Birth Control Becomes a Campaign Issue

During the last two election cycles, the social policy agenda was almost solely about "abortion-on-demand-and-gay-marriage" as if it were one key on a political reporter's keyboard. Charts in the mainstream media comparing the positions of the candidates in 2004 did not include a host of women's rights issues, as had been the case in the 1990s. Women's rights issues were reduced to a single topic: abortion, as if that was all women voters cared about.

This year, the picture is changing. Yes, abortion is being discussed but along with it other women's issues are getting attention, like equal pay and a broader set of reproductive health issues including birth control. For the first time ever, sex education has gotten attention. In the wake of Bristol Palin's abstinence-only outcome, even the main-er than mainstream Parade magazine asked readers whether abstinence-only programs should continue.

This year candidates who formerly fell victim to a caricature of being "pro-abortion" or more likely pro-"abortion on demand" are returning fire. Some have countered that their opponents are the true extremists. They have turned the tables by exposing them as not only anti-abortion, but, more radically, anti-contraception.

According to research done by Moving Forward, the percentage of voters who are opposed to a host of issues being hijacked by abortion including birth control, stem cell and sex education are only 9% of the electorate. Polls taken by the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association found that even 80% of self-described "pro-life" voters support access to contraception. Opposition to contraception is the mark of extremism. Yet, to appease their fundamentalist "pro-life" base that vehemently opposes contraception, many elected officials Members of Congress have voted against access to contraception.

And so in 2008 pro-choice candidates have begun to paint those who oppose contraception as extremists. This election cycle marks the first time since the legalization of contraception that access to birth control has become a campaign issue. In tight races, the issue may prove decisive.

The following is a snapshot of how contraception is being used as an issue in House, Senate and Gubernatorial races.

Colorado

Contraception has become an issue in the tight Markey-Musgrave race for Colorado 4th district House seat in part because of Amendment 48. The proposed amendment would alter the state constitution to grant fertilized eggs equal rights, the same as a human being, and pave the way for a ban on birth control as well as stem cell research, IVF and abortion. Democrat Betsy Markey opposes the amendment as do many moderate "pro-lifers" including Democrat Governor Bill Ritter. Republican Marilyn Musgrave is a lead supporter of the ballot measure, along with many other anti-contraception ideologues.

Washington

Whether a woman has a right to get her prescription for birth control filled has become a campaign issue in the Washington gubernatorial race. The Seattle Times reports that Republican challenger Dino Rossi opposes requiring pharmacists to fill birth control prescriptions. Incumbent Democrat Governor Christine Gregoire followed up with this ad:

In September, Politickerwa.org reported on how access to contraception has become an issue in the 8th Congressional District Race in Washington as well. Democratic candidate Darcy Burner organized and submitted over 900 comments to the Department of Health and Human Services on the proposed regulation that will allow health care workers to deny women birth control.

Politickerwa.org reported,

"Burner's campaign also tried to make a campaign issue out of the move [proposed HHS regulation], saying in an accompanying release that [Republican Dave] Reichert is "too extreme" on abortion issues for Washington state... "The people of this district strongly oppose these proposed restrictions on access to birth control, which are nothing more than the President Bush's parting gift to his social conservative base." said Burner campaign spokesman Sandeep Kaushik. "So where does Congressman Reichert stand on this issue? His track record is not encouraging. He supports giving pharmacists the right to deny 'birth control' to women, voted to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood, is rigidly anti-choice, and has a zero rating from women's reproductive rights groups. Congressman Reichert is too extreme for Washington State on all of these issues. That is not a record the people of this district will support."

Here is the ad Burner's campaign ran against Reichert:

Recognizing how damaging the label "anti-contraception" could be, Reichert's campaign quickly worked to bolster his pro-contraception credentials. Amanda Halligan, Reichert's Communications Director, went on the defensive pointing out Reichert was a cosponsor of H.R. 4054, the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act which corrects the escalating birth control prices at college health centers caused by the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act. Halligan stated,

"Dave Reichert is for women's health. He also believes that women should have access. This is being trumped up for political reasons and it speaks volumes about their campaign and about Darcy Burner. They want to muddy the waters. They reference the debate, but that is a different issue. If they are talking about birth control, then he supports women's health and he wants to provide access to birth control."

Virginia

In September, The Washington Post reported that contraception had become an issue in Virginia's 11th House race between Democrat Gerry Connolly and Republican Keith Fimian. The Post article quotes Connolly accusing his opponent of having extreme views on birth control because he serves on the board of Legatus, a foundation for Catholic Businessmen founded by Domino's Pizza mogul Tom Monaghan, a staunch opponent of contraception. In the article Connolly is quoted as saying,

"Mr. Fimian's views on social issues are relevant because he has pretended in this campaign to be a moderate in the mold of Tom Davis. Tom Davis is pro-choice. Tom Davis is pro-stem cell research. And Tom Davis certainly supports the availability of contraception in the United States. My opponent belongs to an organization that opposes these things. I assume when you belong to an organization, you subscribe to the tenets of this organization. If he wants to disavow the tenets of this organization, now's the time to do it."

The Legatus mission is to find "what ways can we as Apostles bring Christ into our businesses." Political bloggers in Virginia picked up on the issue. The blogger Left of the Hill added a new wrinkle to the anti-contraception charges made against Fimian, focusing on his days as a CEO. Left of the Hill wrote,

"In the health care plan offered to employees from the mid 1990's to about 2003 of US Inspect and InVision Technologies (the companies that Keith Fimian was CEO and Chairman of), it explicitly says that "oral contraceptive[s] used for birth control" were not covered. This is despite the fact that over twenty states have laws that basically say oral contraceptives have to be covered if the plan covers other prescriptions or outpatient procedures."

Connolly's "Too Extreme" ad:

New Hampshire

In the New Hampshire U.S. Senate race between Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican John Sununu, contraception has become a campaign issue as well. NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire has highlighted Sununu's votes against contraception including voting against funding international family planning programs and contraceptive coverage for federal employees. Shaheen has used the issue to portray Sununu as extreme.

(scroll forward to 1:24 to hear Candidate Jeanne Shaheen compare herself and her opponent, John Sununu, on the issue of birth control.)

Ohio

In the OH-15 open House seat between Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy and Republican Steve Stivers. Emily's List, the national group that supports pro-choice women candidates, highlighted Stivers's opposition to requiring insurers to cover contraception when he served as a state senator.

Emily's List writes,

"A true swing seat. This Columbus-area seat has been in GOP hands since 1967, and they won't give it up without a fierce fight -- especially in a presidential year, when Ohio's 20 electoral votes are up for grabs. Republicans have coalesced behind Steve Stivers, a right-wing state senator and former lobbyist for the banking industry. Stivers has repeatedly opposed legislation to protect consumers, including efforts to curb predatory lending. He has consistently earned "0" ratings from Ohio NARAL and even worked against an amendment requiring insurance companies to cover contraception."

New Jersey

The race for NJ's District 7 open House seat has also taken on the issue of pharmacy refusals. Democrat Linda Stender has hit challenger Republican Leonard Lance on voting against a bill, that Stender sponsored, that would ensure women can fill birth control prescriptions at any pharmacy in the state.

Democrat Josh Zeitz, the Democratic candidate in NJ's 4th district is challenging incumbent Republican Chris Smith, well-known for his anti-contraception activities. In a campaign ad, Zeitz focused on Smith's opposition to contraception.

In a blog on the Huffington Post entitled "Rep. Chris Smith Wants to Criminalize the Birth Control Pill" Zeitz wrote,

"On twenty-two separate occasions, Chris Smith has introduced legislation to criminalize the common, everyday birth control pill and IUD... I believe that access to basic birth control and family planning services is a fundamental right. By attempting to criminalize the pill, Chris Smith's policies increase the number of unintended pregnancies."

The anti-contraception movement is well-funded and very active, as Birth Control Watch documents. In the races reviewed above, the discussion of social issues has expanded to include birth control, sex education, stem cell and more; all the issues that get stalled in Congress once the "abortion" label is applied. This is the first election year that a candidate's anti-contraception position has come under public scrutiny. If birth control gets on the radar of our very pro-contraception electorate, and some of the more extreme anti-abortion, anti-contraception legislators are edited from Congress, "Prevention First" policies should find a spot on the first 100 days agenda. Maybe it is time to move from being just pro-choice to being pro-choices.

To learn more about of current anti-contraception activities visit www.birthcontrolwatch.org

Follow Cristina Page on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cristinapage

Comments

[LALC]

Do these candidates support condom use? Or is it OK since the guys actually use the condoms!

Do these candidates support the use of Viagra, mostly used is for good old sex – NOT reproduction! We’re talking 60, 70, 80 yo men with 60, 70, 80 yo wives. My husband is a doc – has had really old men request it – he’s denied it – doesn’t believe insurance (or Medicare) should cover Viagra (for pleasure purposes) esp. if birth control isn’t covered!

No contraception equals increased pregnancies & increased abortions! Exactly what these folks don’t want?!

[MajorKong]

All your wombs are belong to us!

[khg1]

Correct me if I am wrong - but I thought that the right to contraceptives and accurate sex education, was settled a little under 100 years ago. Actually prior to Woman's suffrage. Take away legal safe forms of birth control and all that will happen in a rise in the number of abortions - whether they are legal or not. I am so disgusted with people who as SO over interested on other people's sex lives. Maybe if they had sex more often themselves, they would be less concerned with what (and how often) other people are having sex. What's next - regulating how often married couples "must" engage in "marital union"?? I am so proud of my husband, as he made an intelligent and empathetic decision, with respect that the birth control responsibility has been on me these many years, that he went and got a vasectomy.

Regardless of my personal situation, if birth control or abortion become illegal in this country, I will have a voluntary hysterectomy, and ship my uterus on dry ice to the Supreme Court if they want to control it so badly they can have it!

[gemcando06]

Lack of sex education, by repression, has the younger generation of women confused about birth control. Doctors who give birth control, druggists who fill Rx's, and the women patient are placed in a bubble surrounded by repressed notions of guilt and fear. Sex is not an expression of love but rather a power struggle.
No wonder, in 2008, sex is still considered men " having advantage" over the woman's body. And women are still seen as sex objects - not human beings equal to men.

[Motherunit]

The Republicans so staunchly against government interference in all aspects of life except for this one. When it comes to gun ownership, they howl about their Second Amendment rights to have a houseful of rifles, handguns and automatic weapons. Woe to anyone who might suggest a limit of their personal freedom to arm themselves to the teeth! These same people don't want to allow women the right to control our own bodies and make our own decisions about such a personal matter. What's next? Arranged marriages?

[IHIRB]

EXACTLY!

[toypiano]

A pharmacist who refuses to dispense a legal medication is in the wrong business. And it's a slippery slope; what's next, AIDS medicines?

In all of this, a deeper agenda of fundamentalists is to punish women for having free agency over their sexuality. For some reason, they just can't stand that. Then they try to promote the idea that a zygote has more rights than an adult woman. Way too extreme and misogynistic for this real American. (Does that make me a fake American?)

"Pro-choices" ... that's a good one. I hope it catches on.

[molsongrrrl]

Exactly, none of this is because these people care so much about babies - its really about controlling women's sex lives.

[deminmo]

Bush wants to get legislation passed that makes most contraception equel to
abortion, he wants to ban federally funded clinics offering abortions. That was to
protect doctors and nurses who disagreed with abortions. McCain is simply doing
what he keeps denying, that he agrees with Bush 90% of the time.
Neither want to support or provide medical care to thousands of new Moms, and
babies that will be born. We have a sad rate of infant mortality now for a non-
third world country. These Republican representatives of the people claim to
operate on Christian priciples. It's become a joke.

[Toonadude]

Conservative Republicans are willing to burden future generations with picking up the bill for their present-day "no new taxes" dogma. Gotta make sure there's plenty of "future generation" around to cover the tab.

[drgrph]

While I guess they must exist since you say so, I don't know any fundamentalist Christians that were against contraception. They are adamantly anti-abortion based upon their faith of when life begins. It is the same foundation that pro-choice individuals use to justify the acceptability of abortion - that being when their faith dictates when life begins. The only adamantly anti-contraception people I've ever met were devout Catholics. Unfortunately this is an issue difficult to prove scientifically and is hard to find a reasonable compromise. Is life cellular activity, is it entrance of a soul, is it survivability?

As both a Christian and a pharmacist, the topics of abortion and contraception are two different issues. Unfortunately these tend to be mixed together by the government via funding, to the detriment of both. If the government would get out of the reproductive business, mutual co-existence might be possible. As long as people are being forced via taxation to fund that which is noxious to many or have their parental roles subverted we'll have problems.

If you want an abortion I won't stop you. If you want someone other than yourself to provide reproductive and contraceptive information I won't stop you. It's your decision. But allow me my decisions, too - quit using my money and teaching my children.

That's really all I want...I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone. Is that really so difficult to understand?

[CompetenceMatters]

I hear you, and I only ask that you allow me the same. If we all get to say how our tax dollars are to be spent, then there are a few things I would like to not fund, such as war... on the same grounds, moral objection... I'll leave everybody else alone to war monger, just don't do it with my tax dollars.

[anniegirl9]

Just Google “oral contraception as abortafaciant” and you will find quite a lot of fundamental groups that believe birth control equates to abortion.

I first came across this argument 17 years ago when I did a research project on a Pro-Life clinic in my town that helped teenagers carry out their pregnancies. They did not know whether I was pro-choice or pro-life, so they gave me the whole sales pitch. Luckily, I was smart enough at 16 to recognize fear mongering even then. They told me about doctors forcing women to have abortions to receive fees. And they told me all about oral contraception being another form of abortion. I never really believed the argument would have legs, but I guess I was wrong about that.

The idea is based on research (some say faulty research) that oral contraception does not work to actually prevent fertilization in as much as 30% of the women who use it. In these cases, it works by creating a "hostile uterus" which rejects the fertilized egg. If you believe that life begins at conception and that oral contraception does not prevent fertilization, than you believe that oral contraception = abortion.

[McFlipFlop]

Thanks Annie. Very interesting. And thanks to Ms. Page also for giving us the details.

[anniegirl9]

Continued…

Also, if we overturn Roe v. Wade and define in legal terms that life begins at the point of fertilization, then we will effectively open up all forms of hormonal contraceptive (the pill, the patch, injections, uvula rings, the morning after pill…) as well as IUD’s (which we know do not prevent fertilization) up for litigation. The morning after pill is already on attack openly for this. With this pill, it depends on where a woman is at in her cycle whether it works to stop conception or if it works to reject the fertilized egg. It is my belief that that is why rape kits were charged in Wassilla under Mayor Palin.

There is one further unrelated reason many fundamentalist reject the idea of contraception. I was given an article by one of them that compared the birth rates of white Christians to that of Muslims and minority ethnic groups. The gist of the article was “we better start popping more out if we don’t want to be the minority soon.” It is predicted that by 2030 WASP’s will be a minority here in the US. You can only imagine how badly that scares the hell out of them.

[deminmo]

Who is teaching anyone to have an abortion? Yes schools are still teaching
about contraception options in high schools and even college health classes.
You know why? Because teachers and school nurses know that parents have
become too busy to teach their children things like morality, and ethics, and basic
health. Don't believe me, go to a bunch of public schools and ask! These teachers
care or they wouldn't bother. Is making money more important that making your
kids into decent adults?

[degenerate1991]

Wow, this is news to me. Our health class (in 2008) consisted of, and I'm quoting the teacher, "If you stay abstinent until you are married, you can have lots of jammin' sex then.". Oh, and "pot makes you into a lazy bum". Insert some awful videos here and there, and you get the picture.

[zanzig]

Pro-choice individuals do NOT use a starting point of life argument to justify abortion. The "starting point of life" is an entirely Christian religious argument that is irrelevant to pro-choice decisions.

When are you going to recognise that not everyone follows your religion and should not be bound by your diktat? You have the choice to follow that collection of writings, tenets and commandments. I have the choice NOT to. By what measure can you dictate that our secular laws should conform to your religious ones?

[shaytoonee]

Wow i thought the birth control issue was not being raised at all. Maybe thats just in AZ. Democrats should use similar ads in AZ. It will go ver really well here.

These republicans are complete bigots and they have the audacity to call democrats "socialists and radicals" ... plz they need to hide away and educate themselves

[TXfemmom]

This is the dirty little secret of all these pro-life groups, in that they would consider overturning Roe V Wade as the first step toward getting birth control eliminated, as well.

A pharmacist should not consider filling a prescription for birth control as a morals issue, as they fill prescriptions for Viagra and other drugs without a thought.

[lofreek]

I will describe the slippery slope. Sex without procreation becoming illegal. Masturbation becoming illegal. Placing women who miscarry under criminal investigation suspected of causing themselves to abort. Don't laugh. It's what 'they' want, to be the sex police, since 'they' are the 'moral' ones and the rest of us aren't.

There have been times in the distant past where procreation was essential, as entire villages could get wiped out by diseases or marauders, and infant mortality rates were high. Not so much anymore. Let's face the fact that we are in the 21st century. We should be way beyond this sort of primitive squabbling.

[Binkley]

We're headed full-tilt toward making "A Handmaid's Tale" a reality. Someone should tell them it's a distopian cautionary tale and not a how-to guide!

[Laserbeam]

U.S. out of my uterus!

[Woggles]

I heard in France, they take this pill that renders the whole debate moot.

Is this true?

[mommadona]

I say turn the tables..

WHERE is it written the woman is the only one responsible for birth control?

I say - make the men accountable.

FACT: Most teenaged pregnancies are the result of contact with ADULT MALES.
FACT: All chemical birth control is geared to the female.
FACT: It takes TWO.

The "Family Jewels" are the MALE'S responsibility.
Protect that seed, men. No spilling.

Old saying but soooo true:

"If men could become pregnant, abortion would be considered a sacrament."
Oh, look how they run away!

[HockeyMom]

I'm so glad you brought up the facts.

Fact: Most teen aged pregnancies are the result of contact with ADULT MALES.

Then in a twisted since of irony that adult male may actually be the adult male that a child has to go to for permission for help from an unwanted pregnancy.

[degenerate1991]

Trust me, if men could "just take a pill" and not have kids, they would. Unfortunately, a man cannot go to the doctor's office and get a birth control pill, because they don't exist.