Kiddo: Mommy can I keep him?
Mom: Yes, but you have to promise that you’ll feed him, give him water, and clean up after him.
Kiddo: I promise.
Sound familiar? It’s the cliché script from every TV show or movie where a child begs to keep a new pet. It’s supposed to be a parable about responsibility.
Sad truth? Those words have also paved the road to a lot of animal neglect and abuse.
Utah: The Baby Factory
I live in Utah—the sex-starved capital of the world. Around here, the expectation is simple: don’t have sex before marriage (unless you’re “soaking,” which you can Google, I’ll wait) and once you’re married, start popping out kids like a Pez dispenser.
I’ve had patients tell me their OB-GYN flat-out refused to perform a tubal ligation because they were “too young” and “still of childbearing age.” Yes, I heard this gem as recently as two and a half years ago—the last time I practiced.
While the dominant local religion isn’t opposed to contraception in theory, in practice a lot of pregnancies result from miscommunication, negligence, or sheer magical thinking. And, just like the kid promising to take care of a puppy, that conversation usually happens long after the “hot and heavy” part is over.
The Consent Caveat
For the record, I’m very sex-positive. My only caveat: it must be between consenting adults. Consent is the keyword. And the law defines who can give it.
I don’t usually wade into abortion debates, except to say: I will never have to make that decision myself. That alone makes me pro-choice. My role as a provider was never to dictate, but to ask: what does the patient feel they need to do moving forward?
I’ve had patients with pregnancies that involved serious genetic defects—conditions where the odds of stillbirth were sky-high, and if born alive, the child might survive half an hour at best. These conversations are brutal. In those moments, the provider’s job is to listen first, support always. Not lecture. Not dictate.
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, we’ve seen legislators—mostly men who know pregnancy only as a biological act they contribute to—passing life-and-death rules for women. The hypocrisy is staggering.
Pro-Birth ≠ Pro-Child
Here’s what drives me up the wall: this obsessive regulation of pregnancy, paired with an absolute refusal to support children once they’re born.
Cuts to Medicaid. Shredded safety nets. Nothing for postpartum care. Nothing for childcare. Nothing for kids in poverty. Nothing.
I’ve seen women in poverty, on their seventh child, a year apart each. Families propped up by the state, while politicians shout about cutting the very programs those kids depend on.
If you’re pro-birth but not pro-child, you’re not pro-life. You’re pro-control.
The Vaccine Insanity
And if you think we’re protecting kids? Florida is busy removing childhood vaccine mandates—meaning children won’t even have to be vaccinated to attend school.
This is what happens when antivax zealots climb into positions of power. They’ve forgotten what iron lungs were for. They’ve never seen measles wipe out classrooms. They don’t understand mumps can make men sterile. They think “chicken pox parties” are cute.
Every legitimate medical organization condemns this. Every. Single. One. If you thought the pandemic was bad, wait until these once-eradicated diseases return in full force.
Full Circle
Look—I’m not saying this to preach. I’m saying it because it needs to be said. Vaccines save lives. Children need protection. Parents need support.
My mom made sure I was vaccinated. I make sure my dogs are vaccinated. You should do the same for yourself, your kids, and those you love.
Because I think we’re all tired of dealing with preventable epidemics.