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Robot Babies Not Effective Birth Control, Australian Study Finds (sky.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Girls given imitation babies to look after in an effort to deter teenage pregnancy could actually be more likely to get pregnant, according to a study. Researchers in Australia found 8% of girls who used the dolls were expecting by the age of 20, compared with 4% of those who did not. The number of girls having at least one abortion was also higher among girls given the dolls: 9% compared to 6%. 'Baby Think It Over' dolls were used in a Virtual Infant Parenting (VIP) programme which began in 57 schools in Western Australia in 2003. During the three-year study, published in The Lancet, 1267 girls aged 13 to 15 used the simulators -- which need to be fed and changed, while 1567 learned the normal health curriculum. The idea originated in the United States and is used in 89 countries. Researchers from the Telethon Kids Institute in Western Australia are now warning that such programmes may be a waste of public money.
Actually, blaming it on either Conservative or Liberal is probably misleading. While the idea of "waiting" till you're able is likely conservative, even liberals would tend to agree. And it would be typical of a Liberal to label an unwanted baby as "Punishment", and they would likely want to deter it with such a program that basically enforces that idea.
Therefore, it is my conclusion that REALLY bad ideas come from trying to fit Conservative ideas with Liberal problem solving.
Schools should stick to Reading, Writing and Math, and drop the stupid social experiments that usually cause more problems than they solve.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
I have seen the "baby effect" in action. When a women shows other women a new baby, it can cause the other women to have a stronger desire to have that experience (of holding a newborn) again. I don't see this leading to a sudden number of new pregnancies in said social group, but it does seem to heighten maternal instincts.
Just like smelling food may increase one's hunger, perhaps stimuli that elicits a similar instinct in women also has the effect of increasing desire to have a real child.
Just a speculation that crossed my mind.
You have figures for all the other methods. What are the figures for "encouraging them to stop fucking so much"?
The figures quoted say otherwise. True, the worst contraceptive you mention is successful with 72% of users across a year never having a problem, however the pill is successful for 91% of users (over a year), and the CDC includes reversible birth control measures that are more than 99% effective in the chart you mention.
It's also worth mentioning that the failures aren't necessarily a function of the devices themselves so much as user error. Condoms usually "fail" not because they break or anything else obvious, but because people who rely upon them frequently decide to chance not using them. Almost all versions of the pill can be rendered useless if combined with certain drugs - notably many antibiotics - and are more than 99% effective if used properly.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
I'm as liberal as they come. I like GMO crops, eat them and hope they continue to improve, though I don't like Monsanto too much as a company. Couldn't care less about Sanger, but it's hardly a surprise that someone from her era was racist and believed in eugenics -- almost everybody was racist and eugenics were extremely popular in that era. But who cares, outside of historical curiosity?
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The consequences for males is less, because society starts off by saying boys have nothing to say in the matter of birth control and abortion. When you start the conversation by excluding the other parent as irrelevant, you should at least understand that part of that is how you frame other aspects of the same event.
This isn't a commentary on Abortion at all, but rather the framing of "my body my right" logic that then gets changed after 9 months.
For instance, Family court is one area where Men are at a complete disadvantage. Not that anyone cares.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
I was thinking the babies are probably very effective for training the kids to become parents, Technically what these programs are doing aren't really scaring the kids but are more in a way training them for parenthood. Just as you train people to become soldiers by shooting at them and simulating combat scenarios - you are simulating parenting scenarios.
Now what would be an interesting side affect to this study would be if the parents what went through this "experience" are doing any better with their babies than the ones who didn't. I have the thought that those that did are probably better first moms because of it.
"Enjoy what you're doing! If it becomes drudgery, you're doing it wrong!" - Jim Butterfield