As the race for the Republican Presidential nominee intensifies, so too do the candidates’ stances on the key issues associated with the presidency. Most recently and notably has been the loud opposition to President Obama’s new health care policy that would require employers to offer insurance coverage that would include the cost of birth control. Met not only with opposition from the potential candidates, but also from the Catholic church, President Obama has promised to work out a compromise to please both parties. But something, or rather, someone, seems to have been lost in the shuffle: women.
These men (and some women) are fighting over something that is completely private and up to a woman to decide for herself. If a woman doesn’t have the right to her own body, what does she have? How can others respect her? How can she respect herself?
I appreciate and respect the unwavering moral and religious convictions these individuals uphold in their opinions and decision making; it takes a lot of courage to stand up for what you believe is right. What’s not okay with me is when people think they can use these beliefs to dictate what a woman can and can’t do with her own body. It’s perfectly fine to have your religion and your beliefs and follow the practices that those entail; it’s an entirely different thing to wield your beliefs to put others down for theirs, and to deny women the reproductive rights they and they alone hold.
No one is trying to force birth control or abortions upon anyone, and I would never condone that. I do believe, however, that the option to choose what’s right for you should be one available everyone, and that you can factor in your beliefs accordingly. Women are capable beings; try having a little respect for them.