Artificial Contraception Essays - Barrier Contraception, Fertility

Artificial Contraception There are many forms of artificial contraception. I am going to discuss some of those forms and the Church's opinion. Condoms, or rubbers, are shaped like a balloon and are made of a special kind of rubber. Condoms prevent sperm from reaching the cervix. They are placed over the male's erect penis before intercourse. They are 80-90% effective. No prescription is needed to use them. They protect against STD's. They are more protective in preventing AIDS, then preventing pregnancy. They are not fully effective because they can break, have defects, be slippery, or it can be too old. Spermicides such as: creams, foams, vaginal supporsitones, and vaginal film form a chemical barrier that kills or makes the sperm inactive, which makes it impossible to become pregnant. They are 80% effective. It is available without a prescription and provides some STD protection. Effectiveness is increased if used with condoms. Vasectomies are common for men. The tube that carries the sperm is cut and tied which prevents sperm from being ejaculated. It is 99% effective This procedure is permanent and is done through a small incision near the testicles. It does not affect sexual arousal. A cervical cap is a soft rubber dome that forms a barrier to prevent sperm from reaching the cervix. The spermicidal gel kills the sperm. It is 85% effective. It may give some protection against chlamydia and gonorrhea. The diaphragm does the same thing as a cervical cap and is 85% effective. It is a flat rubber-like disk which has to be fitted from a doctor. It is placed inside the woman's vagina before having intercourse. It is often used with cream or jelly that is placed around the edge of the diaphragm. There is a very high failure rate because sometimes they are not fitted or inserted correctly. They create fewer health risks for women. It may reduce the risk of cervical cancer and provides some STD protection. There are also injections for men and women. In men, a drug is injected into the sperm duct to disable the sperm for a period of time. Depo-Provera injections that contain the hormone, progesterone is injected and it prevents the release of an egg from the ovary. It is 99% effective. It is long lasting and highly effective. It also protects against uterine cancer. But it does not protect against STD's. Female condoms are 75-85% effective but 95% effective if used correctly. The container end of the female condom is placed inside the vagina before intercourse. The Contraceptive Sponge is what a woman inserts inside her vagina over the cervix. The sponge is 85% effective. Since it can be inserted incorrectly it is not that effective. It releases a protective spermicidal gel. The sponge forms a barrier to sperm reaching the cervix. The only one available is Protectaid. It may protect against STD's. Intrauterine devices a metal objects placed inside the woman's uterus that prevents the fertilized ovum from being implanted into the uterine wall. Intrauterine Devices(IUD's) are 97-99% effective. It does not prevent contraception. It is an abortificaent rather than a contraceptive. It must be inserted by a doctor. Two types are available: progesterone and Copper-T. It does not protect against STD's. They are very painful and doctors do not always do them because they have serious side effects like, hemorrhaging. Contraceptive Pills that are taken daily imitate the woman's daily body cycle. It has been among the most effective forms of artificial means of birth control. It may have some harmful side effects like; blood clots, sterility, and strokes. The Birth Control Pill is 99% effective. Man made hormones, estrogen and progesterone mimic the ones your body naturally produces, which makes progesterone cause the uterus lining to change and estrogen prevents the egg from maturing and being released. It does not protect against STD's. It may reduce the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer. Female sterilization is 99% effective. It is commonly called ?tying the tubes.? It blocks the tube which carries the egg to the uterus by cutting or tying it, which prevents the man's sperm from fertilizing the egg. It is surgically permanent. In some cases though it has been reversed. The ?Morning After Pill? is

Canning and the Eastern Question Essay Example

Canning and the Eastern Question Essay Example Canning and the Eastern Question Essay Canning and the Eastern Question Essay Essay Topic: History In 1822 Castlereagh committed suicide and George Canning was appointed as the new British Foreign Secretary, a position he kept until his death in 1827. Castlereagh as Foreign Secretary had played a leading role in the defeat of Napoleon and was very keen to use the Congress System to restore peace in Europe; Canning however was more hostile to the Congress System as he believed British interests lay outside Europe and he had no good relationship with the other European statesmen. By his death in 1827 he had played a major role in the death of the Congress System but had also managed to successfully maintain British interests. At this time the Ottoman Empire was very large containing South Eastern Europe and parts of Asia and North Africa. However as it was such a huge ramshackle of different nationalities and religions in order for it to be governed effectively it needed a strong leadership from Constantinople, which the Turkish Sultan of this time couldnt offer, since 1815 the Ottoman Empire had been in decline. (The Ottoman Empire) After Frances defeat previously Russia was now considered the biggest threat to the balance of power in Europe. It had great military power due to the seemingly unlimited supply of peasant conscripts to its armed services. The weak Ottoman Empire was always being watched by Russia who was continuously pushing its boundaries Southwards towards Constantinople and the Straits. Russia was hoping to gain land and access through the Black Sea into the Mediterranean. Britain feared that if this occurred Russia would be able to threaten British trade and naval dominance in that area and also its important trade routes to India. Britain was not committed to maintaining the Empire but did not want to see it fall to Russia, however it was in the best interests for Austria to strengthen the Ottoman Empire as it was a useful buffer against Russian expansion and Austria had no designs on the land itself. France also wanted to see the Ottoman Empire preserved as it had long standing political and commercial links with Turkey and hoped to extend its influence over the area via the Pasha of Egypt, Mehmet Ali. At the Congress of Vienna the major European powers had restored monarchies to every European country but the 19th Century has been labelled The Age of Nationalism as individual countries wanted the right to look after their own interests free from the influence of a foreign power. The old monarchical powers such as Austria and Russia were terrified of revolution and the European powers all had a solid stance to crush any revolts. However the Greek uprising of 1822 against the Ottoman Empire was different. The deeply religious Russians were concerned with their fellow Orthodox Christians fighting to free themselves from Muslim rule. It seemed likely that Russia would become involved in this conflict as the Russians saw themselves as the unofficial guardians of the Orthodox religion and also relations between the Ottoman Empire and Russia were already poor as the Russians had been left feeling aggrieved after the Ottomans pulled out of the 1812 Bucharest Agreement. There was also a lot of sympathy for the Greek Revolution in Britain, especially throughout the educated elite; there were many volunteers who went there to fight for the Greeks such as Lord Byron the romantic poet who eventually died for the cause. The Greeks had even sent a deputation to Britain begging for help. The sympathy increased for the Greeks when the Turks conducted a massacre of Greek Orthodox Christians and murdered the Patriarch of Constantinople on Easter Sunday in 1821. In April 1821 the Greeks of Morea killed thousands of the local Turks and the Turks then retaliated with even worse horrors. This caused another surge in European public sympathy and in 1823 Canning recognized the Greeks as Co-belligerents, which meant he recognised Greeks right to take up arms against an unpopular Turkish regime. This sympathy for the Greeks however, was strongest in Russia, where it was going to be hard for the government to ignore such public feeling. The Tsar Alexander I initially wanted to intervene but Metternich, who arguing against supporting Nationalistic causes on the grounds that all revolutions must be prevented and that they were all centred from Paris, dissuaded him. However in December 1825 Tsar Alexander I died and the new Tsar, Nicholas I was ready for immediate intervention with or without international cooperation. He wanted to establish himself quickly in the eyes of his people and Europe and to avenge atrocities against Greek Orthodox Christians; also weakening the Turkish Empire would bring benefits to Russia. Canning now had to make sure the Russians didnt gain too much in this area. Turkey needed help to fight the Greek revolt and turned to Mehmet Ali, who held land in Egypt directly as a favour from the Turkish Sultan and was therefore obliged to help the Sultan if his interest were threatened. Between 1826 and 1827 an Egyptian army, under Mehmet Alis son Ibrahim Pasha, gained the upper hand over the Greek rebels. Canning tried to prevent Russia entering a war by sending Wellington to St Petersburg to offer solving the dispute by mediation to the new Tsar. Canning decided Britain must act to: * Prevent Turkey being weakened too much as it was a useful buffer against Russian expansion in the Balkans. * Make sure Russia didnt make too much advantage e. g. possession of Constantinople He may also have intervened to break up the Congress System, which he despised; he knew Anglo Russian cooperation would infuriate Metternich. The outcome was the Protocol of St Petersburg of April 1926 with which the British and the Russians offered mediation to the Turks as long as the Greeks retained some form of self-government. Britain, Russia and France confirmed this by attending the July 1827 Treaty of London where they guaranteed Greek self-government by force if necessary and a joint nav al expedition set out for Greece. Canning was now under great pressure as the Austrians and Prussians objected to this support of revolution and the Turks were refusing to sign the treaty. In August 1827 Canning died, probably brought on by overwork. Meanwhile the joint 27-ship fleet was blockading the Turkish-Egyptian fleet of 81 ships in the Greek, Navarino Bay. Though under orders to avoid hostilities, the British Admiral Codrington decided to force the issue by sailing into the bay. The Turks opened fire and a full-scale battle developed lasting four hours. It was a disaster for the Turks and their allies; 61 ships and about 4000 men were lost in October 1827. There was no prospect of the Turks recapturing Greece whose independence was recognised in 1830 and her frontiers were decided in 1832. In the end Cannings work in the Near East had mixed success. He had helped to achieve a completely independent Greece however his wider aim of limiting Russian gains by cooperation with her had been ruined by Wellington who failed to grasp Cannings intentions.