taken from most recent Savage Love

[afterannabel]

"New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves-and to be treated by the health care system-as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon," reports the Washington Post. "[T]his means all women between first menstrual period and menopause should take folic acid supplements,

Comments

[mugglerock]

Oh, I'd really like to see them try to turn that sucker into a law. Fuck. And this is why I attempt to avoid reading anything about politics. It pisses me off.

[afterannabel]

And this is why I attempt to avoid reading anything about politics.
It was in Savage Love, though. It caught me unawares.

[imjustme]

and how does ignorance of what is going on in the political world help anyone anyway? so that you'll be blindsides when these changes happen and it's too late?

[afterannabel]

I know sometimes I feel as if I have no influence and control, that I would rather not know what's going on. Sort of the ostrich syndrome I suppose. But it doesn't help any, and I believe information is better than ignorance, that's true.

[muffinmanwoman]

This is of course evidence that the Bush administration is steadily going to turn our society into an enormous hive society in which the females are used solely for breeding and the males are used solely for war. Man, that'd be fucked up.

[afterannabel]

True story.

[scareypete]

Brilliant!

[an_ocean_of_sky]

yep.

this is just one step further towards the edge of a very slippery slope at the bottom of which is a society where all women are treated as "Walking Wombs".

it's disgusting and frightening. gods help us all.

[afterannabel]

Part of me wants to run away from this administration, and what our country is headed towards. However, another part of me feels like running away would be the easy thing to do, that I should stay and fight. But I feel more and more powerless in America-as a woman, as a queer, as a liberal.

[danielatlarge]

Umm...woah. That's sort of...fucked.

[dominanefret]

taking folic acid supplements, refrain from smoking, maintain a healthy weight and keep chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes under control is good advice, whether you could get pregnant or not.

I do think humans should be smarter about their health.

A lot of that I agree with.

But the Idea that they believe they can control a female like that I don't.

[afterannabel]

I agree that people need to take better care of themselves, and they offer good advice. But the fact that they're offering this advice specifically to women and specifically because they might be pregnant-argh. Everyone should be healthy!