Thursday, August 14, 2008

The Pill may be reason for Marital troubles

I thought this report from times online was interesting, and it might be leaning in the direction of proof that The Pill -- aka birth control pill -- might be one of the culprits for some of the marital issues we face in society today.

It might be a reason why so many people find themselves in incompatible relationships. It might also be a valient reason for affairs, fertility problems and even miscarriages.

It may even be one of the culprits for the threat of demographic changes in America down the road.

A report, completed by a group of British scientists, shows that The Pill might screw up female hormones that allow them to choose the most "compatible" mate.

Couples with "a wide-ranging set of immune system genes" have an increased chance of having a "healthy child that is not vulnerable to infection. Couples with different genes are also less likely to experience fertility problems or miscarriages."

Likewise, the article states, "Experts believe that women are naturally attracted to men with immune system genes different to their own because of their smell."

It's the pill, the report by the British scientists claim, that throws off a womans natural ability to find -- to smell, her sole mate.

While on the pill, she might choose a mate who is incompatible with her own tastes, and lead to her desire later in life to seek a mate who is compatible with her own tastes when she is no longer on the pill -- i.e. an affair.

Likewise, when a couple meets while the woman is not taking the pill, and she all of a sudden decides to start taking it, the influence of the pill may cause her to no longer be attracted to her "sole mate."

There's a whole world of science here:

"Several previous studies have suggested that women tend to prefer the smell of men who are different from them in a cluster of genes called the major istocompatibility complex (MHC), which governs the immune system. Some of these studies have also found that this effect is not seen among Pill users."

Of course we have to take these things with a grain of salt. Then again, there have been many people since the inception of The Pill that have warned against this desire to "Play God" by taking the pill.

This was also interesting:

"Psychologists from St Andrews and Stirling universities found that women on the Pill tend to prefer macho types with strong jaw lines and prominent cheekbones."

I'm not trying to renew the debate about The Pill here, but this might open up a new door for the opponents of it -- like the Catholic Church as one example.

I am Catholic, and the Catholic Church is ardantly against birth control. I can honestly tell you, however, that I am not in concordance with the Church on issues like this.

Yet, I can understand the POV of the Church.

Consider that Ben Franklin was the 15th child. How many Ben Franklins are we NOT bringing into the world?

Sure, we're getting a bit complicated here, but it's interesting to think about it none-the-less.

Consider a recent report that shows that Whites may find themselves in the minority by 2042. Could one of the reasons for this be because white Americans are adicted to birth control, while Mexican Americans are not?

It's just a thought.

This, coupled with the non-desire of our politicians to control immigration, may be what's leading to the inevitable demographic shift.

So, that in mind, is this birth control study proof that man should not play God by controlling the number of kids he has? By pleasing our sexual desires, are we creating more conundrums than we solve with The Pill.

Granted The Pill prevents some children from being born into situations where children should not be present. Some people simply should not have children, and I'm sure you know who I'm talking about. It's irrisponsible people. Yet it seems that irresponsible people don't seem to know about The Pill.

My wife works in OB here at the hospital, and she tells me about drug addicted alcoholics who are 20 and going on their 5th child, while the other four are in foster care. It's irrisponsible people like this who should be educated about birth control. But they don't care.

So, while a large percentage Americans are limiting the number of children they have, irresponsible people keep having kids. So, soon we're going to have more troubled kids in bad situations than well-raised kids in good situations.

That will be a major conundrum for all of society. Or, are we there already?

I have no problem with birth control, I'm merely considering the unseen side-effects of our decision to control the rate of birth.

This is simply another ethical issue to debate about in the arena of ideas. Feel free to opine.

8 comments:

Anthony Palmer, Ph.D. said...

Regarding Mexicans, keep in mind that many of them are Catholic. And Catholics are generally opposed to birth control.

Immigration patterns are also responsible for the increasing black/brown/yellow population. However, it doesn't concern me so much because this country doesn't really belong to any one race of people. Some people may feel threatened by it, however.

Rick Frea said...

That was my concern in writing this post is that I would come across as anti-Mexican or anti-immigration --- I'm not. I think an amalgamate of cultures is essential to the health of our nation.

However, I do wish to keep America a melting pot, as opposed to a salad bowl. I hope all immigrants blend in so we can be one United and strong Nation.

Khaki Elephant said...

One person who seems threatened by it is Mark Steyn, though his concern is that the Muslim population (also not big on birth control) is increasing while Western populations, especially in Europe, are in decline due to birth control. He ties the demographic shift into terrorism in his book "America Alone."

Steyn also addresses the "melting pot" angle, claiming that most races and religions will inter-marry, but Mulsims do so only infrequently and at great social risk. I don't know if that's true or not, but it is a thought provoking take.

Anonymous said...

"Psychologists from St Andrews and Stirling universities found that women on the Pill tend to prefer macho types with strong jaw lines and prominent cheekbones."

And, in late-breaking news, researchers at Foobar U. have released a report confirming that the sun is long way from Earth!

Seriously, think Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, John Wayne, Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, Clint Eastwood — do we notice a pattern here? And note that they all: 1, fit the description; and 2, rose to stardom making females' hearts go pitty-pat before birth control pills became available as such.

Anonymous said...

AP wrote: ". . . And Catholics are generally opposed to birth control."

I think if you'll check this out you'll find that while the church opposes birth control, a large percentage, likely a majority, of U.S. Catholics oppose the church's policy. In the 1970's and 1980's, I recall reading it was a majority.

Freadom, immigrants having large families has been the rule since the U.S. became the world's leading immigration destination. The pattern, from Irish and Germans to Italians and Puerto Ricans to Mexicans is that in one or two generations, most have families about the same size as most other Americans.

Rick Frea said...

Like I said, I am a Catholic, and I oppose it. Yet, are we starting to see the consequences to birth control?

It's kind of like the Chinese requiring people to only have one child, and most Chinese preferring to have males. Some day, they will see the consequences of this.

Anonymous said...

Freadom, I have never supported the PRC's one-child rule and the lengths some couples likely go to to ensure their one child is a male.

And yet, I understand China has been dealing with a population time bomb for a long, long time. Increased affluence, at least initially, could cause things to get out of hand fast, erasing decades of effort to raise the standard of living.

FWIW, I wish the Chinese would encourage people to have only one child and reward couples that comply without demonizing or penalizing couples that don't.

Rick Frea said...

I agree.