Contraception

There will be several factors working to increase procreation. Farmers know that well-fed cows don't procreate, to get cows to breed you just starve them a bit. After the pole shift, we will certainly have a lot of starving people and this will lead to the basic survival urge to procreate to save the species. Want more proof? Take a look at primitive countries - logic says they should have a low birth rate. Is this the case? No, just the reverse. The second factor is no one is looking. With chaos everywhere with no police force, with no government. With everyone on their own. Many will toss personal ethics out the window. To put it bluntly, I believe more sex will be the order of the day independent of the logic of the situation or the logic of the consequences. This will lead to all manner of complex situations for those who take on treating the sick and ill, with those about to give premature birth. No matter how unpopular or controversial this subject is in this society at this time, some knowledge of birth control in primitive conditions is definitely needed.

Offered by Mike.

Having "spent my 20's between the sheets" like the song says and having put four/five souls on this planet- I have these thoughts --- pregnancy, childbirth, and infancy are very high-intensity activities. In a world where resources are restricted we will have to think and consider the consequences of our fornicating very carefully. I hate to sound imperialistic, but we will have to make sure that there are the resources available to sustain a pregnant woman in the Aftertime. There will be no resources for difficult pregnancies or births. Sex for sex is one thing. Putting another soul on the planet is another. We will have to differentiate between sex and procreation. What purpose to become pregnant when there is not enough food to sustain a healthy pregnancy? In the Aftertime every pregnancy should be a community affair. We will all have to make sure that every mother has enough nutrition to produce a healthy child. The loss of a newborn or a fetus will mean so much more when there are so few less children. Do we want to repeat history and have our children starve in front of us?

Birth control must be a very high priority and not a "morality" bound stigma like it is today. The whole community must be devoted to the health and welfare of every pregnant woman and her child. That in my mind is where "modern" society cuts it's own feet out from under us. We don't recognize the fact that every child is a unique and precious gift. We think that they are somebody else's child when in fact they are all a part of our very own souls. To watch a stranger's child suffer is to watch your own suffer. To me, personally, this is the hardest aspect of modern life. 17 years ago my first child watched a TV show about starving children and broke into tears. She threw herself at me and said "Mommy fix it!". I have never had the money to even sponsor a foster child but I have never sent a child away from my house hungry and I have never forgotten her order. We are all responsible for the well-being of every child that we come in contact with. I believe with all my heart that every child is a precious gift and the laws of my country reflect that in that if I suspect child abuse and do not report it I am legally liable. Beyond that there are millions of children starving and suffering all over the world while so many people have so much more than they can even use in one lifetime. This to me is the worst crime of modern society.

Offered by Regina.