The GOP Rush to Deny Coverage of Birth Control
The Republican crusade to limit access to birth control for women across the country took an ugly turn last week. As our Republican colleagues continued their effort to extend the reach of the government into the bedroom, most of them stood silently by while one of their favorite radio personalities launched a despicable, sexually charged attack on a respectable young woman. If this is what passes for family values in Republican circles these days, things in the Grand Ol' Party have indeed come to a sorry pass.
It is a certainty that their efforts, if successful, will have a damaging effect on women's health. Make no mistake -- though the headlines have been about birth control, the issue here is women's health.
Birth control is directly and undeniably related to women's health. Birth control protects women from the risk of bearing children before they are ready. Birth control helps to ensure that women do not bear too many children or bear children too soon after their last pregnancy. Birth control is used to relieve symptoms of endometriosis, regulate a cycle, reduce acne, relieve symptoms of depression, reduce migraines, treat polycystic ovary condition, alleviate anemia, and even reduce the risk of some cancers.
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That is why, at that now infamous Republican hearing on birth control, I asked: "Where are the women?" Women must have a say on policy issues related to their own health. And you know what? I never did get a good answer from them. So I would like to hear from you. Send me your own personal stories of the health consequences of access denied. Send me your own pictures of decision-making bodies, without a single woman on the panel. Send them to me -- at: info@carolynmaloney.com -- and I will send them a message for us all.
And I think I am going to just keep on asking: "Where are the women?" Because I think all of us deserve an answer. Women deserve a place at that table.
