The Planet Savers Including the Waterfall by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Authors: Marion Zimmer Bradley
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entirely delusion."
Di Asturien said, "I wish you would co--operate with us, Dr. Lovat "
"I'd rather not" Judy went on fingering something in her lap, and no persuasion could force her to say any more.
Di Asturien said, "In about a week, then, we'll have to test all three of you for possible pregnancy."
"How can that be necessary?" Heather asked. "I, at least, am taking regular anti shots. I'm not sure about Camilla,
65
but I suspect crew regulations require it for anyone between twenty and forty-five."
Di Asturien looked disturbed. `"That's true," he said, "but there is something very peculiar which we discovered in a Medic meeting yesterday. Tell them, Nurse Raimondi."
Margaret Raimondi said, "I'm in charge of keeping records and issuing contraceptive and sanitary supplies for all women of menstrual age, both crew and passengers. You all know the drill; every two weeks, at the time of menstruation and halfway between, every woman reports for either a single shot of hormone or, in some cases, a patch strip to send small doses of hormones into the blood, which suppress ovulation. There are a total of one hundred and nineteen women surviving in the right age bracket, which means, with an average arbitrary cycle of thirty days, approximately four women would be reporting every day, either for menstrual supplies or for the appropriate shot or patch which is given four days after onset of menstruation. It's been ten days since the crash, which means about one-third of the women should have reported to me for one reason or the other. Say forty."
"And they haven't been," Dr. Di Asturien said. "How many women have reported since the crash?"
"Nine;" said Nurse Raimondi grimly. " Nine . This means that two-thirds of the women involved have had their biological cycles disrupted on this planet--either by the change in gravity, or by some hormone disruption. And since the standard contraceptive we use is entirely keyed to the internal cycle, we have no way of telling whether it's effective or not."
MacAran didn't need to be told how serious this was. A wave of pregnancies could indeed be emotionally disruptive. Infants--or even young children--could not endure interstellar FTL drive; and since the universal acceptance of reliable contraceptives, and the population laws on overcrowded Earth, a wave of feeling had made abortion completely unthinkable. Unwanted children were simply never conceived. But would there be any alternative here?
Dr. Di Asturien said, "Of course, on new planets women are often sterile for a few months, largely because of the changes in air and gravity. But we can't count on it"
MacAran was thinking; if Camilla is pregnant, will she hate me?
66
The thought that a child of theirs might have to be destroyed was frightening. Ewen asked soberly, "What are we going to do, Doctor? We can't demand that two hundred adult men and women take a vow of chastity!"
"Obviously not. That would be worse for mental health than the other dangers," Di Asturien said, "but we must warn everyone that we're no longer sure about the effectiveness of our contraceptive program."
"I can see that. And as soon as possible."
Di Asturien said, "The Captain has called a mass meeting tonight--crew and colonists. Maybe I can announce it there." He made a wry face. "I'm not looking forward to it. It's going to be an awfully damned unpopular announcement. As if we didn't have enough troubles already!"
The mass meeting was held in the hospital tent, the only place big enough to hold the crew and passengers all at once. It had begun to cloud over by midafternoon and when the meeting was called, a thin fine cold rain was falling and distant lightning could be seen over the peaks of the hills. The members of the exploring party,
Di Asturien said, "I wish you would co--operate with us, Dr. Lovat "
"I'd rather not" Judy went on fingering something in her lap, and no persuasion could force her to say any more.
Di Asturien said, "In about a week, then, we'll have to test all three of you for possible pregnancy."
"How can that be necessary?" Heather asked. "I, at least, am taking regular anti shots. I'm not sure about Camilla,
65
but I suspect crew regulations require it for anyone between twenty and forty-five."
Di Asturien looked disturbed. `"That's true," he said, "but there is something very peculiar which we discovered in a Medic meeting yesterday. Tell them, Nurse Raimondi."
Margaret Raimondi said, "I'm in charge of keeping records and issuing contraceptive and sanitary supplies for all women of menstrual age, both crew and passengers. You all know the drill; every two weeks, at the time of menstruation and halfway between, every woman reports for either a single shot of hormone or, in some cases, a patch strip to send small doses of hormones into the blood, which suppress ovulation. There are a total of one hundred and nineteen women surviving in the right age bracket, which means, with an average arbitrary cycle of thirty days, approximately four women would be reporting every day, either for menstrual supplies or for the appropriate shot or patch which is given four days after onset of menstruation. It's been ten days since the crash, which means about one-third of the women should have reported to me for one reason or the other. Say forty."
"And they haven't been," Dr. Di Asturien said. "How many women have reported since the crash?"
"Nine;" said Nurse Raimondi grimly. " Nine . This means that two-thirds of the women involved have had their biological cycles disrupted on this planet--either by the change in gravity, or by some hormone disruption. And since the standard contraceptive we use is entirely keyed to the internal cycle, we have no way of telling whether it's effective or not."
MacAran didn't need to be told how serious this was. A wave of pregnancies could indeed be emotionally disruptive. Infants--or even young children--could not endure interstellar FTL drive; and since the universal acceptance of reliable contraceptives, and the population laws on overcrowded Earth, a wave of feeling had made abortion completely unthinkable. Unwanted children were simply never conceived. But would there be any alternative here?
Dr. Di Asturien said, "Of course, on new planets women are often sterile for a few months, largely because of the changes in air and gravity. But we can't count on it"
MacAran was thinking; if Camilla is pregnant, will she hate me?
66
The thought that a child of theirs might have to be destroyed was frightening. Ewen asked soberly, "What are we going to do, Doctor? We can't demand that two hundred adult men and women take a vow of chastity!"
"Obviously not. That would be worse for mental health than the other dangers," Di Asturien said, "but we must warn everyone that we're no longer sure about the effectiveness of our contraceptive program."
"I can see that. And as soon as possible."
Di Asturien said, "The Captain has called a mass meeting tonight--crew and colonists. Maybe I can announce it there." He made a wry face. "I'm not looking forward to it. It's going to be an awfully damned unpopular announcement. As if we didn't have enough troubles already!"
The mass meeting was held in the hospital tent, the only place big enough to hold the crew and passengers all at once. It had begun to cloud over by midafternoon and when the meeting was called, a thin fine cold rain was falling and distant lightning could be seen over the peaks of the hills. The members of the exploring party,
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