[Leslie Carol Botha: According to Dr. Rima Laibow ' They make it sound like a gift, but it is the poisoned apple of Snow White's Wicked Step Mother.' That's a good statement. Two of the world's most powerful people pushing vaccines and birth control on unsuspecting and uneducated, and under informed women and their children.  Depo Provera is also used for castration on sex addicts in prisons.]

Melinda Gates’ New Crusade: Investing Billions in Women’s Health

She plans to use the Gates Foundation’s billions to revolutionize contraception worldwide. The Catholic right is pushing back. Is she ready for the political firestorm ahead?

The Daily Beast
by Michelle Goldberg
May 7, 2012 1:00 AM EDT

Nigel Parry for Newsweek

In the 12 years since Melinda Gates and her husband, Bill, created the Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic organization, she has done a lot of traveling. A reserved woman who has long been wary of the public glare attached to the Gates name, she comes alive, her associates say, when she’s visiting the foundation’s projects in remote corners of the world. “You get her out in the field with a group of women, sitting on a mat or under a tree or in a hut, she is totally in her element, totally comfortable,” says Gary Darmstadt, director of family health at the foundation’s global health program.

Read Full Article…

Read the complete article and related information at Melinda Gates Takes on Birth Control Crusade

Care2
April 22, 2012
by Jessica Pieklo

Welcome to Dispatches, your round-up of the latest news from the frontlines of the War on Women. Have a story from your state or an idea on how to push back? Share them here and fight back against the War on Women.

Planned Parenthood announced it was suspending medical abortions in Wisconsin immediately in the face of the state’s new targeted restrictions on abortion providers exposes doctors to potential criminal liability in connection with administering RU-486.

In Tennessee a bill advances that effectively criminalizes miscarriages. The bill, which allows prosecutions for fetal harm as soon as 8 weeks, illustrates a new approach to getting personhood measures in place: get doctrinal support in other areas of the law. In this case these fetal harm bills assume that an embryo can be a crime victim. To be a crime victim to have to be a person. See how that works?

Mitt Romney’s strategy of wooing back women voters includes hiring a total misogynist as a spokesperson.

The secret-service sex worker scandal is just gross.

Just so we’re clear, the Vatican confirmed that women will never, ever become priests. Ever.

We celebrated Earth Day over the weekend, and here’s a look at the connection between the war on women and Earth Day goals.

Did Oreo cross the line in this ad with a breastfeeding baby holding an Oreo cookie?

Women in the UK are facing a similar assault on their rights. Judy Molland reports on how one mother was denied maternity leave because her twins were born to a surrogate.

Good news. One of the two fetal personhood measures in Oklahoma died for the legislative session. The other, a ballot initiative, is in the early stages of litigation challenging its constitutionality.

Read Full Article…

Read the complete article and related information at War on Women Continues – Is Menstruation Going to be Monitored Before Absurdity Ends?

[Leslie Carol Botha: Diabetes is a result of hormone imbalance..... all women may be at risk for diabetes on any synthetic hormone suppressant.  Don't you hate it when the study comes out after the drug has been on the market.  Oh, yeah and I have said this before too..... Depo is used for castration in sex offenders.]

USC study: Depo-Provera birth control may increase diabetes risk for obese women

89.3 KPCC
February 1, 2012

Obese women who take long-term birth control injection Depo-Provera may be at greater risk for developing diabetes, according to a new USC study.

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine found that obese women who received the Depo-Provera injection become more resistant to insulin. That means they were less able to lower their blood sugar levels, which leaves them more susceptible Type 2 Diabetes.

Researchers compared the effects of the drug on 10 obese women and five women of healthier weight. Both groups became more insulin resistant after the injections, but the obese women stayed that way. The others were better able to compensate, by producing more insulin.

Read Full Article…

Read the complete article and related information at Diabetes Risk Increases with Depo-Provera Use for Obese Women

[Leslie Carol Botha: Not sure if you have noticed but abortion and birth control issues always come up during an election year.  But this year the skirmish has turned into a full-blown war that has been noticed around the world. What ultimately happens is the women turn against women - weakening our chance to influence the election.]

Why reproductive health is a civil rights issue

Attacks on abortion rights and birth control really are a ‘war on women’: an attempt to roll back half a century of social progress

The Guardian
Michael Cohen
Wednesday 4 April 2012 12.51 EDT

The recently declared “war on women” or “war on religious freedom” – depending on which side of the political aisle you find yourself – is the most recent issue du jour, but the challenge with focusing on the politics of women’s health is that it tends to mask what’s really going on in America, right now. There is, in fact, a war on women – and it’s not a political question; it’s a civil rights issue.

This is something more than an esoteric issue for me, personally. I am the very lucky father of a baby daughter; but this summer, when my wife and I were expecting, we were hit with a troubling, potentially devastating piece of news: genetic, pre-natal testing had discovered an elevated risk that our child had a genetic disorder – one that in our moral universe would have given us little choice but to consider terminating the pregnancy.

Luckily, everything worked out fine and our daughter is a healthy and happy three-month-old. But what if the news had not been so good; what if, as parents desperate for a child, we had been forced to end the pregnancy. It would have been a horrible and traumatic decision.

In the state of Texas, however, under a law passed last year, it would have been even worse. As the reporter Carolyn Jones wrote about recently in the Texas Observer, we would have been subjected to something akin to emotional torture. Under the provisions of the new law, all women who want to have an abortion are forced to wait 24 hours before they undergo the procedure. No exceptions.

Jones, whose fetus was diagnosed with a genetic disorder and who was terminating her pregnancy, was obliged, under Texas law, to undergo a sonogram, to listen to a doctor describe her afflicted fetus, and to have explained the health dangers of having an abortion. While a woman with an “irreversible abnormality” would be subjected to all the law’s provisions, only in rare circumstances (such as rape and incest, or involving minors) are a doctor’s legal obligations waived. Thus, the vast majority of Texas women, including those without a partner or a support network, and regardless of their reason for seeking an abortion, are to be subjected to these onerous requirements – in order to have a medical procedure that is legal in the United States.

To be sure, since the landmark US supreme court decision in 1973 that legalised abortion, there have been unceasing efforts to restrict the full expression of abortion rights. Abortion providers have been harassed, threatened ands in some cases, murdered. State legislatures have nibbled away at abortion rights – waiting periods here, partial birth bans there – but nothing like what we’ve seen over the past year. The Texas law is very much at pace with these developments.

Read Full Article…

Read the complete article and related information at ‘War on Women’ is Pitting Woman Against Woman

[Leslie Carol Botha: How many women even consider what is like to come off hormonal contraceptives after years of use? For some the transition is very difficult. Someday we will truly understand this is the largest uncontrolled experiment in the history of medicine. Although the HPV vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix are running a close second.]

Coming off Depo Provera Can be a Woman’s Worst Nightmare

Society for Menstrual Cycle Research

April 4th, 2012 by Laura Wershler

Need proof that women are sometimes desperate for information and support when it comes to quitting hormonal contraception? You need look no further than the 100 plus comments in reply to an old blog posting at Our Bodies Ourselves: Questions About Side Effects of Stopping Contraceptive Injections.  The comment stream – a litany of woes concerning women’s discontinuation of Depo-Provera – has been active since Nov. 2, 2009.

On March 29, 2012, Rachel, author of the post, wrote a follow-up piece in which she laments: “Although a quick internet search finds many women complaining of or asking about post-Depo symptoms, there isn’t much published scientific evidence on the topic.” Beyond research about bone density and length of time to return to fertility, little is known about the withdrawal symptoms women have been commenting about.

Depo-Provera is the 4-times-a-year birth control injection that carries an FDA “black box” warning that long-term use is associated with significant bone mineral density loss.  Never a fan, I made a case against this contraceptive in a paper for Canadian Woman Studies, published in 2005. The comments on the OBOS post indicate that many women took Depo-Provera without full knowledge of the potential for serious side effects while taking it, or of what to expect while coming off the drug.

Considering that Depo-Provera completely suppresses normal reproductive endocrine function, it is not surprising that many women experience extreme or confusing symptoms once stopping it. Take Lissa’s comment for example, posted on February 21, 2011:

Omg I thought I was tripping. I have been on depo for a year and stopped in jan. My breasts constantly hurt, I put on weight, have hot flashes, and sleeping problems. I pray everyday my cycle returns and stops playing with me. I only spot lightly.

Two and a half years after publication, the original article continues to garner monthly comments. I’ve read most of them and have yet to see one that offers concrete advice or a referral to resources that provide information and support to women looking for both. One such resource is Coming Off The Pill, the Patch, the Shot and Other Hormonal Contraceptives, a comprehensive, clinical-based guide to assist women transition back to menstruation and fertility, written by Megan Lalonde and Geraldine Matus.

Read Full Article….

Read the complete article and related information at Depo Provera Withdrawal – A Woman’s Worst Nightmare

Mary Robinson says Rush Limbaugh’s “slutgate”outburst reminds her of 1970s Ireland

Recalls being denounced from Irish pulpits, radio and TV, by men hostile to women

Read the complete article and related information at Former President Mary Robinson says Limbaugh’s ‘slutgate’ reminds her of 1970′s Ireland

Sounds like Pharma continues to push the pill down women’s throats.  Adolescent women have told me they cannot go in for an annual without their doctor’s pushing BCP’s and Gardasil.  Since when did doctor’s became pharma reps? BTW – relationships may last longer on BCPS’ because women’s flat line on them.  No hormone fluctuation…no emotion. Like zombies….

Birth Control Pills Have Lasting Effects on Relationships

Using oral contraceptives may affect relationship satisfaction

Scientific American
By Janelle Weaver
March 27, 2012

Birth-control pills are known to affect women’s taste in men, at least in laboratory experiments. Now a study of real-world couples suggests that this pill-related preference change could have long-term consequences for a relationship’s quality and outcome.

In the lab, women using oral contraceptives show a weaker preference for masculine men—those with high testosterone levels and the corresponding physical hallmarks—than their non-pill-using counterparts. To investigate this issue in a real-world setting, psychologist S. Craig Roberts of the University of Stirling in Scotland and his collaborators gave online surveys to more than 2,500 women from various countries.

According to the results, published online October 12 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, participants who used hormonal contraceptives while choosing their partner were less attracted to him and less sexually satisfied during their relationship than were individuals who did not use hormonal birth control. Pill users were happier with their mate’s financial support and other nonsexual aspects of the relationship, however, and they were less likely to separate.

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Read the complete article and related information at Relationships Last Longer on Birth Control Pills

Zapping sperm as a form of male contraception is going to be a hard sell.

Ultrasound ‘Sperm Zap’ Offers Hope For Future Of Male Contraception

Huff Post Lifestyle United Kingdom
March 1, 2012

Blasting a man’s testicles with sound waves could cut his sperm production and may be used in the future as a male contraceptive treatment, a new study has found.

Scientists at the University of North Carolina tested doses of ultrasound waves on rats and found they “significantly reduced” the number of sperm-producing cells and sperm levels.

The equivalent outcome would result in reversible infertility in humans but far more tests are required before it could be made available as a male contraceptive treatment.

Study leader Dr James Tsuruta, from the University said: “Unlike humans, rats remain fertile even with extremely low sperm counts.

“However, our non-invasive ultrasound treatment reduced sperm reserves in rats far below levels normally seen in fertile men.

“Further studies are required to determine how long the contraceptive effect lasts and if it is safe to use multiple times.”

The treatment was most effective when the rats were given two 15-minute doses delivered two days apart through warm salt water, with the testes at a temperature of 37C.

Following the treatment, the sperm count of the rats dropped to below 10m sperm per millilitre. As men are considered to be “sub-fertile” when their sperm count falls below 15m sperm per millilitre, the experiment may offer a promising future for male contraception.

Dr Tsuruta’s team found that rotating a three megahertz high frequency ultrasound beam around rats’ testes wiped out the germ cells that produce sperm.

The ultrasound method of sperm reduction was first trialled in the 1970s. Several prostate cancer patients who were due to have their testicles removed underwent the treatment, which resulted in a “dramatic loss of germ cells.’

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Read the complete article and related information at Sperm Zapping Considered for Male Contraception

Overriding women’s rights for ‘religious employers’ (men) who may violate their religious beliefs and moral convictions to provide female employees with free health insurance coverage for contraceptives. Birth control needs to get out of the hands of men and the government.

House G.O.P. Hesitates on Birth Control Fight

The New York Times
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: March 16, 2012

Philip Scott Andrews/The New York Times Representative Fred Upton, (R) of Michigan, said on Feb. 8 he would move quickly on legislation to overturn the contraception rule.

WASHINGTON — House Republicans, unsure how to proceed, have slowed their efforts to overturn a federal rule requiring employers, including religious institutions, to provide female employees with free health insurance coverage for contraceptives.

While most House Republicans still support legislation to broaden the exemption for religious employers, House Republican leaders are carefully reviewing their options on the issue, which Democrats used to political advantage in the Senate.

The goal of House Republicans has not changed, they said, but they worry about further alienating women in this year’s elections.

In a speech on the House floor on Feb. 8, Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, vowed to block the Obama administration rule because, he said, it would force many religious employers to violate their religious beliefs and moral convictions.

“This attack by the federal government on religious freedom in our country must not stand and will not stand,” Mr. Boehner said then. The Energy and Commerce Committee is “taking the lead” in writing legislation to overturn the president’s policy, Mr. Boehner said then.

On the same day, Representative Fred Upton, Republican of Michigan and chairman of the committee, said, “I plan to move quickly” on legislation.

But five weeks later, no legislation is in sight. Aides to Mr. Upton said the decision about how to proceed was in the hands of the speaker.

“It’s been kicked up to the leadership,” a committee member said. “They want a cooling-off period.”

Aides to the House Republican whip, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, said they detected no urgency in taking up legislation. A leadership aide said the speaker was taking “a deliberative approach.”

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Read the complete article and related information at House G.O.P Caves on Birth Control War

Say what? Men Enforcing Legislation on Women’s Reproductive Health Has to Stop

Arizona Senate Committee Endorses ‘Tell Your Boss Why You’re On The Pill’ Bill

Think Progress Justice
By Annie-Rose Strasser on Mar 14, 2012 at 1:00 pm

Arizona has taken up yet another draconian law for women’s health – this time replicating but broadening the federal push to let employers deny women access to birth control. The bill stipulates that, unless a woman brings in a note proving she is not using it to avoid getting pregnant, an employer can deny birth control to any woman in the workplace.

By a vote of 6-2, an Arizona State Senate Judiciary committee yesterday endorsed the measure:

Arizona House Bill 2625, authored by Majority Whip Debbie Lesko, R-Glendale, would permit employers to ask their employees for proof of medical prescription if they seek contraceptives for non-reproductive purposes, such as hormone control or acne treatment.

“I believe we live in America. We don’t live in the Soviet Union,” Lesko said. “So, government should not be telling the organizations or mom and pop employers to do something against their moral beliefs… My whole legislation is about our First Amendment rights and freedom of religion.”

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Read the complete article and related information at Don’t Ask – Don’t Tell – ‘Tell Your Boss Why You’re On The Pill’ Bill Endorsed in Arizona