Free Republic

A three-judge panel in New Orleans ruled that a Texas law requiring minors to obtain parental consent to obtain birth control does not conflict with the goals of the federally-funded Title X program, which has given teens birth control confidentially. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Texas law requiring parental consent to obtain contraception for minors. The decision from a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in New Orleans largely affirms a 2022 ruling from U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, that ended one of the only avenues for Texas teens to confidentially obtain birth control,...

Scientists have created the ultimate GM crop: contraceptive corn. Waiving fields of maize may one day save the world from overpopulation. The pregnancy prevention plants are the handiwork of the San Diego biotechnology company Epicyte, where researchers have discovered a rare class of human antibodies that attack sperm. By isolating the genes that regulate the manufacture of these antibodies, and by putting them in corn plants, the company has created tiny horticultural factories that make contraceptives. 'We have a hothouse filled with corn plants that make anti-sperm antibodies,' said Epicyte president Mitch Hein.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was one of many on the left to express dismay at the Supreme Court's Wednesday ruling that the Trump administration acted within its authority when it expanded exemptions to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement that employers provide insurance that includes contraception, and promised he would return to an Obama-era policy should he be elected. "As disappointing as the Supreme Court's ruling is, there is a clear path to fixing it: electing a new President who will end Donald Trump's ceaseless attempts to gut every aspect of the Affordable Care Act," Biden said in...

When you think of Vagisil, the first thing that probably comes to mind is “itch relief,” or something along those lines — not “emergency contraceptive.” And yet, that is exactly what Vagisil has added to its product line. Vagisil’s new “products” tab on its website is a subtle deception. The vaginal care company recently introduced a new contraceptive — while conveniently leaving out the fact that it can act as an abortifacient, meaning it can expel an already-fertilized new human being. Preventeza actually contains the same ingredient as Plan B, also known as the morning after pill. The main ingredient...

The Trump administration on Friday announced a major rollback of the ObamaCare contraceptive mandate, granting what officials called “full protection” to a wide range of companies and organizations that claim a “religious or moral objection” to providing the coverage. The decision swiftly ignited a new battle over the Affordable Care Act. Republican lawmakers and faith-based groups hailed the decision as a win for religious liberty, while Democratic officials and groups like Planned Parenthood accused the administration of attacking women’s rights. By early afternoon, the American Civil Liberties Union announced it was filing a lawsuit challenging the change.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve seen the headlines jeering at men after the news broke that a trial for male birth control was cancelled because men “couldn’t handle” the side effects. The mocking was practically immediate. Men were derided as being whiners who were unwilling to tolerate the side effects that women endure every month, so not only were they weak, they were misogynists as well.People titled Julie Mazziotta’s article “Men Back Out of Male Birth Control Study Because They Couldn’t Handle the ‘Changes in Mood.’” She wrote that it was time for guys to “woman up.”...

As the Little Sisters of the Poor are petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal court decision that forces the order of Catholic nuns to abide by the "Obamacare" contraception mandate, over 20 states, a group of Orthodox Jewish rabbis and a number of Evangelical and secular organizations are urging the high court to take up the case and protect religious liberty. "We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support we have received from such a wide range of people and groups," Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, Mother Provincial for the Little Sisters of the Poor, said in...

By 2018, it may be possible to purchase a contraceptive microchip that you implant under your skin that delivers birth control hormones automatically into your blood stream every day for as long as 16 years. That’s the vision of Microchips, a Massachusetts-based startup formed by MIT researchers who are developing a remote-controlled drug delivery microchip you would implant under your skin near your abdomen (or, if you prefer, your backside region). Without having to go back to a doctor, women would be able to switch birth control hormones on and off at the touch of a button. That’s a big...

RUSH: Lucy, Columbus, Ohio, Open Line Friday and it is your turn. CALLER: Hello, Rush. RUSH: Hi. CALLER: Hi. Yeah, I don't have a lot of time, I realize that. I want to get right to my point. I'm a vascular specialist who sees a lot of blood clots in the lung, in the leg, sometimes in the arteries, but a lot in the veins, and probably one out of every three blood clots that I see in women is from the use of contraception. RUSH: Wait just a minute. Wait just a minute. Are you telling me, did I...

She died after 25 days on the pill. She was only 21. As in so many blood clot cases caused by birth control, she was misdiagnosed when she went to the hospital struggling to breathe and experiencing pain in her legs and ribs. She was sent home diagnosed with a bruised sternum. Four days later, she collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. On May 14, three days after arriving at the hospital, she was pronounced dead. According to an article in Cosmopolitan, tests revealed a large blood clot on her lung. Her name was Fallan Kurek, and she worked with...

A popular contraception program in Colorado is receiving criticism from conservative lawmakers who say that the program's use of intrauterine devices, or IUDs, qualify as abortions. More than 30,000 women in Colorado have gotten a device because of the state program, the Colorado Family Planning Initiative. An IUD normally costs between $500 and several thousand dollars. Through the program women could receive one for free. This is because the program received a $23 million private grant in 2009 that has covered all its costs until now. To keep going, a group of bipartisan lawmakers are trying to push a bill...

Cardinal Walter Kasper, a close influence on Pope Francis, says it is up to parents to decide how many children to have ahead of global gathering of Roman Catholic bishops to discuss the family A leading reformist Cardinal close to Pope Francis has hinted at the possibility of a reinterpretation of the Roman Catholic Church’s blanket ban on artificial contraception. Cardinal Walter Kasper said it was “the responsibility of the parents” to decide how many children they should have. He also said that so-called natural family planning, which is promoted by the Church as an alternative to contraception, also...

NEW DELHI: Women who take oral contraceptives regularly are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to others, shows a study by AIIMS doctors. Breast cancer risk was found to be 9.5 times more in women with a history of consuming such pills. Early menstruation cycle, late marriage and lower duration of breastfeeding were the other major factors responsible for the disease among Indians, according to the study published in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Cancer. The study was conducted on 640 women, of which 320 were breast cancer patients. "We found long-term use of...

A scientific breakthrough could finally make a male contraceptive pill reality, researchers said last night. Previous attempts to develop a pill have tried either to alter a man’s hormones or to make his sperm ineffective. The new technique works like a temporary vasectomy, stopping sperm leaving the body during sex – which scientists say will reassure men concerned that other approaches could affect their long-term virility and libido. It is also likely to appeal to women uneasy about the female pill’s potential to raise the risk of heart attacks, strokes and blood clots.

(CNSNews.com) - Speaking with former President Bill Clinton yesterday, President Barack Obama suggested that under Obamacare young women may get back more in “free contraceptive care” each month than they pay out in premiums. "And because all the insurers who participate are required to, for example, provide free preventive care, free contraceptive care, that young woman, she may make up what she’s spending on premiums just on her monthly use of health care,” said Obama. This was based on Obama's assumptions that a young woman would in fact be using some contraceptives on a regular monthly basis and that her...

EXICO CITY (AP) — President Barack Obama said Thursday he was comfortable with his administration's decision to allow over-the-counter purchases of a morning-after pill for anyone 15 and older. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday had lowered the age at which people can buy the Plan B One-Step morning-after pill without a prescription to 15 — younger than the current limit of 17. The FDA decided that the pill could be sold on drugstore shelves near condoms, instead of locked behind pharmacy counters. Obama, speaking at a news conference while in Mexico, said the FDA's decision was based on...

DETROIT – A judge on Thursday blocked the federal government from requiring the founder of Domino's Pizza to provide mandatory contraception coverage to his employees under the health care law. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Zatkoff granted a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the contraception provision of the law against Tom Monaghan and Domino's Farms Corp., a management company located near Ann Arbor, Mich. The company, which is not connected to Domino's Pizza, has 45 full-time and 44 part-time employees, according to its court filing. Monaghan sold his controlling stake in Domino's Pizza in 1998 to private equity company Bain Capital...

The Pope Was Right All Along by Russell Shaw on January 11, 2013 ·  The disruptive results for individuals and society spawned by the revolution in attitudes and behavior regarding sex, marriage, family, and childbearing that erupted a half-century ago have become too obvious to ignore. These things were predictable–in fact, some people actually predicted them from the start–but by now their impact has grown so painfully apparent that even secular voices are being raised in alarm.The problems are increasingly visible in the United States. They include an aging population with fewer young workers to support the elderly, along...

Fluke has been called a slut. Not only for sleeping herself through law school, but for pimping herself off as some kind of “reproductive rights” expert. But today I received an email from someone who claims to be from Georgetown stating that Sandra Fluke really isn’t who she says she is. That is heterosexual, and that she is in fact gay. I have no idea if the email is real or fake. I don’t care if she’s gay or not. Having family members who are gay I’m not homophobic. The email headers check out and it appears legit. The writer...

Professionals serving in the armed forces enjoy a unique relationship with the military. Although they’re commissioned officers, they aren’t generally thought of as warriors in the true sense. They instead serve their military brethren in their professional capacity. That being the case, their activities are primarily bound and dictated by the practices and standards of their profession. For example, a Marine JAG officer adheres to his legal Code of Ethics, whereas an Army physician is expected to conform to his Hippocratic Oath. Likewise, a Navy Catholic chaplain would be expected to conduct himself according to his own religious doctrine in...