Guest commentary by Marie Hahnenberg
Today as Americans celebrate Earth Day, perhaps some families will plant a tree or buy some energy-saving light bulbs. Perhaps some co-workers will try carpooling or a school will start a recycling project. As stewards responsible for caring for all God has created for us, the above efforts are good. But I’d like to spotlight one issue that receives far less attention: A dangerous drug that is so common that most women don’t even know what they are putting into their bodies is adversely affecting the environment. I’m talking about the birth control pill.
I do not understand why so many women who say that they care about the environment, take steps to eat organic foods and buy earth-friendly cleaning products for their homes are putting a completely inorganic, unnatural and dangerous drug into their bodies every day. If you care about your health and the environment, why would you jeopardize both by taking an oral contraceptive or any other synthetic estrogen replacement drug?
In 2006, the United States Geological Survey performed a study on fish in the Potomac River and found that 80 percent of the male smallmouth bass had intersex characteristics, meaning these male fish were growing female reproductive parts. The cause? Synthetic hormones from birth control pills, secreted through a woman’s urine, are contaminating our rivers and lakes. Since synthetic estrogen is part of the reason why male fish are becoming more feminine, then what kind of things will happen if our brothers, fathers and husbands come into contact with it?
According to Conrad Volz, co-director of exposure assessment at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute’s Center for Environmental Ecology, “We need to pay attention to chemicals that are estrogenic in nature, because they find their way back into the water we all use.” In fact, according to the study that Volz and his team in Pennsylvania did back in 2007, the fish caught in the water they were testing may also carry enough chemicals that mimic the female estrogen hormone to cause breast cancer cells to grow.
This is dangerous stuff! If your family’s drinking water comes from a water treatment plant, it would be important to find out how the plant treats the estrogen that is found in the water, and how much estrogen remains in your drinking water.
Women say that they take the pill for a variety of reasons. Are you or someone you know on birth control pills …
For irregular periods?
Well, guess what! The pill does not fix the reason you have irregular periods; it simply masks the problem while increasing your chances of getting a blood clot or pulmonary embolism. There are doctors trained in NaProTECHNOLOGY who can actually solve medical issues and help you! Please inform the women you love, because so many do not realize there are other answers out there that actually work. Remember, too, there are many reasons why women have irregular periods and if you find a doctor who is willing to help you rather than just give you a prescription for the pill, then you are on the right path. To find an expert in your area, go to http://onemoresoul.com/nfp-providers.
For sexual freedom?
Oh, come on, any independent woman today only has to do a quick internet search to find the long list of side effects from the pill. Once you see those, you can easily determine there is no freedom in that at all. Don’t forget about the mysterious part of our creation called pheromones. These hormones are what help attract a male and female to each other, and this chemical attraction takes place through our sense of smell, the olfactory nerves. However, the pill can affect this natural phenomenon. A woman could fall for a man she would not normally fall for if she were not on the pill. A young woman in her twenties recently told me that while she was on the pill in high school, she ended up giving herself to a guy that she was getting to know. After she got off the pill, she no longer wanted to be with him. All that she could offer by way of explanation for her change of heart is that she couldn’t stand the way he smelled! I sure wouldn’t call that sexual freedom—a teenage girl gives into the pressures of a boy and becomes blinded by the pill? It’s what American Life League calls the “pill goggles” effect. See our video report here.
Then why?
Because women don’t know any better. It’s what our society has accepted as a norm. But that’s where you and I come in, to break down these falsehoods and educate others about the realities behind this deceiving, decidedly un-environmentally friendly drug.
Not only can the birth control pill kill you; it’s not always going to prevent a little baby from being created—and when that happens, the thinning of the lining of your uterus brought about by the pill can cause abortions.
Birth control is certainly not a friend to the environment. The pill, patch and other birth control products cause a lot of harm to our environment. American Life League is calling all of the real environmentalists and earth friendly Americans to join us and protest the pill.
On Saturday, June 5, join women and men across the country as we get the word out that the pill kills! Wearing the Pill Kills T-shirt or holding the Pill Kills sign will help us draw a lot of attention, giving us the perfect opportunity to be witnesses in Christ. Sometimes we need to be like St. John the Baptist to get people’s attention, because most people are so wrapped up in their own personal lives that they forget the serious dangers (spiritual, physical and emotional) behind this contraceptive mentality that our society so strongly embraces.
Get out and help spread the word. And let’s clean up our water—not just by purchasing expensive equipment to clean it, but by using more natural ways to control our fertility. Look into the Creighton Model, the ovulation method or another form of natural family planning and spacing of children. If you’re not married, then respect yourself and those around you by remaining abstinent and please, save the rest of us from being in danger. We are already seeing the devastating effects of synthetic estrogen on our fish. Who knows what we may discover years down the road from the “fresh” water we drink.
Marie Hahnenberg is the director of American Life League’s Pill Kills project. Visit www.ThePillKills.com or e-mail // .