Check out this article I forgot I wrote for a paper a few years ago...

It was for the Center for Faith Justice.

Kind of cool forgetting you wrote something and then coming upon it a year and a half later! Also, laughing at my bio at the end... Things change so much.

HELP!

Does anyone know how to fix the white background that shows up behind a lot of my text? I know a lot of it happens because of copying/pasting from other sources but I didn't copy/paste the things typed in that last post and it still turned white...

Email me if you know. :]
askansley@gmail.com

KONY 2012

For anyone who hasn't heard about KONY 2012 yet (where have you been!?), it's a campaign by Invisible Children Inc. to make Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, famous, in the hopes of getting him arrested and stopping his campaign to make Uganda a theocracy based on the Ten Commandments using violent tactics such as kidnapping children and making them sex slaves or forcing them to kill their own parents. 

I'll admit, I had never heard of Kony before last night. I knew that there were children in Africa that were kidnapped and forced to kill, but it was so distant, so easy to ignore. Now we can't ignore it. It's everywhere - on every social media site. 

But as it always goes on the internet when something becomes popular, there are an army of critics there to tell everyone why they're wrong to support Invisible Children. The arguments can be summarized in this link everyone is using.

Here's the problem with everyone bashing Invisible Children right now: IC's main goal is raise awareness. Which they've done. Better than I've seen in a really long time. A lot of people went to sleep last night with no idea who Joseph Kony is. Today, everyone's talking about him - demanding action. He is becoming a household name.

I want to get away from this, though, because by focusing so much on the integrity of Invisible Children, we are completely shifting the focus away from what should matter - the horrible atrocities being committed by Kony. The people putting so much focus on the "legitimacy" of IC are simply proving that they care more about talking 

One of the articles criticizing Invisible Children ended with a series of (mostly sarcastic) questions about IC but this one stood out: "Is [this] all just pompous hypothesizing by Westerners with enough freedom, information, and education to look down on a simple, kind act?" To which I have to answer, yes.

Regardless of how IC functions as an organization, they are making an incredible impact (and doing a lot more about the problem than sitting on their computers criticizing the people trying to change things).

Do you know how your birth control works?

I got a attacked a few weeks ago for saying that hormonal birth control prevents implantation by changing the lining of the uterus, preventing pregnancy, not conception. This included the anonymous attacker telling me to take an anatomy/physiology class. While I agree that anatomy classes are great sources of information on the human body, I still think that person was confused.

Hormonal birth control does contain synthetic estrogen which works to prevent conception by making sure a new egg is not released, however, it also contains synthetic progesterone which works to prevent implantation of a fertilized egg should the first hormone (estrogen) fail and conception occur. 

Don’t believe me? Maybe you’ll believe Rachel Maddow: 

Here’s her awesome video on birth control!

I digress, the person did criticize me for using youtube videos (I thought it would be easier than reading an article! Oops!), so will you listen to Planned Parenthood?

“The hormones also thin the lining of the uterus. In theory, this could prevent pregnancy by keeping a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.” (Source)

WebMD?

Hormonal contraceptives (the pill, the patch, and the vaginal ring) all contain a small amount of synthetic estrogen and progestin hormones. These hormones work to inhibit the body’s natural cyclical hormones to prevent pregnancy. Pregnancy is prevented by a combination of factors. The hormonal contraceptive usually stops the body from releasing an egg from the ovary. Hormonal contraceptives also change the cervical mucus to make it difficult for the sperm to find an egg. Hormonal contraceptives can also prevent pregnancy by making the lining of the womb inhospitable for implantation. (Source)

Go Ask Alice?

“Meanwhile, synthetic progestin works to:

Stop the pituitary gland from producing LH in order to prevent egg release

Make the uterine lining inhospitable to a fertilized egg

Partially limit the sperm’s ability to fertilize the egg

Thicken the cervical mucus to hinder sperm movement (although this effect may not be key to preventing pregnancy)” (Source) 

Still don’t believe me? The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals talks about all different kinds of birth control!

Injectable Contraception: Hormone changes lining of the uterus so that pregnancy cannot occur.

IUD: Hormone changes lining of the uterus so that pregnancy cannot occur.

The Pill, transdermal patch, vaginal ring: Prevent the release of LH and FSH (which allow eggs to grow and release, but also thicken the uterine wall, making it hospitable to a fertilized egg)

All forms of hormonal contraception reduce the risk of pregnancy by preventing ovulation. Some forms of hormonal contraception also change the lining of the uterus so that pregnancy cannot occur.

(Source)

So, everyone, I hope we all fully understand how contraception works now and can make fully informed decisions.