They Are Coming For Our Birth Control!
March 20, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
We received this from Stop Patriarchy and are reposting it because we believe it would be of interest to our readers.
We are engaged in a war here in this very country. Women’s rights are undergoing a multipronged attack every day. Much of this war is right out in the open as our politicians publicly dehumanize women, call them nothing but “hosts” to fetuses, claim that some rape may be illegitimate, and that pregnancy from rape is a “gift from god.”
None of this is getting the attention—or the widespread opposition—it deserves. Most people have no idea how extreme the attacks on women's right to abortion are, how many clinics are actually closing, how many new restrictions and hurdles are being slammed into place. At the same time, most people do not understand that this fight is not only about abortion; it is about all access to reproductive freedom for women.
To date, there have been 92 cases filed challenging the federal government’s rule that requires health plans to cover contraception without a co-pay. These cases claim that providing contraceptives at all is an infringement on religious liberty. 80 of these cases are still pending. 33 cases were brought by non-profit organizations and 44 of the cases were brought by for-profit organizations.
The Obama administration has already accommodated non-profits with religious objections to covering contraceptives. They made a rule designed to ensure employees will receive contraception coverage but that the employer with religious objections will not bear the cost or otherwise have any connection with the coverage. Several non-profit organizations are challenging even this accommodation. There are 36 non-profit cases currently pending.
In addition, about 42 of the total cases while pending have an injunction which allows the organization not to comply with the rule to cover contraception for its employees. The cases can be pending indefinitely.
The fight over contraception coverage is just one example of how women are being attacked on all fronts. Not only do these enemies of women want to obliterate a woman’s right to choose, they want to strip away their right to obtain safe and reliable contraception. Religious fanatics, our own government and society as a whole are trying to force women back into a position where they are solely breeders. While it is true that birth control can still be purchased by women on their own, the fact is that female contraception is very expensive and requires prescriptions; it is not as easy as walking into a 7-Eleven and buying a package of condoms. Many women in this country are impoverished and just trying to survive on a daily basis, easy access to birth control is essential, especially since sex education is extremely poor throughout our educational system and religious ideologies are emphasized instead. The fact also is that no employer has the right to force their personal beliefs onto their employees; that is not religious freedom. The assault on women’s contraception coverage and on access to abortions and their link to religious ideologies is completely outrageous. It is not about protecting someone’s right to practice the religion of their choosing, it is not about protecting babies, it is 100% about control over women, dictating their role in society and how they should use their bodies. Denying women the right to contraception and denying them the right to abortion go hand in hand in controlling a woman’s sexuality and her position in society. These two unceasing assaults run parallel to the overall rape culture within this society. Women are constantly shamed, humiliated, violated and dictated to. Our government is siding with women haters who want to control and subjugate women, which in turn is reinforcing a culture that is increasingly more violent and intolerant towards women. While the Obama administration is going to great lengths to appease the religious fanatics and women haters, it is doing nothing in ensuring that women have full control over their bodies, their lives and that they are entirely free human beings.
When will the restrictions, humiliation and inequality end? The truth is it will not end; it will only get much worse unless there is a mass uprising in defiance to this extreme war on women going on in this country. The enemies of women will not stop unless women lose all power, control and freedom over their own bodies and their own lives. The blatant, the subtle and the hidden attacks on women are not ceasing, they aren’t even letting up, they are progressing and it is up to everyone to pay attention, to make an effort and to take action to put an end to this war before the casualties increase.
If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.