Welcome to England, where we really REALLY don't want you to get pregnant

This England thing just gets better and better!

A few months ago, my doctor put me on Yasmin birth control. (I promise, I'll keep the TMI factor low.) She says it's for purely medical reasons, but she's probably covering her bases in case I turn out to be some closet nymphomaniac. I'm not, by the way. I don't think. I mean, who's to decide what automatically constitutes nymphomania, huh?

(I just realized that the above paragraph will probably bring some interesting visitors to this site, since last week someone got here by doing an MSN search for "Kiera Knightley topless." Hoo boy.)

Anyway, love Yasmin. She/it is my new best friend, as is the Canadian pharmacy that let me order the pills online for less than the Wal-Mart pharmacy would have charged me (about $35 a month). Along with this newfound love, I developed a fear that the National Health Service of the United Kingdom might not have Yasmin, or they might tell me I don't get to have any, or they might give me some awful thing instead that causes me to gain 40 pounds and start hallucinating. And then if I complain they might just spout a lot of nonsense about the British Way and stiff upper lips and and bloody Americans with their Culture of Entitlement.

It was worrisome, friends.

So I started researching the NHS and trying to figure it all out. Turns out that in the UK people pay about £6.50 for all prescription medications. I figured if they have Yasmin there and I can get it and pay that much for it, it would make my life. And then I wouldn't need to pay $400 to cart a year's supply over there with me.

But GUESS what I found out today! They do have Yasmin, and it's absolutely free. All the contraceptives are. All of them.

Free free free free fee.

And they'll mail it to your house for you--also free. This is one country who seems to care very very much about its citizens taking their birth control pills. I mean, I'm not much concerned about unplanned pregnancy myself, but England is concerned for me. And I think that's just great. Maybe some other countries should start looking into that, America.

And now I have $400 to spend on chocolate and shoes! Long live the Queen!

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