This past week has been a nightmare for women in the United States. House Republicans passed a bill on Tuesday, October 3rd that would effectively ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Two days later, the Trump Administration announced that they are going to roll back an Obama era birth control mandate. This mandate included a federal requirement that birth control must be covered in a woman’s health insurance plan.
Why is the GOP is so fixated on putting regulations on women’s reproductive health in the name of, so called, “religious morals?” They have more important issues to deal with. Puerto Rico needs aid; 95% of the country is STILL without power. Why don’t they work on banning assault rifles in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in history, which occurred just 11 days ago? When there are issues of human survival on the table, it is unfathomable that the GOP would be so obsessed with exerting control over women’s bodies. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) spoke candidly:
“Is the House working on helping families who have lost their loved ones and livelihoods in Puerto Rico? No. Are they answering the calls from moms and dads nationwide who want to know when Congress will finally act on gun control? No…There is never a good time for politicians to try to tell women what they can and can’t do with their own bodies, but the House Republican decision to prioritize politics right now — of all times — is irresponsible and out of touch to a new extreme.”
Beyond the fact that birth control is not the most pressing issue at the moment, the GOP don’t see to even understand the thing that they are trying to get rid of. They just see birth control solely as something that (allegedly) allows women to have sex with impunity. If I were to talk to a GOP politician right now I would tell him or her that birth control has many more purposes than just preventing pregnancy. Birth control helps reduce or prevent:
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Acne
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Irregular periods
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Painful periods
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Polycystic ovary syndrome
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Blood disorders
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Bone thinning
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Cysts in the breasts and ovaries
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Iron deficiency (anemia)
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Endometrial and Ovarian cancers
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Serious infections in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus
Birth control is a serious medical need for many women and people. If the Trump administration restricts birth control, it would put many people in danger, who have just recently started on birth control. According to a study commissioned by the Obama administration, more than 62.4 million women have access to birth control without co-payments due to the contraceptive coverage mandate enforced by the Obama administration. Under the new regulations, hundreds of thousands of women could lose birth control benefits they now receive at no cost under the Affordable Care Act.
This is a horrendous and despicable decision. It is just another excuse to tell women what to do with their bodies. They say it infringes upon their “religious freedom, but they already have religious freedom.
Your religious beliefs don’t, under any circumstances, give you the right to deny women their basic rights to reproductive health care. No one is forcing you to use birth control.
The 20 week abortion ban is unconstitutional and violates the longstanding Supreme Court precedent established in Roe v. Wade. This strips women of their autonomy and shows extreme disregard to survivors of rape and incest, and women with severe medical issues during pregnancy. It is a slap in the face to all women. It is another attempt to silence women and keep them from the choices they want to make.
GOP, why are you so against women making their own choices in regards to their health? Aren’t you guys for less government? Why, out of all the things you think shouldn’t be owned by the government, treat a woman’s body as property of the government? Shouldn’t that be the least of your worries?
If you’re sick and tired of a patriarchal society telling you what you should do with your body or want to stop these bills and rollbacks from going further into congress, call your representative and senators or donate to these organizations:
Text FIGHT to 22422
https://www.istandwithpp.org/take-action?_ga=2.203272017.1742047430.1507754249-1847511395.1507754249
https://www.istandwithpp.org/call
https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/
https://www.reproductiverights.org/take-action
https://prochoice.org/about-naf/support-naf/
https://donate.nwhn.org/donate