Debate: Birth control promotes promiscuity. Agree or Disagree

Hiya!!

Pharmacy school's quite fun at the moment. I'm feeling so happy about the coming future. By God's grace everything will be good :)

Today we had a Clinical Pharmacy class on family planning, etc, today and the lecturer decided she wanted us to have a sort of debate in the class. So she threw the topic to the class;

Birth control promotes promiscuity. Agree or disagree.

For some reason I sharply identified with the 'Agree' side. The reason being that I have always been of the opinion that if birth control didn't exist people will be less likely to engage in premarital/extra-marital affairs.
But by the end of the class I left with a different opinion.

Okay lemme give you part of the gist.

Two people spoke on the 'Agree' side. The first person argued that birth control is and should be for the well-being of the family and to help in planning a family, and not for any use outside that. The second person complained that the media didn't help matters. That most advertisements on contraceptives made sex look good and hence promote promiscuity instead of focusing the message on 'Abstinence is best'

After they spoke I knew we 'Agree' people didn't have a strong argument because I was suddenly not convinced again.

Two people on the 'Disagree' side also spoke. The first person said birth control in fact helps us, that it does not promote promiscuity. He said the media is polluted, that there is nothing that is not sold with sex as the underlying message. He jokingly added that he doesn't see any reason why a normal advertisement for a car or something like that should make use of bikini models as props. Everyone laughed and nodded and I remembered my post. So, he argued that if this is what the media does to us, then please let's propagate the use of birth control since we know that a lot of people have sex (sometimes due to a lot of pressure from media, peers etc), and hence prevent unwanted births.

We were still laughing at the thought of selling stuff with sex when the lecturer cited an example of an almost naked girl being used to advertise petrol at a filling station. In her words, "there is nothing sexy about petrol, in fact petrol smells horrible and filling stations are not nice places to hang out, so I don't see why anyone would sell petrol using a half naked woman"

I could not hold my laughter

The second 'Disagree' person made sense. She said, "birth control or no birth control, people will still be promiscuous. In the olden days they didn't have birth control and they were still promiscuous"...lol

A third person supported their motion and made even more sense, warranting an applause from the class.

At the end of the debate I was on both sides

'Agree', because, I still feel in some measure birth control aids promiscuous behaviour in some people. 'Disagree', because, when used in the right setting, it is of value to a family looking to plan their lives and should not be blamed for people being promiscuous.

The only issue for me was the fact that our lecturer kept hammering on the fact that we as Pharmacists have a role to provide birth control information and service to the community. Someone mentioned, "what about our personal beliefs on the topic?" and the lecturer said, "beliefs or no beliefs it is your responsibility to provide the service".

Now that's a tricky one for me especially since I battled with this a lot during my student-work experience in a community pharmacy.
But, the lecturer made it clearer. She said she wasn't saying we shouldn't have our personal beliefs, but that as Pharmacists we shouldn't be judgmental or condemn people (mostly unmarried people) that ask for any sort of birth control, but we should provide birth control tools for people if we find ourselves in a community pharmacy setting, because the whole idea is to help reduce the population and reduce mortality rates due to inability of the healthcare system to cater for increasing population needs. She said it is only when you finally develop a relationship with the person and you guys have a good rapport that you can start trying to make the person see things from your own point of view/ preach, if contrary to their own.

For me it made sense and I was kinda relieved, because that's one issue that bugs me ehn.. Still bugs me.
Just too complicated

Anyways let me throw it to you too;

Birth control promotes promiscuity. Agree or disagree.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Help! I need support!!!

No, I'm not talking about money or any other thing running through your mind. I'm talking about support as in body fat. I need more fat in my skin.

Now you're wondering why I'm suddenly in need of it, for someone who is perfectly happy with how she looks. Well, for starters because of my insufficient subcutaneous fat, I have to endure cold while other well rounded people around me enjoy the fan or air-conditioner.

You see, someone my size (what you would call petite) always has trouble finding clothes that fit her. 80% of my clothes were originally a size bigger before I fitted them. I often have people ask me if what I'm wearing originally came in 'that' size, because they're not sure they've seen sizes as small as I wear and I tell you it can be quite embarrassing. Anytime I carry my 5ft 3 or 4, 46kg, size 6 (I yoyo between size 6 and 8, but I'm mostly size 6) 21 year old self to clothes stores I always leave disgruntled. Sometimes even super small is big for me.

My mum doesn't expect me to be worried about this, because as far as she's concerned 'iwe ti on ka lo fa'. She says once I'm done with school the fat will come. But me, I know myself and I know she's just trying to be my mummy by saying that. I haven't varied in dress size in 10 years i.e since I left primary school. Lemme tell you a secret , most of my clothes from back then still fit, except for the fact that I grew taller. I still have all my primary six underwear stacked somewhere. I don't wear them because I know they're old, but I just love holding on to things ehn (I love my clutter..lol). There was a time my mum was irritated by all of it, she went behind my back and ripped the ones she could get hold of. But that's BTW.

My dad doesn't have a problem with my weight by the way. Back in the days he preferred slim women..lol. He also told me that my great grandmother, Iya alaro, was a slim and strong woman, as well as the women after her. So, it's hereditary. In case you're wondering , some of the women on my mother's side have well developed subcutaneous tissue. My mum was quite slim when she was my age, however.

 The only reason now that I'm bothered about my weight is because it has got peeps thinking I'm one small girl like that. Last week I made one new friend sha and all the while we were around each other she thought I was in 200 level. When she found out I'm in 500level, she was shocked and was just exclaiming anyhow. She now said do I know that if I wore a secondary school uniform I could easily pass for an SS2 or 3 girl...my word!!!

And just when I thought I had enough, 2 days ago I was telling my 8 year old cousin that I was going back to school after visiting home for the weekend. Then she started playing with my hair which was weaved with extensions and said innocently "so they allow you put 'attachmen't in your hair in your school, they don't allow us in my school" I laughed and asked her what type of school she thought I was in and she answered "are you not in secondary school?"!!

So now you can imagine what I go through. Not to talk of all the embarrassment I met when I was doing IT last year. People would walk into the Pharmacy look at me and then ask me if they can speak to someone much older. One impatient customer like that called me a small brat...lol. Also when I enter the public bus, the other passengers sometimes 'beg' me to come and sit on their bench "since I'm slim". I always disagree. What do they take me for. One woman bluntly told me one day "don't answer them o, better sit where you want to". The annoying part is when it is extremely well rounded people begging. They are looking for someone to squeeze... Another annoying part is when I fortunately or unfortunately get to sit with such people and they start complaining that the space is tight, like it's my fault.

Well on the very very very bright side I am really happy with how I look and the good compliments I do get. But seeing that I would be graduating very soon and I will be going into the real world for real, I need any suggestions on how to GAIN WEIGHT. I've tried everything..okay not everything. I've taken a weight gain medication before, but I couldn't stick to it, because I don't like ingesting drugs (whether solid or liquid), I just like learning about them..lol... Feel free to call me a hypocrite...lol.

I've tried being lazy for long periods especially during holidays, that maybe fat will come on. But I'm a workaholic. I just dunno how to be lazy. One of my friends suggested eating a burger everyday, but he's so on his own, because I stay away from processed food a lot, especially since I know what the long term consequences can be. It's funny how I count my calories a lot for someone who wants to gain weight.

Please don't suggest malt and raw egg...yuck!! Besides I really hate eggs.

So, start suggesting and help a sister.

Thanks in advance for your undelayed response..:)

The 'right' thing to do

Hello there.

I've missed blogging, but I have major things to attend to. School is pretty annoying (and you would have thought I'd be enjoying school). After spending a little over 4 years here with a few more months to go I'm quite exhausted already... reminds me of LDP's post on the hardest phase of a marathon run beginning at the 15th mile..:)

This is going to be an extremely short post..I just came here to remove cobwebs and see how my baby is doing (yeah, that's my blog).

I have a lot on my mind and something that keeps bugging me is 'what is really right and what is wrong'. I don't know why I bother myself a lot about this. I try my best to read my Bible everyday and I do get answers but sometimes I'm so confused when I see other Christians doing things I just think are wrong. Then I think it's okay to do those things, if they who are strong Christians don't see anything wrong with them and are doing them. I know I'm definitely not perfect and I do make mistakes, but something keeps nudging me and telling me at the back of my mind, "who told you your standard should be based on what others are doing and perceive not to be wrong".

And then I realize I should go back to God who has all the answers, and let him lead me, no matter how hard it is going to be. It's funny how at the end of the day that's the right thing to do..:)

After all it is and it should always be about Him.



Thanks for stopping by..:)