# Birth control, breast pumps, counseling for abuse? Are we going to do pedicures & manicures as well? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 8, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972 "2011-08-08T18:29:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/421 "2011-08-18T22:15:48Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Someone will end up having to pay for it. For what? You already said women are too lazy to use it,\*\*\* so it costs you nothing.\*\*\* ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/422 "2011-08-18T22:33:50Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Under the ACA, birth control coverage, among other things, will be **mandated** at no extra cost to the woman. Ok, so are you under the assumption that every single woman will have birth control foisted upon her or something under this regulation? Mandatory birth control for all? Because, you know, that isn’t the case, right? If your contention is true that most women wont bother taking it anyway, well, then there’s no additional cost because they are too lazy to get the birth control in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/423 "2011-08-18T23:03:14Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > Speaking as the parent of a young adult who also remembers what it was like to be young and broke, I’ll bet more pill users would use their pills more consistently if they didn’t have to occasionally choose between their pills and $30 worth of, oh, food. It also helps when you can get the kind that actually works for you (rather than a generic or whatever’s subsidized). ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/424 "2011-08-18T23:08:05Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > It also helps when you can get the kind that actually works for you (rather than a generic or whatever’s subsidized). Right? Something tells me that you’d see a lot more women with IUDs if they were cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/425 "2011-08-18T23:19:59Z")
May I assume, **OMG a B.C.** that you are against the abstinence-only education pushed by the religious right? ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/426 "2011-08-18T23:41:04Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Ok, so are you under the assumption that every single woman will have birth control foisted upon her or something under this regulation? Mandatory birth control for all? > > Because, you know, that isn’t the case, right? > > If your contention is true that most women wont bother taking it anyway, well, then there’s no additional cost because they are too lazy to get the birth control in the first place. I think what he’s saying is that the women who are ALREADY using and paying for birth control will start to get it with no copay, and that’s what will raise costs. (To which I say, boo hoo hoo…but I think that is his point. And I don’t believe it’s necessarily true anyway since birth control is pretty cheap and having a baby is pretty expensive, so a relatively few pregnancies prevented could make up for a lot of “free” birth control.) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/427 "2011-08-19T00:03:25Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > May I assume, **OMG a B.C.** that you are against the abstinence-only education pushed by the religious right? Well, now, to be fair, he didn’t actually say anything like that. You could put it to him as a direct question, and I’m sure he would be happy to point out that he never actually said that, and then answer another question altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/428 "2011-08-19T00:20:29Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > For what? You already said women are too lazy to use it,\*\*\* so it costs you nothing.\*\*\* > [@DiosaBellissima"](#): > > Ok, so are you under the assumption that every single woman will have birth control foisted upon her or something under this regulation? Mandatory birth control for all? > > Because, you know, that isn’t the case, right? > > If your contention is true that most women wont bother taking it anyway, well, then there’s no additional cost because they are too lazy to get the birth control in the first place. Am I the only one who understands this? I, for example, would not be charged a higher premium based on whether or not a woman actually uses birth control or any other service provided. Rather I, for example, would be charged a higher premium solely because of the mandate which says that insurance companies _have_ to provide coverage for certain services without a charge to the woman. That mandatory coverage represents a cost to the insurance company. A cost they won’t eat and will pass along to everyone else. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > May I assume, OMG a B.C. that you are against the abstinence-only education pushed by the religious right? Hmmm. You know, I kind of wonder what that has to do with this. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/429 "2011-08-19T00:32:24Z")
“Why does a black conservative answer a question with a question?” “Well, so, why shouldn’t a black conservative answer a question with a question?” ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/430 "2011-08-19T00:33:20Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Rather I, for example, would be charged a higher premium solely because of the mandate which says that insurance companies _have_ to provide coverage for certain services without a charge to the woman. That mandatory coverage represents a cost to the insurance company. A cost they won’t eat and will pass along to everyone else. According to you, insurance companies will incur no costs related to the mandate, because women are too lazy to avail themselves of free birth control. No cost to the insurance company means no cost to you _ **even if it is mandated by law** _. Of course, if you want to walk back your comment that: > [@Omg a Black Conservative](#): > > “A simple fact of the matter if that many people don’t use contraceptives simply because they don’t want to or use them infrequently because they simply don’t care…” ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/431 "2011-08-19T00:53:47Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > “Why does a black conservative answer a question with a question?” > > “Well, so, why shouldn’t a black conservative answer a question with a question?” Why do you care? > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > According to you, insurance companies will incur no costs related to the mandate, because women are too lazy to avail themselves of free birth control. No cost to the insurance company means no cost to you _ **even if it is mandated by law** _. Of course, if you want to walk back your comment that: Yes, that’s precisely what I said. No woman will use contraceptives and insurance companies will just be super glad to eat the costs associated with (1) providing birth control sans copays (especially if they’re already providing birth control coverage with a copay!) and (2) covering numerous non-birth control related services. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/432 "2011-08-19T01:01:31Z")
Better keep abortion legal then. Not doing so would be insanely stupid. Childish, even. Clearly the conclusion of an inferior thought process, one might say. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/433 "2011-08-19T01:02:41Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Yes, that’s precisely what I said. No woman will use contraceptives… Well, you did say they didn’t want to, or just don’t care. > [@](#): > > …and insurance companies will just be super glad to eat the costs… One more time: If women don’t use free birth control, there are no costs for insurance comapanies to eat. You can’t have it both ways, with women too lazy to use birth control, yet somehow managing to leave insurance companies on the hook for exorbitant, mandated benefits. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/434 "2011-08-19T01:09:36Z")
Hell, I’m still trying to absorb how he worded it. “\*No woman \*will use contraceptives…” What? Huh? Pretty sure you missed the mark on that one. Call rewrite. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/435 "2011-08-19T01:13:31Z")
OMGBC seems to be under the impression that clinics will be giving women birth control whether they ask for it or not - like, as they walk out the clinic, they get handed a doggie bag full of birth control pills. Now, if they’re giving out birth control to women who neither want, nor have requested, birth control, that is indeed a profligate waste. But I’m pretty sure that’s not what’s going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/436 "2011-08-19T01:17:29Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Mandatory birth control for all? With just a _little_ tweaking this could be a great idea. I have this list… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/437 "2011-08-19T02:21:44Z")
Cora Mae Wilcox, my cousin in Texarkana. She on it? ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/438 "2011-08-19T03:06:50Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Well, you did say they didn’t want to, or just don’t care. Because that’s ever so clearly what I said. (No, it’s not.) What I said was, and I quote: > [@](#): > > Throwing money away for free contraception when the majority of people who obtain abortions don’t use it is folly. And they don’t use it for lack of access, but simply because they choose not to use it for whatever reason (or they just forget about it all together). > [@](#): > > One more time: If women don’t use free birth control, there are no costs for insurance comapanies to eat. I’m just going to quote myself, since that’s a lot easier than just retyping the same thing out: > [@Me](#): > > I, for example, would not be charged a higher premium based on whether or not a woman actually uses birth control or any other service provided. Rather I, for example, would be charged a higher premium solely because of the mandate which says that insurance companies have to provide coverage for certain services without a charge to the woman. That mandatory coverage represents a cost to the insurance company. A cost they won’t eat and will pass along to everyone else. Because you don’t understand this really is no skin off of my nose. > [@](#): > > You can’t have it both ways, with women too lazy to use birth control, yet somehow managing to leave insurance companies on the hook for exorbitant, mandated benefits. I don’t have to have it “both ways” since there is only one way. > [@elucidator](#): > > Hell, I’m still trying to absorb how he worded it. “No woman will use contraceptives…” What? Huh? Pretty sure you missed the mark on that one. Call rewrite. I have a better idea. It’s called “How-about-you-find-me-where-I-wrote-that-out?”. What’s with the rather blatant straw man? Of course, straw men are par for the course around here. If you can’t argue against what someone has typed out, then argue against something they didn’t type out. Yeah! > [@Miller](#): > > OMGBC seems to be under the impression that clinics will be giving women birth control whether they ask for it or not - like, as they walk out the clinic, they get handed a doggie bag full of birth control pills. Now, if they’re giving out birth control to women who neither want, nor have requested, birth control, that is indeed a profligate waste. > > But I’m pretty sure that’s not what’s going to happen. I really should start keeping a running tally of the number of straw man thrown out around here in a given week. I’m sure it has to be well over a hundred. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/439 "2011-08-19T03:11:34Z")
> [@](#): > > …It’s called “How-about-you-find-me-where-I-wrote-that-out?”… > [@](#): > > …Yes, that’s precisely what I said. No woman will use contraceptives… Ask, and it shall be given. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972/440 "2011-08-19T03:13:08Z")
So what’s cheaper, an abortion or a delivery? Let’s run some numbers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birth-control-breast-pumps-counseling-for-abuse-are-we-going-to-do-pedicures-manicures-as-well/591972.md?page=23)