mjv@ihu1e.UUCP (Vlach) (07/16/85)
> >I hate to see this 99.9% rate flying around in so many messages. The pill > >is ~95-97% effective when used EXACTLY as directed. > > When I worked at the Pregnancy Aid Center in College Park, the > information we had was that the pill was >99% effective when used as > directed. And, barring house fires, etc, it is not that difficult to use. In THEORY the pill's effectiveness rate is ~99%. In ACTUAL USE, it has shown itself to be ~95-97% effective. The theory is nice, but we all know about the difference between theory and the real world. I get my data from Planned Parenthood, and numerous books and pamphlets. Sure, it seems easy to take one pill every day, but how may of us have never forgotten to do something? Lost our keys perhaps? Left dinner burning in the oven? Pills are no different. If you forget to take them the rate is of course much worse than ~96%, this rate is for people who don't miss any. Another problem is that if you are on the pill and you miss a couple, this leaves you more susceptible to pregnancy than ever. RE: should teenagers have sex. My experience is that it is awfully hard to stop them, and having them use birth control is better than winding up with unwanted children or abortions. Nobody likes abortions, not even the pro-choice side, it is just sometimes the best alternative.