As you know by now, I believe strongly in rights for women and I absolutely can not stand it when politicians, (mostly celibate) clergyMEN, and anyone else starts telling me (and my daughter) what I can and can not do with my reproductive organs and how much they expect me to pay for these "rights."
I don't understand why this is even a debate about religious freedom. This is not an attack on religion, it is an attack on women thinly disguised as an attack on religion. To me, the argument is simple: religious institutions accept government money, thus they must follow the healthcare mandate that has been put to them by the government that gave them the money. If the institution has female employees they should not be able to say which ailments/conditions/medications/etc. they are willing to pay for. That is discrimination. That's why I believe this is a war on women. Believe me, if this was about paying for erectile dysfunction meds or prostate exams, the guys would be allllll over that.
Why are men at the forefront of this controversy? I am just amazed that once again men are waging war against women. Yes, men are waging this war. Have you seen the charming gentlemen who suggested we stick an aspirin between our knees?
And I find it frightening that I haven't hardly heard a peep from a woman. Where are the women? Why aren't the women speaking up and saying exactly what they want? I'm not saying that every woman is on my side. I know there are women out there who agree with these guys, but even they aren't speaking out and saying this is what they want.
What is going on??? Where are our voices??? Why do we as women sit there and allow men to tell us what to do with our own bodies???
Ladies, men would never let us get away with this kind of behavior. Why aren't more women angry? Why aren't women concerned about this latest attack?
Don't let these men make laws that affect your bodies without at least speaking up -- for or against. Let them know how you feel and let them know what you want.
Do you really want to pay $100 or more in co-pays each month for contraception? Do you really want an unplanned pregnancy because you couldn't afford your co-pay?
I sure don't.
Here is my birth control story: I am almost 40 years old. I can not have another baby. I am too old and I am too poor to afford another one. The Hubs and I are a bit "explosive" together. He looks at me cross eyed and I get pregnant. I got pregnant with Gomer when I was on the Pill and then I got pregnant with Adolpha the first day I went off the Pill. After Adolpha I knew we were done with our family and I asked my doctor for his advice since the Pill was not effective for me and no one who's married likes condoms. He recommended an IUD. I love it. I have had the same IUD now for 5 years and 1 month. The expiration in the United States on the Mirena is 5 years. (In other parts of the world, the same Mirena is "good" for another 2 years -- don't even get me started on the drug companies and their B.S.) I need another IUD. When I got the one I have now, I paid a co-pay of $750. In those days, the Hubs had a good job and good insurance and we could afford that. Today we are both self-employed and we pay a small fortune for crappy insurance that probably will cover very little of my new IUD. I haven't even had the guts to call my doctor to find out what my new IUD will cost (I can only imagine). Instead, I'm hoping that France got it right when they said my Mirena would work effectively for 7 years, because if it doesn't I'm afraid the system is going to have another welfare baby on their hands.
Originally posted at www.peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.com/2012/02/why-it-sucks-to-be-woman-today.html.