In a culture that will sacrifice anything at the altar of sexual freedom and autonomy, Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse and her colleagues at the Ruth Institute are fighting to reveal the true heartbreak and destruction that lie beneath the facade of the “harmless” hook up culture. While sexual freedom has been heralded as a necessity and often a virtue, the Sexual Revolution has left many survivors in its wake, leaving women hurt physically and emotionally. One such story that Dr. Morse writes about, is that of Erika Langhardt, a 24-year old who died due to complications with her NuvaRing.
As told by her parents, on a Monday night, Erika collapsed in her apartment and had two heart attacks in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. When her parents arrived that Tuesday morning, Erika was still in a coma. Scans of Erika’s lungs showed that they were filled with massive blood clots, and the doctors immediately asked if Erika was on hormonal birth control. The NuvaRing caused pulmonary embolisms, the heart attacks, and irreversible brain swelling. Tragically, Erika died that Thursday morning.
While Erika is an obvious victim, all women are victims of what Morse identifies as propaganda regarding birth control. Morse points out that although some of the symptoms are listed in very small fine print, women are manipulated into believing that there is no danger, and even further, if you use these different methods of birth control, you will be a woman in charge of her own happy, well-rounded, and perfect life. Furthermore, Morse suggests that there are two motives for this kind of victimization: the ideological motive and the self-interest motive. Essentially, someone wants you to grab hold of an idea, to buy into a lifestyle, despite the evidence. And, there is a ton of money in this industry.
The company responsible for NuvaRing, Merck, settled 3,800 cases—83 of which were deaths, including Ericka’s case, outside of court for $100 million. Erika’s parents, hoping for a jury trial, said this about the settlement:
“In our opinion, Merck got away with murder, and continues to do so to this day. In 2011 NuvaRing made the company $623m; in 2013 it was $686m; and in 2014, after the settlement, Merck made a staggering $723m from it. Settlements are just the cost of doing business to Merck, all at the expense of women’s health and lives.”
As of today, the NuvaRing is still on the market and the FDA has released possible blood clot risks. But of course, no information like this is publicized. Stories like Erika’s must be kept quiet in order to keep the illusion intact. The proponents of the Sexual Revolution rely on the idea that sex can be easily separated from babies. In fact, they hold religiously that sex should be severed from procreation because it is merely recreation. They say this can be done, it should be done, and it is without risk. So any indication that there may be a risk involved with birth control would shatter the narrative and false reality fed to women all around the world.
But we must tell stories like Erika’s; we must continue to break through the façade that the Sexual Revolution has placed before us. This industry that claims to be so pro-women is in fact very against us. While they claim to be giving us power over our own bodies and sexuality, they are manipulating and exploiting us for money and treating the beautiful gift of our female biology, particularly our fertility, as an inherent cancer or virus that we must suppress in order to truly be free.
Morse will continue to crusade for truth and advocate for women at The California Association for Natural Family Planning’s 2015 Conference, August 21-22nd in San Francisco. Conference highlights include Morse speaking on the Sexual Revolution and its victims, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone speaking on responsible parenthood and stewardship, and UK Bioethics specialist Fiorella Nash speaking on Pro-life feminism. The rest of the conference will include a plethora of speakers on many topics, including: abortion pill reversal, motherhood, mystical manhood and pornography, the ethics of reproductive technologies, theology of the body, and cohabitation. There is no doubt the conference will be a weekend of fruitful discussion and inspiration for those pushing back against the results and lies of the Sexual Revolution. Registration for the conference can be found here.
*If you feel compelled by Erika’s story, her parents have set up a website, InformedChoiceforAmerika.com, in honor of their daughter, to inform and share the stories of other women who were unable to survive the victimization of the Sexual Revolution. You can inform yourself on risks, as well as give a donation
About The Contributor
