It’s long been said that birth control is a woman’s issue.
Abortion is a woman’s issue, and family planning, well that too is a woman’s
issue. The burden of unwanted pregnancy and child rearing has one too many
times fallen directly in the lap of all women across the world. Political
parties have squabbled over how to or not to pay for family planning benefits
for years. Politicians have run campaigns using the controversial subject of
abortion and birth control to sway voters left or right in the direction needed
for those extra votes more times in recent years than ever before. The latest
attack comes directly from the GOP on birth control. The idea that the government should take away
the funding to help provide contraception to woman is feather ruffling to say
the least , but in The
Smirking Chimp blog posted by Joshua Holland on Monday March 20th,
he takes the upset to an entirely different level.
Joshua makes the point that not only does this attack effect
woman but the men in their lives as well. Although I greatly disagree with some
of his points and the way they are presented he has some meat behind his point
of this not only being a “woman’s issue” anymore. From a man’s point of view according to Holland, birth
control helps men have more sex, WHAT? Although I am appalled by his brass
statement and twist of the issues I believe men would certainly prefer for a
woman to “handle” the contraceptive portion of the relationship and disengage
from all responsibility. Therefore one could conclude that the absence of
availability of birth control due to funding issues and GOP smear campaign
toward responsible women who choose to practice sex using oral contraceptives, would
mean men would be less fortunate in their pursuits.
He points to the economic benefits of
birth control and quotes the Annie
Lowery from the New York Times indicating studies that had shown that
allowing women to access to the pill has helped women invest in their futures
and careers by delaying unwanted pregnancies and giving them time to grow and
better educate themselves. I absolutely agree with Holland on this matter, I
would even go as far to say I agree with his next point on how it also furthers
the career path of young men.
Holland and I don’t see eye to eye on
most of his delivery but we definitely agree this is a universal issue and that
men and women alike should be in an uproar about the GOP’s attacks and the
following it has engaged against birth control and family planning funding from
the government. We agree that it isn’t
just a religious issue and that the entire movement is merely one more way for
the right-winged government, I hate eating these words as a die hard Republican,
to control another piece of society.
Unfortunately they are seeing the dollar signs they are saving in the
budget and not seeing the back street abortions, the over populated low income
areas and the malnourished, abused and abandoned children as the final result
that will come from taking away the programs and options given to women to help
prevent these things.
Yes, your right people can argue that
abstinence is always the best option but honestly it’s not the most realistic
one.
political cartoon image provided by: http://www.theipinionsjournal.com/
political cartoon image provided by: http://www.theipinionsjournal.com/
