Baby Battles
As a woman, and someone who is regularly skeptical of the republican platform I felt compelled to weigh in on the birth control debate that is raging in Washington. For those of you missed it, the Washington Liberals are trying to force businesses, including religious organizations, to purchase health insurance for their employees which covers birth control, saying it's an issue of preventative care for women. The republicans are arguing that the mandate is a violation of religious liberty.
First and foremost let's get one thing straight. This issue is not about preventative care for women. Access to affordable birth control is not an issue in the current system. Most insurance already covers prescriptions including birth control with a co-pay of around $10 for generics and women's center's such as planned parenthood provide affordable options priced based on income for those without insurance. So the idea that access is some sort of big issue is completely fabricated.
But if it's not about women's health, then what IS it about? Well I'm glad you asked. If you want to find out what this debacle is really all about, simply look at who benefits. Big Pharma stands to reap enormous gains from having their drugs fully paid for by insurance companies. Never mind the fact that it will increase insurance costs. Never mind the fact that, without cost competition, few individuals will chose a less expensive generic prescription over brand name, driving up costs making it that much more difficult for the uninsured to afford birth control. Yes, let us just ignore those pesky little facts.
If our lawmakers are so very concerned about preventing pregnancy, why are condoms and vasectomies not covered? Shouldn't men also have the power to prevent unwanted pregnancy or do our ddemocratic overlords think that only women should be expected to behave responsibly when it comes to sex? So much for gender equality.
Democrats have done a fantastic job of framing this issue as though anyone who opposes forcing insurance companies and employers to fully finance birth control somehow hates women and responsible family planning. But when you strip away the charade and talking points, we can see this supposed philantriampic effort is really about liberals own pocket books. We are facing massive deficits, the erosion of civil liberties, can't congress find something better to do with their time and our money?
