A DeMinted Attack on College Women

Anti-contraception Senator Jim DeMint insisted this week that birth control prices be 900% higher for college women than they were previously. You'd think the Senator, who professes to be against abortion, would want to make contraception as accessible as possible for women in college since they're the demographic with the highest rate of unintended pregnancy and the highest rate of abortion. College women typically don't have much income and are also disproportionately likely to be uninsured; it's not the pool of people you want to force to "splurge" if they want to use protection. "We do know that high fees act as a barrier to obtaining care. That is classically understood in campus health services," explained Claudia Covello, director at the University of California-Berkeley's health center, to Time magazine.

The DeMint move is just the latest, and we're talking by minutes, in a month of repeated attacks against access to contraception. Obama wants common ground, but the current Republican cabal wants to stomp its feet on the fringe. So routine now are the attacks on contraception that the anti-contraception crew will use any excuse, like the aunt who dolls up the house for every minor holiday. The anti-contraception team dresses up their attacks on birth control in whatever polemic is being celebrated that day even if, like that "Kiss Me I'm Irish" shirt worn by your aunt's chihuahua, the claim is not true at all.

When Prevention First legislation was introduced in the Senate it consisted of proposals that would improve access to contraception. And yet it was referred to by contraception opponents as an "abortion bailout." When the stimulus package included a simple budget-neutral provision to streamline state billing procedures for contraceptive services, the Family Research Council called it a "political payoff". Now, DeMint through an amendment hopes to remove the Affordable Birth Control Act, which requires no expenditure but simply reinstates college health centers and other safety net clinics back into the discounted drug pricing program. The polemic decoration DeMint uses is that lowering the cost of birth control for college age women is an "earmark" for Planned Parenthood.

The problem with birth control prices on college started where all modern problems begin, with the Bush administration. In 2005, Bush used the Federal Deficit Reduction Act to exclude college health centers and some safety net health clinics, including about a quarter of Planned Parenthoods, from discounted drug programs. And wouldn't you know it, the most common drug each of these health centers provide is contraceptives. When birth control prices starting soaring after the change, in some instances going from $5 to $50 for a month's supply, anti-contraception operatives played dumb. The Bush team claimed they did not intend for the law to remove college health centers and private birth control clinics from the list of those eligible for discount drug pricing.

Over that last few years when simple solutions were offered to remedy this "unintentional" act, like asking HHS to work out a simple correction and introducing legislation to reinstate the health centers into the discount drug program, it was more than a little suspicious that those pleading innocence were unwilling to back a remedy. In fact, the amount of effort the anti-contraception team has put into protecting this "unintentional" scale back in contraceptive access is telling. It appears some mistakes are really worth fighting for. In the most recent attempt to stop the "unintentional" act from being corrected, DeMint is now claiming that by reestablishing the prices discount for birth control these health centers will keep the cost-savings for themselves and charge women the same inflated prices. Maybe he is confusing college health centers with our banking system. The health centers are not known for predatory business practices. And if profit were a motive for the not-for profit Planned Parenthood someone might want to point out to its financial team that determining the price they charge for birth control based on a woman's ability to pay, as the organization does, is not the fastest route to the top of the capitalist pyramid.

The appropriations bill is being voted on today. Call your Senators today and tell them to vote against DeMint's Amendment 649

For breaking news on threats to birth control access and information visit birthcontrolwatch.org

Comments

[Marcus-Ian]

Boggles the mind, doesn't it? Good ol' Senator Deminted is slitting his own throat. Seems as if he would want to prevent an increase in the demographic that opposes his medieval politics.

As to birth control per se, I recall the problems my first wife had with endometriosis. The only effective treatment was to take the Pill. My stepdaughter also needs to take the Pill for medical reasons. Without it, she is doubled up in pain for five days, and incapable of attending classes or going to her job. She had lost her health insurance when her father lost his, and it was a pitiable sight, curled up on the bed and pain killers not relieving the agony. Fortunately, we were able to take care of the cost of the prescription for her.

It is just absolutely hateful. I can't think of any other explanation that fits. What else can account for this Talibanesque attitude? They seem to act like the guy who fell off the top of a fifty story building, shouting all the way down "so far, so good!"

[WADIIAH]

Its sad when a fetus has more rights than a woman!

[LillianB]

Restricting college women's access to contraceptions may, too, be a way of restricting women's access to college. And by that, to accomplished work, economic indepencence, equal opportunities and so on... A whole lot of birds killed by one stone, I suppose, for the we-want-ou­r-change-t­o-go-backw­ards party...

[hippietilidie]

When are men going to be held responsible for their "contribution" to this issue? Big Pharma and Demint should advocate male birth control. Then they could take all the risk of chemical "additives " for twenty or so years. I am sick to death of carrying the burden.

[SoozeNYC]

I agree, but male birth control will only be useful for people in committed relationships. Thinking back to the guys I hooked up with in college, I wouldn't trust any of them to be responsible for making sure I didn't get pregnant.

[wagadog]

There's a form of male contraception that I would be happy to recommend to Mr. DeMint himself...­.

[degenerate1991]

I'd go for it. Make it relatively cheap, effective (disclaimer, must be utterly idiot proof), safe, and available (as in OTC), and watch the unintended pregnancy rate drop; the vast majority of young men want nothing less than an unintended child. If young men could "just take a pill" and have the sperm rendered dead for X amount of time (it would have to be awhile, don't expect people to remember to take it everyday), without significant side-effects, most men in college would. Now, of course, there is the problem that such things do not exist, and that for some, using a condom is apparently too much to ask.

[RTIII]

Too bad I didn't see this Friday...

Did the amendment pass?

Either way, thanks for the article.
.

[Halsey]

um...do you think either of the Bush twins is on the pill? (course..t­hey have trust funds...so don't need lower cost)...bu­t my gosh conservati­ves...you should be GIVING away pills, condoms...­whatever it takes to prevent pregnancy.­...see THAT would be conservati­ve.. It's a bizarro world...de mint is SOOOO far removed from any world I know...has anyone checked to see if he has a navel? I mean...he cannot be from the planet earth..no way...

[novowel4me]

Demint and the rest of the "social conservatives" (Goldwater is rotating in his grave) want to bring more unwanted babies into the world so they can deny them healthcare, education, any life quality or a loving environment. Makes total sense.

[GardenerNorCal]

An obvious question I have is how can there be such a huge swing in pricing of contraceptives? Why don't we address the predatory pricing of pharmaceuticals. These companies receive Federal funding for research and development. Why not attach some strings to those monies. Get some value for our investments.

[sophiamd]

As a pediatrician that specializes in teenagers, I see what happens when people don't have access to birth control - young women get pregnant, abortions, people drop out of school.

Young women contribute to society and society benefits when they complete their college education. It is financially prudent for the govt to pay for birth control rather than pay for unplanned pregnancies, abortions, and/or welfare for the next 18 years. Research has shown that for every $1 spent on birth control, society saves $4.

Also, I think that anyone who votes for the "Deminted amendment" should have to sign an affidavit and swear on a bible that "i abstained until marriage." Let's see how many people can vote for it given that constraint.

And as an MD, I know that 1 out of 10 women have PCOS, and those women have to be on "birth control" to prevent endometrial cancer.

if you want to talk about "being responsible and thus making women pay for their birth control," how about making all the people who are overweight pay for their cholesterol medicine, their doctors visits, their high blood pressure medications?

Though really, this comes down to a question of equality and reality. The reality is that people have sex and unfortunately, women bear the burden of pregnancy as a result. Thus, let us give the tools to women to be equal. Let us give women birth control.

[mainiac1]

Thank you for this thoughtful, reality-based post.
Demint should have the cost of his viagra increased by 900%!.

[rosiebond007]

Great comment .
Especially the Viagra note.

The old duffers have lost the brain cells that would help them to remember their philandering days. I would like them to stand up and admit at what age they started chasing women for sex - and I expect it would be the "college years".

Such hypocrites.

[zest]

Dear DeMint: Do you think college men are enthusiastically trying to impregnate college women? They are not; the just want to have sex as do college women. It's called norman.

[rosiebond007]

Men could easily buy condoms - but they are lazy and, as usual , leave it to the women to protect.
They should be penalized for NOT making that trip to the pharmacy.

Would the pharmacists refuse to sell this item I wonder??

[LITU]

I live for the extinction of the conservative gene; the unempathetic gene/s.

[Badbone]

There is a big difference between “raising the price” of something, and to simply stop subsidizing it. Why exact should we subsidize birth control for college girls? If these women are responsible enough to have sex, aren’t they responsible enough to do so safely?

[tiznow]

You are correct that, from a conservative point of view, it is not the government's role to pay for birth control, but then neither should the government be bailing out banks and insurance companies. From a pragmatic perspective, it makes economic sense to subsidize the prevention of pregnancy, by reducing the need for abortions and government paid pregnancies. College women are potentially very productive, tax paying, members of society. It would seem a good idea to prevent them from becoming government subsidized mothers.

[texastrixie]

In my conservative viewpoint, it is obscene for the government or any insurance entity to be paying for viagra, etc. There is no more reason for wrinkly old men to be having sex than for college-age women. I think the price of viagra should be taxed 900% of its current cost. There are enough horny wrinkly old men that we could pay off the stimulus package (and wouldn't that be approriate).

[dizzypdx]

Isn't birth control doing it safely?

[starboymikey]

If these women are responsible enough to have sex, aren"t they responsible enough to do so safely?
__________­__________­__________­__________­_________

Interesting how the burden of this "responsibility" thing falls on women. Oh ... I get it. Must be 'cause they're the ones who get pregnant and either have to have an abortion or go through the pregnancy while the men get off scott-free most of the time.

[lvmblvmb]

What is being subsidized is not birth control per se, or rather solely birth control. College health centers provide low cost medical care like any other free or low cost clinic. All sorts of medicines from antibiotics to aspirin are subsidized at these types of clinics. They are calling out birth control because they fundamentally do not believe in a woman's right to birth control. If it were anything other, they would call for the cessation of all drug subsidizing at heath clinics.

It's also not a question of responsibility but of economics, many college aged women cannot afford birth control because they lack health insurance, which is why many of them go to a heath center rather than a private doctor. Further, the fact that they are going to these heath centers suggests that they wish to act responsibly, otherwise they wouldn't seek out birth control. I'd say putting barriers up like raising the price by 900% is irresponsible, but that's just me.

[loria]

Good response. But, I would add that even if they did have health insurance (and many might be covered by their parents since they are in school), insurance companies often don't cover birth control. But, by God, they cover viagra. That's the another part of the disparity in the way birth control is treated. No coverage for the pill, but old men can have their little blue pill covered all day long.

[Fromageball]

The stupidest thing about their War on Contraception is that many, many women use birth control pills for reasons other than controlling pregnancy.­..regulati­ng their cycles/acne/etc.

I diots.

[valentinemichaelsmith]

Some of these republican ultra right wingers are unbelievable . They should be labeled American Taliban for the way they want to impose their strange religious beliefs on the rest of us

[petphotos]

You are so right. They are really enemies of the country, and need to be treated as such.

[Soundofthunder]

These womb watchers want less abortions.­..but with less contraception? Yes, and please, Mr. DeMint, tell me your abstinence story. I'd love to hear how you overcame your biological imperatives and saved yourself for marriage, all in the name of...of something. I'm not sure what.

SOT

[mollymac]

These misogynist repub idiots will not go away until women and supportive men, stand up! The one thing about the extreme right is that they scream it to the rafters! Women who are sitting by hoping that the president, congress, planned parenthood etc. etc. are going to protect them are in la la land! Whether you agree with Prop 8 or not, at least the people it affects are standing up for what they want! Women, take back your rights! Let this idiot and his band of Talibanesque repubs know that you will see them in marches, in blogs in the senate, the house and at the ballot box! Until such time, we might at well be in Afghanistan.