Lorde Is Not a MAGA Tradwife for Going Off Birth Control

The New Zealand singer says coming off birth control after 15 years felt like the ‘best drug’ she’s ever had. Her critics claim she’s fuelling anti-contraception rhetoric – but is that really the case?In an interview with Rolling Stone to promote her upcoming fourth album, Virgin, New Zealand pop star Lorde revealed that she’s off birth control for the first time in 15 years. “I’ve now come to see [my decision] as maybe some quasi right-wing programming,” she admits, referring to the rise of right-wing fear-mongering and misinformation spreading around hormonal contraception. “But I hadn’t ovulated in 10 years. And when I ovulated for the first time, I cannot describe to you how crazy it was. One of the best drugs I’ve ever done.”

This comment (along with a few others) has been met with an intense backlash from both Lorde’s fans and critics. One X user wrote that Lorde “really went off birth control and immediately became an incel nazi, welp.” Another wrote, “Honestly thrilled that Lorde perpetuated the idea that birth control is bad… before I attempted to spend $100+ to see her in a concert tomorrow morning instead of afterwards.”

While a lot (almost all) of these comments are ridiculous, they aren’t coming out of nowhere. We are living in a time when politicians in the US, and increasingly in the UK, are actively pushing women back into the home and towards motherhood. Just last month, the New York Times reported on how the White House is currently assessing ways to persuade women (particularly white women) to have more children because of the declining birth rate. These incentives include potentially giving every American mother $5,000 after delivery, reserving 30 per cent of scholarships for the Fulbright program (the prestigious government-backed international fellowship) for applicants who are married or have children, funding government programs that educate women on their menstrual cycles so they can better understand when they can conceive, and awarding a “National Medal of Motherhood” to mothers with six or more children. If that last one sounds familiar, it’s because it is: the Nazis similarly awarded German women who fulfilled their racial ideals with motherhood awards. The bronze awards were given to mothers who birthed and raised four to five children, the silver was awarded to mothers of six to seven children and the gold award to mothers of eight or more.

This has created an environment where people are rightfully suspicious of narratives questioning birth control, particularly because of the complete bans on abortion in 12 states in the US, and partial bans in seven other states. Misinformation about hormonal contraception, and contraception in general, is rife on social media, as Lorde acknowledges in her interview, with it being pushed by right-wing and new age spirituality influencers who tell women that it’s better and more ‘feminine’ to be off contraception and be ‘natural’. Politicians in the US are also spreading misinformation. Representative for Georgia’s 14th congressional district, Marjorie Taylor Greene, once said that the Plan B pill, which is not an abortifacient and works by obstructing or delaying ovulation, “kills a baby in the womb once a woman is already pregnant”.

With all this in mind, the immediate rage towards Lorde’s statement is understandable. But we need to be wary of when our fears of the right mean that we are ignoring real issues that people are having in society. Lorde didn’t explicitly say she had a bad experience with birth control, but the reality is that some people do. In her article, ‘Why are so many young people ditching the pill’, Sinead Campbell spoke to a final year student at Durham University who experienced blood clotting in her leg as a result of taking the combined pill, prescribed to her by her GP as a form of acne treatment when she was 19. “The idea that it’s being handed out to teenagers to treat things like acne is so dangerous. I think people are becoming a bit more sceptical of that,” she told Dazed. This is not everyone’s experience, but it is some people’s experience on the pill, and those experiences should not be ignored because of our fears of right-wing cooptation.

The right are, unfortunately, very good at addressing the problems or anxieties that people have in society and doing something about them. That doesn’t mean that their solutions are good; they are often and almost always very bad and rarely deal with the root of the problem. The best example of this is Americans’ anxieties around the production and quality of their food. The Democratic Party has done little to address people’s fears around the chemicals in their food, but Republican figures like RFK Jr want to ban toxic food chemicals. At the same time, however, he is also peddling unscientific, eugenicist wellness narratives.

Some people have problems with their birth control. They have issues with the fact that they were lazily given it at a young age to deal with every or any problem they brought to their doctor. It is extremely unfortunate that we are in the climate that we are in right now, but that doesn’t change the fact that some people are dissatisfied with their birth control and want it to be better. They are not MAGA tradwives for expressing that. If the left were smart, we’d address some of these problems head-on, before the right does.

Simple google for those inclined to believe their pharmaceutical dealers/doctors, and/or their own anecdotal BS (And this is powdered-up google spin):

“Studies have shown a relative risk increase of around 20% to 30% in breast cancer risk for current or recent users of hormonal contraceptives.
Duration of Use:
The risk of breast cancer appears to increase with the duration of use, meaning the longer a woman uses hormonal contraceptives, the higher her risk.
Types of Contraceptives:
While both combined hormone contraceptives (containing estrogen and progestin) and progestin-only methods (mini-pill, injections, etc.)
Risk After Stopping Use:
The increased risk associated with oral contraceptive use declines after stopping use.”
Hello!!! Duh!

“…for every 100,000 women who use oral contraceptives from the age of 16 to 20, there would be an extra 8 cases of breast cancer.”

Compare that to tobacco use

“Other Factors:
While oral contraceptive use is associated with a small increased risk, many other factors can also influence a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, including genetics, family history, lifestyle choices, and age.
Important Considerations:
Individualized Risk Assessment:
Women who have a strong family history of breast cancer or other risk factors may want to discuss alternative contraception options with their doctor.”

Ya that’s like one in every , i would guess

“Benefits of Contraception:
The benefits of hormonal contraception, such as preventing pregnancy …often outweigh the small increase in breast cancer risk for many women.

“Compare that to tobacco use”

Gemini:

Both oral contraceptives (specifically combined oral contraceptives containing estrogen and progestin) and smoking carry distinct health risks, and when combined, these risks are significantly amplified.
Here’s a comparison of their risks:
Oral Contraceptives (Combined Hormonal Contraceptives)
* Primary Risks: The most significant risks associated with combined oral contraceptives (COCs) are related to the cardiovascular system and blood clots.
* Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): COCs increase the risk of VTE (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) by about 3 to 4 times compared to non-users. While this risk is still very low in absolute terms (e.g., 1 in 3,000 women on birth control developing a blood clot, or 20-40 cases per 100,000 woman-years), it’s a known concern. The risk of VTE is higher during pregnancy and the postpartum period than with COC use.
* Arterial Thrombosis (Heart Attack and Stroke): COCs can slightly increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, particularly in women with additional risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or migraines with aura.
* Other Potential Risks:
* Slightly increased risk of breast and cervical cancer (though they can reduce the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers).
* Common side effects include nausea, headaches, irritability, breast tenderness, and spotting between periods, which usually resolve within a few months.
* Factors that increase risk with OCs:
* Age (risk increases with age, especially over 35).
* Smoking (significant increase in cardiovascular risk).
* High blood pressure.
* Obesity.
* Certain genetic predispositions to blood clots (e.g., Factor V Leiden mutation).
* Type of progestin in the pill (some generations have a slightly higher VTE risk).
Smoking
* Primary Risks: Smoking is a leading preventable cause of disease and death, impacting nearly every organ in the body.
* Cardiovascular Disease: This is a major risk, including heart attack, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. Smoking causes blood vessels to constrict and harden, promoting plaque formation and atherosclerosis.
* Cancer: Smoking is a primary cause of lung cancer and can cause cancer in almost any part of the body, including the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, liver, kidney, pancreas, bladder, and more.
* Respiratory Diseases: Main cause of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. Worsens asthma.
* Diabetes: Increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and can worsen complications for those with type 1 diabetes.
* Infections: Weakens the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections.
* Reproductive Health: Harmful effects on fertility, pregnancy, and infant health.
* No Safe Level: Even smoking a few cigarettes a day or exposure to secondhand smoke carries significant risks.
* Magnitude of Risk: Smoking is generally considered to pose a far greater and more widespread health risk than oral contraceptive use alone, especially for cardiovascular mortality.
The Dangerous Combination: Oral Contraceptives and Smoking
The combination of smoking and combined oral contraceptive use is particularly dangerous due to a synergistic effect on the cardiovascular system.
* Greatly Increased Cardiovascular Risk: Smoking constricts blood vessels, while estrogen in COCs thickens the blood and increases the risk of blood clots. This combination significantly increases the likelihood of:
* Strokes: The risk of stroke is significantly higher for women who smoke while on COCs, even in their 20s.
* Heart Attacks: Similar to strokes, the risk of heart attack is substantially elevated.
* Blood Clots: The risk of VTE is further amplified.
* Specific Recommendations:
* Women over 35 who smoke, especially those who smoke 15 or more cigarettes per day, are strongly advised not to use combined oral contraceptives due to the exceptionally high risk of heart disease and stroke.
* Even younger women who smoke and use COCs face increased risks. Healthcare providers will generally encourage women who smoke to quit and may recommend alternative birth control methods (progestin-only pills or non-hormonal options) if they continue to smoke.
In summary:
While oral contraceptives carry a small, but measurable, risk of blood clots and cardiovascular events, smoking poses a far more extensive and severe threat to overall health, leading to a wide range of debilitating diseases and premature death. When combined, smoking and combined oral contraceptives create a particularly hazardous scenario, significantly multiplying the risk of cardiovascular complications. Therefore, quitting smoking is universally recommended for improving health, especially for those considering or using hormonal contraception.

I don’t think blaming politicians is any way to go. Government has no business in health care.

They insert themselves into it but that’s just for money and power. Ignore them

Induced abortion causes a violent disturbance in hormones. Spontaneous abortion/miscarriage is not the same. That’s the way it was put by a good on doctor

Abortion induced- is definitely a breast cancer risk factor

No one should be expecting planned parenthood or any stupid ama on gym or go to be honest and self informed on that If they are they have no reason to spread it around. Abortion seekers do not sue. That is not a population that is well respected in the medical community

The authorities scrub that information. Why wouldn’t they.

It is up to individuals to THINK about this. Planned parenthood and its defenders state that they are very interested in women’s reproductive health

That doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean that they have any interest in women’s health. It means only that they say they do. Which means nothing.

The normal state of the uterus is pregnancy. They don’t address that

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