TAKING ON PHARMA-MOCKERY:

Here’s something else that mystifies me: the progressive derision for Viagra. Here’s a group of people who are opposed to abstinence-only education on the grounds that it is simply not possible, or for that matter worthwhile, to persuade teenagers to keep it in their pants. They go into convulsions every time a Catholic hospital refuses to dispense birth control, or pay for its employees to buy same. So why the fixation on Viagra? Sexual dysfunction may not be a disease, but it’s still a problem. Considering how vital most progressives seem to think healthy sexual functioning is to people in their prime reproductive years, you’d think they’d be happy that we can now help more people participate in this vital sphere of human life. Instead, ED drugs are the poster children for Drugs Big Pharma Wasted A Ton of Money On Rather Than Developing Something Useful*.

Well, we don’t need birth control either–we could just decide to be celibate–but I don’t hear so much complaining about the commercials for Seasonale or the HPV vaccine.

These inconsistencies are accounted for by the any-weapon-to-hand style of debate. Or maybe sex for older people is just supposed to be icky.

Some related thoughts of mine are here.