I know it doesn't seem like it applies to me because I'm lesbian and there's absolutely no way my lovergirl will ever get me pregnant, but I am so happy to read that women now have coverage for free birth control.
Here's why: I am a woman.
Automatically that puts me in the fight for women.
Men and women are different. And while I want equailty, I also want that equailty to apply appropriately. Meaning, men don't really have to worry about birth control--they're not the ones stuck with babies in their bellies after an unprotected night. Men aren't the ones who then have to care for a little one, raise a child into a person. Men don't have the responsibilities that women do when it comes to pregnancy. Maybe sometimes it's possible to hold a man accountable for some financial contribution to a child's life, but still--the woman is the one who has to carry, grow, and birth that child and then make the decisions for what to do with it beyond that. It's about damn time women have the coverage they need.
It's not just birth control though. Before any Catholics get on my case about how birth control is evil, there's more wonderful news. This new law will also provide women with coverage for "free breast-feeding support, supplies for pregnancy-related diabetes...and even screening for domestic violence." How fantastic is that? Go women!
I have to say, I have a little more faith in our government systems today than I have in a while.
Change takes time. Often when it's change we need, change we yern for, it seems like it takes too long--but at least it does come.
This pleases me too. And the opposition to things like this terrifies me! The people that oppose this new legislation are the same ones who are advocating the removal of Planned Parenthood. I think women's health and the availability of sexual health resources is NECESSARY for everyone and I hope that the government doesn't turn its back on its commitments.
ReplyDeleteI read something today about how some conservative asshole got all uncomfortable when someone else used the word menstruation when referring to birth control (because they were talking about how birth control also treats different kinds of menstrual conditions) and I find it so absurd that we as a society can't even use medical terms without someone acting like a fourteen year old boy who doesn't want to know that his sister is on her period. Really? Men, particularly straight men!, have no excuse for being such ignorant assholes about women's bodies. Anyway, yeah, MJ, it absolutely terrifies me the attitudes people have and how they think god is leading them to believe certain things--even today! I also hope the government doesn't flip around on this. Fingers are crossed.
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