Something New

I normally don't address politics.  Predominantly because it causes fights and I'm not a big fan of those.  But at this point i really don't care who I piss off.  I have to join the band of arm waving, screaming, mad as hell women in this one.  So here we go...

Presidential candidate Rick Santorum (this is a gut who wants to run your country, ladies and gentlemen) believes that birth control "shouldn't be covered by insurance at all."  He says that birth control is "a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be."  He wrote a book in 2005 called It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good.  In this book he makes his his opposition to contraception (as well as to abortion, even in the case of rape) very well known.  To me it seems like he has a deep hostility toward efforts to empower women and enhance their status.  He has a VERY stone age view of women.  I'm floored that his wife puts up with that.  I know I wouldn't.

He claims that "men and women be given an equal opportunity to make it to the top in the workplace" and calls opposing claims from women a "radical feminist pitch."  Really, buddy?  REALLY???  It's not much of a surprise to me that his wife was not listed as a co-author of this book.  I wouldn't want my name anywhere near that.

There's one section of the book that really makes my blood boil.  In his book he dismisses programs to help impoverished single mothers improve their job prospects by returning to school by saying that "the notion that college education is a cost-effective way to help poor, low-skill, unmarried mothers with high school diplomas or GEDs move up the economic ladder is just wrong."  Santorums' apparent hostility to women's educational and professional advancement is insulting and out of touch with today's world. But it is also odd in light of their purported interest in the welfare of children. It turns out that the most powerful single influence on a child's educational success is not the mother's marital status but her own level of education and her educational aspirations for her children.  BOOM!  Take that, jerk!

Let's go back to the issue of birth control and abortion for a second.  Now, I consider myself predominantly pro-life.  But if a woman or girl is raped and gets pregnant, she should have the choice of what to do in that situation.  End of story.

About 2 weeks ago, Santorum (of course) was bashing Presidential candidate Mitt Romney about a few things that he's done as Massachusetts Governor.  Gov. Romney "required all Massachusetts hospitals, including Catholic ones, to provide emergency contraception to rape victims."  Good!  They deserve to have that choice!  But, of course, Santorum had to crap all over that.  He said " I believe in my 'heart of hearts' that receiving these contraceptives – free of charge – trumped employees' religious consciences."  Well... If the employee feels that way, they can get another employee to do it.  Or perhaps they shouldn't be working in a field where this kind of thing happens.  Daily.  Or they can just get their heads out of their butt cracks and deal with the reality that SHIT HAPPENS!!!!

Which brings me to Obama.  He decided to take this thing and run with it.  And screw with insurance, too!  Again!  He's put forth a "new policy concerning employer-provided health insurance plans and their coverage of contraceptive services for female employees including those at religiously affiliated institutions."  Basically that means that if you're a woman and you work for a church then your employer can deny you health coverage for your birth control.  So not only can the government screw your health care up, now your employer may be able to as well.  Under the new plan, religiously affiliated universities and hospitals will not be forced to offer contraception coverage to their employees. Insurers will be required, however, to offer complete coverage free of charge to women who work at such institutions. Female employees at churches themselves will have no guarantee of any contraception coverage.

I just don't understand how the health of women has become such a huge issue.  It's my body.  It's my life.  It's my choice.  I suppose in a male-dominated society, it's become easy for them to say "oh they don't need this right."  Well, guess what....  77% of anti-abortion and anti-birth control leaders are men.  100% of them will never be pregnant.  They will never have to experience the shame of being a 13 year old rape victim seeing that little pink plus sign materialize.  That is hell.  Right there.

That's for you, Santorum!

The health rights of any person should not be a legal debate!  My body isn't a government battleground!  So stop forcing your religious convictions down my throat and take care of your own problems while I take care of mine.

Amen.

To see another totally epic blog on this subject, click here.

Scooter Out.