Thanks for that information, sjfan! I knew a bit about contreception in the 1800s (mostly from
romance novels 
), but I had no idea it was so widespread. It's easy to believe the past was more uniform than it was.
I agree with you, 4691mls, the plot you describe seems implausible, though -- someone deciding to get rid of her virginity as if it was an unfashionable bonnet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ekbell
And if the author has set up a science fiction society based on people having vastly extended lives and competely reliable birth control then unplanned pregnancies with no prior indication that the characters were being careless shouldn't be part of the plot IMO.
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Gah, yeah. Or queen Amidala dying in childbirth in a galaxy with really advanced medicine.
There's an article on
The Booksmugglers about believeable futuristic militaries which has some interesting things to say about, among other things, contraception and child care.