The problems as I see it with plugs are five-fold.
Firstly, you'd have to be very sure you're not allergic to latex, which has a growing rate of anaphylactic shock worldwide as more and more latex is being used, for example for rubber gloves.
Secondly, the fallopian tubes are very delicate and prone to scarring, which can lead to permanent infertility due to ... blocked tubes. So it probably wouldn't be a good idea to use it as temporary birth control, only for those women who definitely don't want anymore children.
Next, the fallopian tubes are the only way for an ovum to escape the body. Without that escape route down into the uterus and out via menstruation, the egg will be stopped and decompose within the body. It may be reabsorbed, or it could cause septis, and goodbye to that particular fallopian tube.
Fourthly, the plugs would need to be implanted into the body via an operation - and once again the fallopian tubes are delicate and easily scarred, again risking permanent infertility.
And the last reason is that you couldn't be sure they'd stay where they were put. If they shifted, you'd never know until you're throwing up into the toilet with morning sickness.
So I would never recommend latex plugs as a good contraceptive. It's a bit like the copper IUD; it seems like a good idea until you have to actually wear one.
Alison
Hee hee, I entirely agree with you about the gifts from Aspergers, plus the type of reading materials we tend to find interesting! New Scientist is one of my main loves for "casual relaxing-type reading", along with anything that has Sudoku, logic puzzles or those crosswords where you're given the clues but no blacked out spaces, you have to put them in as well. I love those, but can rarely find them.
The drawbacks for me, at least, are all due to social deficits; if I didn't have to interact with NTs at all, the Aspergers wouldn't have any downsides.
Alison
I agree. Religions are clubs, essentially. The more members you've got, the more power you've got over the other clubs. If people are ground down into poverty by having birth control methods denied them that isn't the club's concern. When I was growing up I lived in an area with a high proportion of Italian immigrants. My best friend at the time was a Catholic girl, and she told me that when her family went to confession she had to "make something up" to confess to the priest that she'd done, even though, as a rather timid little thing, she'd never done anything of the sort. Usually she'd say she'd taken some money from her mother's purse, or something. I always found it fascinating that she had to commit the "sin" of lying to not be punished for the "sin" of lying ie the priest would automatically disbelieve her if she said she'd done nothing to deserve punishment!
Alison
A bit like when you've done the act and only afterwards realise that the guy (or girl) you're with has the AIDS virus? I'd sooner be protected, no matter how small the protection.
Alison
Very clear indeed -- your intent is to exploit the women by getting crypto-sexual gratification from their touching you, thus turning them into involuntary sex-workers at a barber's wages.
Let's be honest about what's going on here: There's nothing wrong with a female barber washing a guy's hair. Just like there's nothing wrong with a kid sitting on the lap of a department store Santa. But if "Santa" is getting some level of sexual gratification from it, that's sick.
Do you inform them that you're using them? Do you tip them the $200 a good prostitute can charge?
Another triumph of christian hypocrisy.
You consider yourself too "good" to hire a sex-worker, yet you essentially manipulate a woman into being a non-consensual sex-worker by setting her up to unknowingly provide you with sexual gratification -- by your sexualizing her non-sexual touch. You think it's sinful to pay a sex-worker, but it's okay to create one against the woman's will.
You should get real and pay a sex-worker just to touch you. You can keep your virginity; she won't insist (believe me) on having actual sex with you. You can get the exact same thing you're getting from the barber, but it will be less exploitational (if not totally non-exploitational) and more honest. And get your haircut from a male.
Yes, the best haircut I got was from a gay male hairdresser. He was lovely - really friendly and use to sing around the shop. Sadly, he is is now gone.
I must admit to finding GuessWho's postings on the subject of not "getting any" to be rather pompous, farty and pratly. It has got to the point where it is just a waste of time and space to discuss with him.
Oh, didn't you get my point? I thought I stated it rather clearly - there is enough food to feed everybody on the earth - the only reason some people are starving now is because of political repression and genocides.