Duggars vs. Birth Control

I'm going to warn  readers now- I have a soapbox on the following topic that I'm blogging about. If I step on toes, I apologize but this is something that I'm pretty sure a lot of people believe.

The Duggars. I will be honest- I am not impressed.

Seriously, would Planned Parenthood please educate them about the repercussions of having 20 kids? Would Church and Dwight (parent company of Trojan Condoms) give them an unlimited supply condoms for the rest of their life? I respect that they don't believe in the pill, but there are so many birth controls options out there other than the pill: diaphragms, condoms, vasectomy, having your tubes tied. Yes, the 20 minute high that conceives the 10 months of pregnancy is great. But how can the Duggars consciously be okay with giving birth to 20 kids? How does Michelle walk into her doctors' office proudly? It's well known that her doctors advised her to stop reproducing because her body cannot support a pregnancy anymore. I often question if she has any say in her pregnancies or if Jim Bob (who believes overpopulation is a myth by the way) is pulling the "man of the house" card.

I often shiver whenever a woman does whatever her significant other tells her to do. It makes my skin crawl.  I'm a mild feminist. Maybe medium (depends on the topic.) I used to be one of those girls that always dreamed of having a nice Prince Charming. I dreamed of cooking his meals, doing his laundry, having his babies, and being a June Cleaver. Thankfully, something between the ages of 19 and 22 knocked some sense into me. Maybe it was that first big girl decision I made: birth control. Maybe it was separating myself from the Christian faith and reexamining everything I'd been taught. Maybe it was moving out of my parents' home. Do I blame everything on one of these events specifically? Absolutely not. I grew up in a home where I was loved, I grew up with parents that supported my decisions (even though it might have taken a while to settle), and parents that I know will always be there for me.

I love kids. I really do. I will volunteer to watch a kid anytime. Do I myself want to have my children of my own? I used to ALWAYS answer this question with an emphatic yes. But lately I'm so hesitant. The fact that I'm 22 has a lot to do with that thought but there are so many kids out there who don't have a family.

Why don't the Duggars adopt? Or at least foster? Do they really, honestly need to have 20 biological children? What kind of example are they setting for their children? The boys are being raised to create lots and lots of babies with their stay-at-home June Cleaver wives. The girls are being raised themselves to be the June Cleaver model. They are already raising their siblings as if they were their own children. If you watch today's episode from The Today Show where the Duggars announced their "surprise" Jim Bob and Michelle are not holding any of the babies. Their daughters are. That disturbs me.

There's a line between having a nanny for a few kids, but if you're resorting to having your teenage children assist in raising your younger children? Maybe it's time to reconsider your methods of pro-creation.