If contraception is seen as preventive medicine it could be free under the new health care law...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101031/ap_on_he_me/us_birth_control
I think this is very positive step for reproductive rights and choice. The invention of the birth control pill has greatly changed what it is like to be a woman, and this could continue the change in the right direction. Something to keep your eyes open for in the coming year.
11/2/10
I was thinking more about this idea and there could be a downside. If free birth control is available it could be used to control who is allowed to have children. If it went from not just the pill but things such as birth control shots or IUDs and women are forced to receive shots or these devices in order to receive other help. Just a thought...
Wouldn't it be great if this became law? I think it has the potential to make the abortion debate a moot point in the political arena - no unwanted pregnancy = no need for abortion. Of course there will still be the people who think women who are raped and become pregnant should not be allowed to have an abortion, but I think that the majority of people do not agree with this way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteComment on 11/2 post:
ReplyDeleteIt's true that once a law is made about regulating a woman's body, it can go either way. The right to life group wants to control women's bodies by not allowing them to choose abortion. Who is to say a different policy might not come into play, forcing women to have abortions as part of government policy (as happened in China)? Do we conclude that government must never be able to control anyone's body - male or female - ever? Is controlling a body different from offering free birth control when requested by a woman?