Oh god not female contraception!

I'm just going to come out and say it guys. This entire blog post is going to be about the pill. 

That terrifyingly tiny pill that has the power to regulate and control lady bits and by the reaction of many people one of the most terrifying things ever created since tampons. 

Melodrama aside, I was reading and article by the Huffington Post today basically stating that Ontario doctors should not be forced to prescribe the pill if they don't want. Now I'm not talking about just medical reasons, this is also because of personal ethics, religion, etc...

Now I have some major issues with this, the first being that Docs in Ontario are government funded through OHIP. While we don't have to pay for our medical visits government tax dollars are used to subsidize the cost of our care. This means that, in part, the tax money you pay also pays for Canadians healthcare. Breaking it down farther, that means that Canadians of all backgrounds and religions help pay for Canadian healthcare. So why then, when these people are publicly funded are they being allowed to instil religious beliefs on their patients. 

The main arguments to this are from people saying, "well if you don't like the care you're receiving be proactive and find a new doctor." That's not the point though, yes people change doctors because they don't like the care they're getting but why should a doctor collect money from the government to then treat his medical office like a church? I realize that this sounds insensitive because doctors are human beings with beliefs and religions that belong to them but there has to be a line in the sandbox in which they can stop providing care based on personal beliefs. To top that off finding a doctor isn't always as easy as just going to another medical office. Depending where you live the process can take upwards of a year before you're seen and in that time all of your medical needs are handled at walk-in clinics (with many limitations) or the hospitals emergency rooms (driving up healthcare costs). 

I truly believe that if a doctor will not prescribe a medication solely of personal ethics or religious reasons then that doctor needs to belong to the private practice sector. If you want your medical dictated by someone relying and following religious or personal ethics then you should be required to pay for that care outside the scope of government funding.

It's the same way that current separate schools (like the public Catholic school system - I'm just using this system because this is what I was in) while still Catholic cannot refuse students of other religions from enrolling. 

If something is in any way government or publicly funded then there should be absolutely no religious influence involved. 

I'm such a heavy proponent of this because for the most part female contraception is still such a taboo topic. Having gone through the Catholic school system it was completely ignored with a "just wait till you're married" statement. 

Thanks for the words of wisdom there,Coach

What's almost always completely ignored is that the big scary pill is NOT solely used as a form of contraception. It's never mentioned in high school sex-ed that this also exists for medical reasons which results in people hearing "THE PILL" and covering their ears in a LALALAICANTHEARYOU as a response. 

I mean what's worse than having your doctor, who is just as much an advocate for your health as you are, judge the fuck out of you for not wanting children at that moment while still not wanting to bleed Niagara Falls every 2-4 weeks while cramping. I found it terrifying to go and talk to my doctor because it was so pushed on us that you shouldn't be having sex therefore you should not be using birth control for such a long time. Going to that office to get the pill felt like was walking around with a giant "FLOOZY" sign strapped to my chest. In reality it's one of the most common, all around medications out there. Family planning is one of the things it's used for but for the most part it's for hormone regulation, PMS relief, acne for god sakes. 

I'm not knocking religion at all in this, you have the freedom to practice and believe in whatever the fuck you want. The moment that your religious beliefs have me lying on the floor with a hot water bottle requiring prescription strength painkillers or have attempted to lay claim to my lady bits we got a problem. 

The problem with rescuing dogs...

Is people.

I know I almost (if not did) ignite a giant hate fire with that title but I promise I'll make up for it. 

I've noticed (and this is just based on my current city although it may be the same other places) a huge increase in dogs looking to be rehomed. At first glance this seems like a great thing, someone proactively triyng to find a better situation for their dog. I'm finding this is so not the case where I live, both for rescued dogs and dogs just needing to be rehomed. 

I understand that dogs need to be rehomed sometimes. Circumstances change, things come up and it takes a big person to realize, "Hey, I can't provide what this dog needs right now and I'm not contributing to making their life better." Queue the posting:

"[Breed] dog looking for a new home through no fault of their own. I don't have the time to give to them any more. Asking $400.00". 

It's the asking price that I have trouble with, a lot of trouble with. Don't get me wrong, a rehoming fee is totally expected and completely reasonable. I expect people to charge a rehoming fee. What I don't expect is people to demand and refuse to even consider a potentially great home for their dog because "I don't want to lose money on this dog."

I feel like these people seriously have been beaten with a giant dumbass stick. I don't understand how any human being can admit they cannot provide what their dog needs and refuse to rehome that dog because someone won't pay them enough. You know what that is? 

Selfish.

If you refuse to rehome your animal whose needs you are not meeting based solely on the fact you aren't making money off of them you are selfish. The moment that getting money becomes a large factor in rehoming a dog it's the dog that loses out. Your dog is not a tool to make money off of, that's the sad fact about dogs - unless you're showing them or breeding them they aren't going to increase in value over time, in fact they are going to cost you money.

Dogs are going to cost you money. 

Potentially a lot of money if you happen to have a rather accident prone one or a have a breed that is more prone to certain medical issues. That's something you have to consider before you decide to get a dog, that's something you have to plan for before you get a dog. It's completely unreasonable to demand hundreds of dollars for your intact dog that has never been to a vet.

Please, please please do the responsible thing - if your circumstances change and you can no longer keep your dog, focus on a good home. Ask for vet references, do a home visit, ask for references, ask about the potential homes jobs and work. Don't focus on trying to make a quick buck because it's not you who suffers the consequences.