New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves -- and to be treated by the health care system -- as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon.

Among other things, this means all women between first menstrual period and menopause should take folic acid supplements, refrain from smoking, maintain a healthy weight and keep chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes under control.

While most of these recommendations are well known to women who are pregnant or seeking to get pregnant, experts say it's important that women follow this advice throughout their reproductive lives, because about half of pregnancies are unplanned and so much damage can be done to a fetus between conception and the time the pregnancy is confirmed.....

"We know that women -- unless you're actively planning [a pregnancy], . . . she doesn't want to talk about it," Biermann said. So clinicians must find a "way to do this and not scare women," by promoting preconception care as part of standard women's health care, she said. [ emphasis mine ]

"Pre-Conception Care" ?

Not that this is a bad idea, but I'm wondering where men fit into the picture. The onus seems to be fully on women : you'd think that human reproduction came about by female parthenogenesis. The question here - for this forum - is : what, if any, are the points of connection between this new CDC position and Christian right ideology ? Is this the next stage, beyond even outlawing contraception, in the plans of some on the Christian right, to encourage women to think of themselves most centrally as mothers-to-be ?