If we have a Republican in office next January, all women, not just moms, can add “fight for reproductive rights” on their never ending to-do lists. Americans have had the benefit, recently, to see how Republicans really feel about family planning, birth control, and who can have an opinion on what you do in the bedroom. This conversation isn’t even about abortion anymore. It’s about not even giving a working woman free access to contraception. It has been become a full blown Republican war against contraception.
To be clear, under Obama’s health care plan, religiously affiliated employees such as hospitals and universities must provide birth control coverage for their female employees. This requirement applies only to those employers with 50 or more employees and excludes Catholic churches from the requirement. Based on the reactions of many right wing conservatives and the Republican nominees, you would think that President Obama himself was requiring that all women line-up outside the White House so that he can inoculate them with birth control.
What is disturbing about the reactions of the Republican candidates and other conservatives is that they do not even want to allow working women to decide for themselves whether or not they will choose to take free contraception or not. Obama’s plan is not taking away a woman’s right to decide she doesn’t want to take contraception. Obama’s plan is providing access. However, Republicans want to take away a woman’s right to choose to take free birth control or not.
According to the August 2010 Report by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, the number of women in the workforce has grown by 44.2 % over the last 25 years, from 46 million in 1984 to 66 million in 2009. I would be interested in knowing what percent of the 66 million women would qualify for access to contraceptive coverage.
Working moms would have one less thing to worry about when it comes to family planning if President Obama remains in office for another term.
This post is part of a weekly conversation with our 5 Moms Matter 2012 political bloggers. Read the original question and find links to all their responses here: How Will the Next President Affect Women's Rights?
Image via Gnarls Monkey/Flickr
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Comments 112
I agree!
I might get hate for this, but abortions should also be easier for a woman to get.
Now don't get me wrong, it's always so much better to just use protection beforehand. But an acorn is not a tree, an egg is not a chicken, a tadpole is not frog, and a fetus is not a human.
Also, at least those fetuses could help stem-cell reaserch.
The title is a bit misleading lol, it makes it sound like all families will be like the Duggars if a republican wins. I agree though that birth control needs to be available. Abortions, while definetly not birth control, should be available for rape/incest victims.
That's my opinion. If you disagree I understand, but topics like this get people all fired up so let's be respectful now!
Nobody is saying these women can't have BC, they're saying that their religious organization employers shouldn't have to pay for it.
If they want it, they can still go to any clinic, any planned parenthood, and get it free or cheap.
Holy hell, talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill! What the Republicans are against is making a religious organization (such as the hundreds of "faith-based" hospitals) PAYING for something they are against! With the exception of maybe Santorum, the candidates ARE NOT against contraception!! I am all for making contraception affordable and easily attainable and I'll never understand being against it, but we live in a country where we must respect the beliefs of religious organizations, whether we agree with them or not. And like it or not, Catholics (in particular) are vehemently against contraception, so making them pay for it through insurance isn't right.
This kind of blatant misinformation NEEDS TO STOP. Get your God damn facts straight.