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Five Big Facts on Birth Control Not Nearly Enough Discussed by Men in the Mainstream Media
Undoubtedly, you have heard: The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops want to take birth control coverage away from all women under the Affordable Care Act.
Unfortunately, you probably heard about that from men. Think Progress released research last week showing that the major cable networks invited nearly twice as many men as women to discuss the fight for contraceptive coverage.
When women aren't called upon to discuss the realities of our lives, we are left with men discussing the contents of our medicine cabinets as if they were "culture wars" or "assaults on religious freedom." (For the record: Women's bodies are not cultural commodities, and any meaningful freedom of religion requires freedom from an imposed religion.)
So here are five big facts on birth control not nearly enough discussed by men in the mainstream media:
1. Contraception is basic health care. Virtually all women use birth control at some point in their lives, and that includes 98 percent of Catholic women. A majority supports contraceptive coverage, including a majority of Catholic hospital employees.
2. This "controversy" has awfully strange timing. 28 states already provide for coverage of contraceptives.
3. Churches already have an out. 335,000 religious institutions, including Catholic churches, may refuse to provide contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
4. Contraceptive coverage makes a difference for women. One of three women say they struggle to afford birth control.
5. This is sex discrimination. More than a decade ago the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that an employer's failure to cover contraceptives is a violation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
Late last week, President Obama announced a compromise that allows religiously affiliated institutions to not pay for contraceptive coverage, while still ensuring that every woman gets equal access to this basic medical care(private insurance companies will pay).
Yet the bishops continue to attack, revealing their true aims: It's not about Catholic dollars and "religious freedom," it's about refusing all women coverage for birth control. It's up to women to speak the truth about our health and lives.
This post is part of the #HERvotes blog carnival on protecting birth control coverage
"Women's bodies are not cultural commodities, and any meaningful freedom of religion requires freedom from an imposed religion."
Whats your opinion on the jewish ritual of circumcising boys?
Um, No. That is incorrect.
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/02/do-98-percent-of-catholic-women-use-birth-control.html
I just want to point out that Obama isn't trying to force anyone to use contraceptives. Obsessive religious ideologues are trying to prohibit all of society from using them. It is a personal decision to have sex. All things related to how one uses their body should remain the purveyance of the individual. Requiring that a safety net be provided for women in case they have an unwanted pregnancy doesn't force them to use it. If you're Catholic, and a woman, it is your choice whether or not to let someone impregnate you, or at least it should be. So guess what? If catholics really don't believe in contraception, don't use it. Problem solved. When the need disappears, so will the birth control. Decriminalize pregnancy, and the problem will diminish. It is not the Church's place to mandate how a government is run. Those days disappeared with the Papal States. Take care of your own sphere of influence. If you have daughters, love them enough to raise them so they don't get in situations where they have unwanted pregnancies. If you love your wife, don't force her to have children she doesn't want in an effort to tie her more firmly to you. If you're daughter does come home pregnant, love her, and love her baby, because the counter to sin isn't punishment, it is love.
Sorry for the rant, but this just really bothers me as a Catholic woman who uses birth control because I'm too poor to afford babies. To me it is irresponsible to bring a life into the world I can't adequately care for. I see that as truly being pro-life, both before and after birth.
Who's excluding catholic women from what statistics? And what do you mean pick & choose what sins you allow in church? Not all nuns are truly celibate? What's your point? That because not all are celibate you don't have to include them in your survey & can just assume some are using it when you say 98% of catholic women use it? That's unethical. And if you're not including octogenarians, that should be stated. But NOW stated 98% of catholic women use it when that is not true. It is 98% of sexually active catholic women, between the ages of 15-44, who are not trying to get pregnant. That takes out a huge chunk of catholic women so it is not 98% of all catholic women, just the % in the group of women who fall into those categories being surveyed,-Huge Difference!-No one said anything about forcing anyone on the pill, I'm not catholic & have no problem with safe sex or birth control, I just want to correct misinformation that is being put out there, that's all.
Now to address each of the talking points:
1. I hate statistics. You know the saying, there are lies, damn lies and statistics. People here already proved their point, there should be a big asterisk next to 98% and I’ll leave it at that.
2. All time-lines in politics are political, even yours.
3. Yes, churches do have an out so why not the institutions they create? Maybe I’m just not smart enough to understand this issue. Why would anyone join an institution that represents a certain ideal, preach that ideal daily, set rules supporting those ideals within the work place and then complain when those ideals are upheld by the leaders of said institution. It would be tantamount to a staunch anarchist joining the U.S. Army.
4. There are those darn statistics again. 1 in 4 women struggle to afford birth control? Who are these women? I want that asterisk so I can look up these stats myself. A quick search on Amazon shows a pack of 60 condoms going for $15.99. Who the heck cannot afford that? Oh, yea, I forget that N.O.W. supports 12-year-old “women” getting abortions. I guess children’s lunch money doesn’t stretch as far as it used to. I called a nearby University clinic to see how much they were selling the Pill for – the nice nurse said for students it was free and to non- students it was $18.99 a month.
5. I find it funny Washington D.C. always excludes itself and government agencies from such policy’s.
I can see both sides to this issue. However, I still cannot see why people are so surprised religious institutions fight for their beliefs.
Never feel ashamed to speak your mind.
I notice the bishops are not saying anything about public monies they take for their schools and hospitals, even catholic charities. They are actually only semi-private.
The bishops are not mentioning all the taxes they don't pay in every city and town for extensive property holdings. That leaves other citizens paying extra.
When the uproar was loud about priest abuse, and the cover-up, including the pope, the pope announced that he was starting an investigation of nuns in convents to see if their lives are rigid enough.
Oddly enough, I was prescribed birth control pills- for medical reasons- while I was a catholic nun living in a convent.
As an elderly woman, why aren't we asking these congressional, presidential hopefuls, have they always protected themselves, taken responsiblity for their act. I think all women are "Pro condom". That action, a man taking responsiblitly for their own action would make abortion a raritly. Let's ask men to step up and take responsiblity for their own bodies!!! Sound familiar; of course, we have had that responsiblity all our lives. Men can't even support the children they create now, how will cutting birth control make things any better? The babies, children and later, adults loose. Don't support any candidate, either party, that doesn't support equal responsiblity for these pregnancies. Let's ask all men to step up to the plate and be responsible for the possibile abortion, child, support and education of that child. Men so how think it's just a few minutes of pleasure and not a lifetime commitment--enter a child!
If this keeps up, women are going to stop having sex, which is the ultimate form of birth control. It is a woman's personal right to choose when she has kids and how many kids she wants to have. These people are really about controlling people's sex lives. It has absolutely nothing do to with religion. They cannot get over the fact that sex feels good, is normal, and is healthy. This is punishment for a good, normal, healthy sex life, not about kids or religion.
BTW, the exemption only includes churches, but not affiliated organizations, for example media outlets, and the many associated charities that provide services to the needy.
Additionally, it must be cheaper in the long run to provide health insurance that includes birth control than to pay for the pregnancies that would result from plans that don't cover birth control. So, you are ok with paying more for women to carry pregnancies to term rather than plan their families?
Should we now legislate requiring men to use condoms any time they engage in intercourse with a woman. Shall we require a written statement of consent before any act of procreation that both parties would sign? Why not legislate the use of birth control prescriptions for men. Oh, we don’t have that available yet, do we? But we do have Viagra.
Why aren’t we writing about penises and their role in the entire topic of birth control and pregnancy? It is funny to suggest that a woman keep an aspirin between her knees; what about a man keeping his penis in his pants?
What are we waiting for? Edward Abbey said, “Remaining silent about the destruction of nature is an endorsement of that destruction.” Is that not also true of being silent about the control being taken from women and their bodies? When do we begin?
Pro Life and Pro Choice. It's your choice. Many women are afraid to take this stand and become entrapped in an either or situation. We need to support freedom of choice. Personally, I wish someone would create a bumper sticker-
Pro Life AND Pro Choice
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