menstruation lasts for a few days, usually 3 to 5 days, but anywhere from 2 to 8 days is considered normal. The average menstrual cycle is 28 days long from the first day of one menstrual period to the first day of the next. A normal menstrual cycle is typically between 21 and 35 days between menstrual periods.

Many women experience painful uterine cramps during menstruation. The muscles of the uterus, and abdominal muscles surrounding the uterus, contract spasmodically to push the menstrual fluid out of the uterus. The contractions are produced by the tissue lining the uterus, which is believed to release an excess of fatty acids called prostaglandins that stimulate the muscles, leading to contractions.

Some women experience debilitating symptoms. It is unknown why this occurs in some women and not others. Severe symptoms may include pain spreading to hips, lower back and thighs, nausea and frequent diarrhea or constipation. Treatments target excess prostaglandin, using anti-prostaglandin medications or oral contraceptives.

Now I know what you are going to say. These women deserve the cramps, diarrhoea, constipation, migraines etc.. In fact ALL women should have them. They are after all suffering Divine Retribution for the sin of Eve (the Harlot!).

But really.. after 6.5 thousand years (apparently), surely God is able to let go of his grudge?? Isn’t he supposed to be an ALL-LOVING and ALL-FORGIVING God??

Anyway, I am sure that this is food for thought for you. May contraceptive’s aren’t all bad? Possibly?

Ok, in case you’re not convinced, I’ll give you a more personal example of necessary contraceptive use.

I suffer from a rare adverse reaction to the female hormone Estrogen. This is unfortunate, given that I’m female. Excessive production of the hormone causes tumour-growth on my liver. This means pregnancy is a potentially dangerous thing for me. I can’t take any chances and if I ever do get pregnant it will be very well planned, with specialist doctors and regular scans to make sure tumours aren’t growing and that my liver is not about to haemorrhage. 

In order to not expose myself to a potentially deadly condition I use contraceptives (the coil –  if you must know).

But of course if you don’t see women as people, then you won’t believe that they deserve or are entitled to the best that modern medicine can provide to ensure a healthy and fully functioning life.

Contraception saves lives. But apparently, you don’t believe those lives are worth saving.