It's a bit unfair to bag the author too much. After all, she is clearly very young, and has little understanding of sex, or relationships in general.

This is where it became clear for me that we were listening to someone with little or no experience.

"And so we’ve arrived at the point where I’ve now lost count of the number of girlfriends of mine who can’t understand why their boyfriends haven’t popped the question. For some of them it has meant trading in the dream of a white wedding and moving in as a compromise. But for many others it has merely built a culture where sex is little more than a recreational activity, having little to do with love and therefore difficult to refuse, even when it isn’t wanted."

There is a distinct air of "young fogeyism" here.

The reference to "popping the question". How quaint.

The idea that a white wedding is still somehow the epitome of a loving relationship. How chocolate box.

And the enormous stretch of logic that takes her from the concept of sex as a "recreational activity" (wha'?) to conclude that the act is somehow "difficult to refuse".

I suspect we are seeing the exercise of a young and confused imagination here, rather than reportage. Or alternatively, as has been hinted, echoes of those Catholic pamphlets on saving yourself for the wedding night.

For an article supposedly about the 50th anniversary of "the pill", it says far more about the author than the topic.

Thanks, Amy. As a husband and father of four daughters, as well as a brother to three wonderful sisters, I've often asked myself these questions. I too found your article to be a balanced questioning of the issue. It is good to know that there are young women like you who are prepared to stand outside the feminist square, contemplate contemporary societal issues and put the results of your thinking in front of others for our consideration.

How anybody could describe the points you make as 'moralising' is beyond me.

Hmmmm... very naive opinion.
Why is it that the pill has anything to do with the 'choices' that women make with respect to the types of relationship (sexual or otherwise) that they enter in to. There is always a choice to engage in sexual activity whether on the pill or not.
Also have no idea where the notion comes from that the only feminine thing that is available to a women is bearing children. What about all the other very positive impacts a woman can have in corporate environments, government, non-profit organisations and even the family home irrespective of whether they are a mother. And what about women who are unable to bear their own children - are they therefore not women?
It is also unfortunate that your doctor / lawyer / etc. friends feel they are unable to have children. It would seem they believe it is a career-limiting step. There are other options that don't involve child-care such as the partner / husband remaining at home to be the main care-giver and allowing them to continue their careers. Surely this is no less feminine than the alternative.

What crap Amy. Feminism has not made motherhood a second-rate option. In every country where women have choices, even those where feminsim has not had a strong influence, you will find a drop in the birthrate. Thats because when women have a choice they choose to have less children. Many feminists are mothers too!

The pill is about choice.

Having children is a massive life time commitment, and certainly not one you want thrust on you after a single indiscretion.

Before the pill women's choices were extremely limited, and usually meant early marriage and child bearing. Education and careers were seldom wasted on young females, as unless they were in the tiny fraction of those who could remain celibate, pregnancy was only a matter of time.

Unwanted pregnancy was the single highest cause of female drop outs at university, with the result that female made up about 25% of graduates. This is now closer to 55%

While there are some who look back and wish for a different life choice, there are many more who don't. That some regret the choices they make does not make the ability to choose bad.

The catholic church is the last to be able to define either femininity or feminism

thanks Amy for an interesting article. It highlights that much of what the feminist is about is selfishness. The pill certainly has not reduced mothers killing their own babies.