Ok, maybe not so much overdosed as took-a-lot-of-pills-and-nothing-happened. At my Freethinkers meeting this Wednesday, we discussed alternative medicine. As a part of that, we talked homeopathy and I thought this was a good show of its ineffectiveness. I didn’t die (obviously) and it didn’t cause me to become sleepy or calm in the least (after this was filmed, we have a very lively debate, during which I was far from calm or sleepy, which is normal for our meetings). I’d also like to point out that not only are these pills just sugar pills, but they’re also expensive sugar pills (over $5 for a small bottle).

This demonstration was inspired by James Randi.

This campaign season is already starting to get nasty. Especially when it comes to racist bullshit, like when Newt Gingrich said that Obama is a “food stamp president” and said that black people “should demand paychecks instead of food stamps” . Or when Santorum said he doesn’t want to “make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money.” (Oh, sorry, he meant “blah” people, not black people). And, as you would (sadly) expect, bigotry in the Republican party isn’t just limited to the idiots running for president: former Rep. Peter Hoekstra had to jump into the cesspool with this ad (above). And wait until you read the explanations from the campaign:

The Hoekstra campaign called the advertisement “satirical” and explained the broken English in the video as a reflection of China’s increasingly competitive education system.

Yeah… Do I even need to explain why this is utter bullshit? No? Good. I’ll be in that dark corner over there morning the death of our society.

I’ve been busier than ever this week. With having exams and other school work, organizing my Freethinkers group and trying to become affiliated with a humanist group, and organizing a trip to a CFI conference this spring break, I’ve been a very busy atheist. But I do have links for this week, so that’s something.

• Those darn nagnostics, always telling us that we can’t prove god doesn’t exist.
• I often have mixed feelings about Cracked.com. Sometimes that have really stupid, sexist shit, and sometimes they’re awesome. This is a time when it’s the latter: The 5 most Ridiculously Sexist Superhero Costumes (pro tip: Don’t read the comments… you’re better off without them).
• This is so much win. But, as usual, the point is way over the heads of anti-choice Republicans.
• Have a bit of time on your hands? Lean more about humanism!
• Did you hear that the Romneys had Mitt’s dead atheist father-in-law baptized into the Mormon church? Well, Bill Maher wasn’t going to stand for that.
• If you’re going to read this Rolling Stone article, make sure you have a box of tissues: “One Town’s War on Gay Teens.”
• Have you heard about the Komen Foundation’s cluster fuck with defunding Planned Parenthood? Did you hear about them backing down?
• Above: Darwin Day is February 12th. Celebrate by handing out these Darwin valentines to your friends or find a Darwin Day event near you!

I’ve been busy lately (well, when am I not, really?). But I have links this week. Unfortunately, the world has been a rather awful place over the past two weeks. As a result, some of these links are… really depressing, to say the least. Sorry. Here, have a kitty picture to make up for it:

There. Now to the links!

• I <3 Google.
• Quackery Red Flags: print up this comic and give it to your more credulous friends and family!
• Need a good laugh at someone’s expense? Well, do I have the right idiotic senator for you!
• “Indiana Senate Committee Approves Creationist Legislation.” Yep.
• I’m really starting to get distressed about the rhetoric and the actions of the extreme right in this country. This story about a Democratic campaign manager’s cat being killed doesn’t make me feel any better (warning: there is a picture of the murdered cat there).
• The Supreme Court rules that churches don’t have to abide by civil rights laws. *sigh* It’s always two steps forward and three back in the US, isn’t it?
• How about we laugh so we don’t cry? Look at these really, really inoffensive (hypothetical) atheist billboards.
• Above: You thought SOPA and PIPA were bad, wait until you read about ACTA (via memebase).

I cannot count the number of times I’ve talked about abortion with someone and they got something so very wrong, and I’m not just talking about wingnuts. Even my friends who are pro-choice don’t fully understand what abortion is and what it means for many women. So I’d like to take some time to correct these myths and misconceptions about abortion.

The Procedure

First off, let’s learn a bit about what abortion actually means, medically speaking. How many times have you heard some crazy bullshit from conservative christians about how awful and bloody it is? Just the other week, I was arguing with talking to a Tea Party lady who claimed that an abortion is when a doctor induces birth and then kills the baby by putting a nail through its head (“partial birth” abortion is the only kind of abortion, dontcha know). Honestly, these people have very active and gruesome imaginations; I think it’s all that bible reading they do (Srsly, have you guys read that thing? Crazy!). Anyway, that’s definitely not how abortion works.

There are two common types of abortion: medication abortion and in-clinic abortion.

Medication Abortion

This procedure can occur up to 9 weeks after the first day of a missed period. It’s called a “medication” abortion because an abortion pill, called mifepristone (or RU-486), is what is used to terminate the pregnancy. This pill  blocks the hormone progesterone, without which the lining of the uterus will break down.

There are three steps in this procedure:

1.  A women will take the pill at the clinic, and then will be given antibiotics to take afterwards.
2. A second medication, called misoprostol, will be given about three days later (usually at home). This causes the uterus to empty. This part is probably the worst part (but not nearly as bad as some would like to claim). This will cause heavy bleeding and cramping: like a really bad period. This will last a few days at most, but spotting can last for a few weeks afterwards.
3. Two weeks later, there will be a followup to make sure the procedure was successful. This includes an ultrasound and a blood test.

And that’s it. Not so awful, is it? It’s just a safe, effective medical procedure.

In-Clinic Abortion

In-clinic abortions are usually performed 9 weeks or later. There are two common kinds of in-clinic procedures: aspiration (aka: vacuum aspiration) and D&E (dilation and evacuation). The first is usually performed from 9 to 16 weeks, and the latter after 16 weeks.

Aspiration:  The woman’s uterus is examined prior to beginning the procedure. She’s offered pain medication and possibly some form of sedation. Then a speculum is inserted into the vagina and numbing medication would be injected. The cervix is stretched with dilators (possibly several hours to a day before the procedure) and/or medication. A tube is inserted into the uterus and it is suctioned until the uterus is empty. Sometimes an instrument, called a curette, will be used to insure that the uterus is empty. Antibiotics will be given, like with a medication abortion. This procedure takes about 5 to 10 minutes to perform, but more time will be needed to prepare the cervix.

Dilation and Evacuation:  This procedure is similar to an aspiration abortion in many ways. The main difference is that, with later second trimester abortions, a drug may need to be injected through the abdomen to ensure fetal demise. This procedure takes 10 to 20 minutes, with additional time needed to prepare the cervix.

The few days after these types of abortions will be similar to after a medication abortion. Some bleeding and cramping may occur, lasting a few days.

And that’s that. Nothing scary or gruesome or dangerous. It’s just a simple, safe medical procedure.

How Women Feel

You’ve probably heard something like this before (actually, Santorum just said something like this): women are emotionally damaged by abortion; it ruins women’s lives; etc. etc. This just isn’t true. As Planned Parenthood puts it:

You may have a wide range of feelings after your abortion. Most women ultimately feel relief after an abortion. Some women feel anger, regret, guilt, or sadness for a little while.

Serious, long-term emotional problems after abortion are about as uncommon as they are after giving birth.

Most sources I’ve seen say that most women just feel relieved. Any post abortion emotional problems are rare and usually pass quickly. If you’d like to read more about it, Planned Parenthood has a good explanation of several studies on the topic here [pdf] (it also cites sources!).

Other Misconceptions

A lot of pro-choicers will say things like “I’m not pro-abortion; no one is pro-abortion, but women have a right…” Well, I’m here to say that I am pro-abortion. I am absolutely for a safe, effective procedure that gives women the ability to control their own reproduction. That’s not to say that I’d prefer women get abortions rather than properly using birth control. But, hey, shit happens, even with the proper use of birth control. And I’m certainly not going to make moral judgments on a woman because she’s had an abortion (or even multiple abortions).

Another misconception floating around is that a woman must have a really good excuse to have an abortion. She must be a victim, unable to financially support a child, or have a medical problem. Well, fuck that shit. The only reason any woman needs to have an abortion is that she either doesn’t want a child or cannot safely have a child. That’s it. And if she doesn’t want to explain herself to you or someone else, then she doesn’t have to.

One thing really bothers me is how the media sometimes reports about abortion. Have you ever been watching a report about something abortion related and seen the stock-footage they use? It’s just fucking stupid. They always show women who are hugely pregnant; ones that are clearly in their late third trimester. Or they show ultrasounds that are similarly from later in a pregnancy. As if indicating that this is what women who get abortions look like; this is what their fetuses look like. Well, it’s not! Abortion that late in pregnancy just doesn’t happen. It’s not even legal in the US! I mean, I doubt they’re (usually) pushing an anti-choice agenda. They’re probably just lazy and have grabbed whatever stock-footage they found first.

These are just some of the myths and misconceptions floating around these days. There are many more, but hopefully, my dear reader, you’ve come away from this with more knowledge about this “controversial” topic.

If you’ve heard any myths about abortion that I didn’t get to, please leave a comment.

Today is Friday the 13th. Oooooo! *spooky sounds* Etc. I didn’t even realize this was the case until the guy on TV said so. Don’t step on a black cat, or cross a mirror, or break a crack, or something… I don’t know. Have some links.

• The Doomsday clock is now one minute closer to midnight.
• Be skeptical of acai berry products claims, some of them are flat out fraudulent.
• The definition of rape is finally updated.
• The founding fathers were skeptical about christianity? You don’t say!
• “If we do not destroy ourselves we will one day venture to the stars.” This is a pretty cool picture of Carl Sagan!
• Some Indiana state senators proposed a bill that would allow schools to require recitation of the Lord’s Prayer every morning. This is indeed what theocracy looks like.
• Good news: Jessica Ahlquist won her lawsuit! Not so good news: People are still bulling and threatening her. If you are able and feeling generous, chip in some money for a scholarship for her (at the bottom of the Friendly Atheist link).
• Above: One of the funniest cosmetic ad parodies I’ve ever seen.

UPDATE: Everyone has left the gallery area, and the Capitol building, because they’re shutting down to the public for the evening (like usual). The ACLU lawyer was given contact information (including mine) and he told us that what they did may indeed have been illegal. At the very least, the Sergeant at Arms (the guy in charge of security) will get in quite a bit of trouble with the lawyer for the place, and the local media will report on it.

Pictures can be seen here and video to come as soon as they post them.

Ah, the semester has begun and I’m getting back into the swing of things. But even with classes starting again (as well as my campus Freethinkers group, which I’m partly in charge of now!) I didn’t forget the links. So here they are!

• How would you like a Santorum Salad? (If that doesn’t make you giggle, then maybe you haven’t heard what the current definition of Santorum is.)
• Have you seen the Brick Bible? Well, this Catholic woman just did, and she does not approve.
• Oh Reddit, why are you so awful?
• This woman hasn’t personally experienced sexism in the skeptic/atheist community, therefore all women who say that have are just asking for special treatment. *sigh* Like we haven’t heard this shit before. The Blag Hag has a great article in response. Another good article on the topic from one of the Skepchicks.
• Ready to be offended on every level? Well, if not, don’t watch “Work It”.
• Frat guy sends out an email out about how to get sexpie from womentargets (trigger warning for rape culture and a genuinely awful human being).
• How do you all feel about this controversial new PSA targeting obese children? Please share your opinions on this topic in the comments (I’m curious about what you all will have to say).
• Above: Have I mentioned that I love science based humor? Well, I do. [via Memebase]

Now, go enjoy your weekend! And I’ll be Occupying (there’s a big event coming with my local Occupy early next week).

The first person I Googled was Barack Obama because he’s the incumbent and it seemed like a good place to start. In case you’re wondering, the first result is a website that generates non sequiturs about Obama (apparently it was popular during the last campaign and is now a book). Other than that strange result, it looks like what’d you expect people (many of which I’m rather surprised can use a computer) to Google about Obama; e.g. he’s an idiot, a muslim, gay, the antichrist, and a socialist. But the last one seems a bit odd: apparently people think that Obama is Osama (or looks like Osama)? I don’t even know.

The next one I did was Santorum, because he seems to be the new “It” candidate. Nothing too surprising here and a few things I can’t say I disagree with. But there’s “gay” again; don’t worry, you’ll keep seeing that one.

The next person I did was Romney (and lets face it: we’ll be hearing about him until November). The first result is accurate but a little strange: he’s so mormon? I mean, I’ve heard of way more mormon-y people, but ok. And some people don’t consider mormonism to be a form of christianity, so Romney “is not a christian”. And I guess if he’s not a christian, then he must be the antichrist. Also, he’s “hot”? Really? Maybe I’m just incapable of finding an idiotic mormon-antichrist-douchebag-liberal-liar attractive.

It’s The Newt’s turn. The only thing that I find surprising here is “smart” and “bad”. I don’t really think he’s smarter than any other politician (well, except maybe Sara Palin or Rick Perry or others of that ilk). The “bad” autocomplete is kind of strange; he’s just “bad”? Bad how?

Since Ron Paul is so popular on the internet (which I’ll never really understand) I figured that he’d have the most positive results, and it looks like I was correct. The positives are that he’s apparently winning, exploding (I think that’s a positive here?), somebody’s homeboy, and right. But then again, he’s also a crazy idiotic insane incorrect racist.

Perry is as you’d expect him to be: mostly not very bright. There’s “gay” again, as well as “a joke”.

Huntsman has two positives, so that’s nice for him. I guess people don’t know too much about him because the first suggestion is ” is he a mormon”, so people aren’t too sure about that. Once again, people seem to find this guy “hot”, but I just don’t see it. He’s certainly not a liberal though, unless you mean by Ron Paul’s standards (I wish they’d stop calling these people “liberals”; as a real liberal, I’d rather not be placed into the same group as these guys).

I know Bachmann isn’t running anymore, but hey, I figured this one would be interesting. So, it looks like she’s “hot”. She’s also “a witch”, which seems like a strange suggestion. Of all the things I could think of calling Bachmann, a witch is not high on the list. But the rest of them are about what I expected.

I’ve learned two things from this little experiment of mine:

1. Apparently many of these candidates are “gay”. This is more than a little troubling. Not because they might actually be gay, but because people seem to be using “gay” as an insult a lot more than I expected.
2. Google autocomplete is very negative. And yeah, I know it isn’t Google, but rather what people search. I guess it’s like when someone is reviewing something online: most people usually only do it when they’re pissed off and hate the thing/person they’re reviewing (e.g. Rate My Professors).