But, no, we don’t EVERYTHING has a consequence. Ev-er-y thing has a consequence. I brush my teeth–there are a bunch of consequences (I put fluoride into my body which may or may not be harmful and may or may not prevent cavaties, I use water which increases my water bill, I remove gunk from my teeth, my breath smells better). I eat a cookie and there are consequences (my blood sugar rises, some nutrients enter my body, a lot of cavaties enter my body, I get crumbs on the counter). We may be changing consequences, but that’s nothing new, either, that’s been happening since the beginning of time as well. So, I don’t see what the problem is.

Well, I did say in the OP:

“We keep creating policies, products and procedures to circumvent consequences. While some of these inventions and policies are miraculous and life saving, is it possible that diminishing the need or skill to control ones impulses or negate sound judgment may be counterproductive?”

I am clearly talking about inventions, products, policies etc., so it’s not as if I’m trying to change the subject. If I was not clear on that, then I apologize, but it is not just about the MAP. It is about inventions that prevent us from having to think about consequences. (I’m just asking!)

I am trying to have a discussion about the consquences of technology circumventing cause and effect. Maybe it’s all positive, I don’t know that. I think it has the potential to go wrong. If consequences for our actions are diminished, not just with the MAP but with anything that causes us to use reason to eliminate, how will that effect us? I just used cloning as an example of another type of technology that could circumvent cause and effect.

There is no need for that.

I am simply asking, what I hope to be, thought provoking questions.

I feel like society is already getting jaded when it comes to child abuse or murder and the severity of the crime.[/quote]

OMG???? What the fuck????? Of course it would still be a felony. The living child suffers and has its own identity and life. A clone is an entirely different person with its own soul and nerve endings and consciousness. Are you overmedicated or something? Just kind of kidding there, lol.

What about another example?

What if human cloning was 100% effective? Do you think that the murdering of infants would be less of a consequence and changes would result in a ticket or a misdemeanor instead of a felony?

I feel like society is already getting jaded when it comes to child abuse or murder and the severity of the crime.

I don’t know what I would now given that it doesn’t really matter, but my point is that the fact that I had to *think* about it and possibly think ahead and refrain from doing something because something could happen was a valuable learning experience.[/quote]

But, had you been on the pill, you would have had sex? The pill would have let you not think about it. I don’t see how this is any different than being on the pill for that. If a girl is on the pill, then the fear of pregnancy is nil, so she can make all the poor judgments she wants. This just offers the pill after the act.

There are still a bunch of reasons for people to think before having sex, pregnancy risk removed, so I see this as a non-issue, really.[/quote]

I have to agree with PP here. I went on the pill at 15 due to cycle issues, but that did NOT make me think I could just go out and have all the sex I wanted. Even and 15 I KNEW the pill was not 100% effective and I didn’t want to take the chance. Having BC didn’t automatically make me promiscuous or less aware of the possible consequences. Why? Because my doctor and my *parents* (key word there) talked to me about sex and consequences and the fact that nothing was fool proof and that I was simply too young to be having sex, no matter what my hormones (or boys) might tell me.
Just because the morning after pill is available OTC, that doesn’t necessarily mean people are having more sex than they were before. Sales are up? So what? Sales of Claritin went up when it became OTC too, because people could GET it. The people who are getting it are probably having sex already anyway. I’d be interested to see if this has made more non sexually active people to have sex, but I seriously doubt it. I just can’t see young girls who are not having sex suddenly feel like they’ve been given carte blanche and running to the pharmacy to pick up some pills and go have sex.