from the San Francisco Chronicle
The Golden Gate Bridge turns 75 years old this weekend. When somebody or something reaches one of these milestones it is time to reflect. If we needed to build something like this bridge again, could we? Would the building of such a bridge become mired in partisan politics? I know we can build bridges to nowhere, but have we lost the capacity of actually helping the American people?
Golden Gate being Built in 1936
birth control pills
There was an interesting article posted yesterday over at Mother Jones. The author was questioning why she needed to get a physical exam every time she wanted to renew her birth control pills. She went into the data which suggested that yearly physical exams are probably not warranted in women over 30 years old. Let’s take this one step further. Why do you need a prescription for birth control pills? Why aren’t they available over the counter? Sure, birth control pills do have risks. They are not benign. Yet, there are plenty of medications, including aspirin and ibuprofen, which have serious side effects including anaphylactic reactions, bleeding and death, and they are available over the counter. As long as we’re examining birth control pills, why do you need to take one every day? Some data suggest that there is no reason that birth control pills can be made differently. As long as were asking questions, do women have to ovulate every month? These are the types of questions which now need to be asked so that we can truly figure out what is the best and most cost-effective way to deliver birth control to the modern woman.