Cherry-poppin headache
First, a disclaimer. Look. I generally subscribe to the philosophy of moderation in all things, including politics (Libertarian). However, I also believe that consistency, logic, and reasonable evaluation of data should underlie government policy.* Perish the fucking thought! This will often make it seem like I have an ideological axe to grind, like, uh...now. But I really don't, i swear!Anyway. The Christian right needs to Shut. Up. on the topic of birth control and STD prevention. Distributing condoms at school? Terrible! It would tell kids that having sex is good! Vaccinating kids against HPV? (Thanks Merck!!) Atrocious! Armed with the knowledge that they're no longer going to get cervical cancer when they're 60, girls will go out and sleep with every guy out there!
What the Christian right is concerned about is called a moral hazard - if you insure against the risk of something happening, it's more likely that that thing will happen, because people don't have to take responsibility for it. Take auto insurance for example; if you don't have any auto insurance, you're less likely to scream across four lanes of traffic at 102 mph to catch the exit you almost missed. You'd be more willing to deal with the hassle of safely getting off at the next exit and turning around, because if some little old lady decides to get in your way while you're trying to make this exit, and you total her Kia? It's your own thousands of hard-earned dollars that are going to fix her and her car. That's the theory, anyway. So according to the logic of the Christian right, we should do away with auto insurance because people will all drive more safely and we won't ever have accidents again!
Give me a fucking break. THINGS HAPPEN. That is why we're required to have auto insurance; that is why kids need birth control and vaccines to be made known and available to them. And the whole moral hazard theory is suspect anyhow. As far as car insurance goes, I know if I didn't have it I'd drive slower - for about a week. Most kids don't even know what HPV is. You think it's stopping them from having sex now? And while I know a lack of condoms would deter some responsible teenagers out there, it also makes it even harder for a girl to keep her boyfriend from pressuring her into unprotected sex. Don't even get me started the need of 3rd-world countries to receive aid AND condoms, yes, both, at the same time. (Sigh.)
*On a related note, if any of you haven't read Freakonomics by Levitt and Dubner, DO IT NOW. It's a fascinating read, even if you don't agree with the authors.
posted by jellomonkey @ 2:41 PM
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