As we all know, the Republican party prides itself on being all for small government. I'm calling bullshit. Why? Because they've made it perfectly clear this week that they want control over the uterus.
Presidential candidate Ron Paul said in an interview that "If it's an honest rape, that individual should go immediately to the emergency room, I would give them a shot of estrogen." Granted, this is more than I assume the other Republican candidates would "allow," but still. Honest rape?! I have no words. Lastly, for a doctor, he's pretty behind on his knowledge of contraception.
President Obama recently announced plans to ensure that birth control is covered with no co-pay by insurance plans. According to good old Mitt Romney, this is an assault on religion. The talking point of the right is that Catholic employers would have to pay for birth control when they are against it.I think Adam Lee of bigthink.com said it best: "This is the same thing as pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control pills: they interpret "religious freedom" not to mean, "I will not use birth control because my religion says it's not OK", but to mean, "I will not allow you to use birth control because my religion says it's not OK". They've twisted a person's individual right to abide by whatever beliefs they see fit into an aggressive demand to control the behavior of others."
The Diane Rehm show discussed this today. One of her panelists mentioned that IUDs have abortive-like qualities. I'm hearing that more and more lately. It's starting to make me feel like I'm in some reproductive dystopia where no contraception is allowed because it's ALL abortion!! I brought this up on a feminist LDS Facebook group I am in, and here is one of the comments I liked: "This kind of language is largely a "scare tactic" to exercise influence on women's health care choices. Especially since lots of other conditions can make the uterus less habitable for a fertilized egg looking to implant, like caffeine consumption. But nobody is running around telling ladies that their diet cokes have abortive-like qualities."
Between everything mentioned above, the Planned Parenthood funding issues, and the various "personhood" laws coming through state legislatures, I feel like the Republican party could use a new slogan: We're for small government, except when it comes to your uterus.
3 comments:
Megan,
"Republicans: We're for small government, except when it comes to your uterus."
I want this on a bumper sticker!
And you are so spot on.
"Honest rape" is the most disgusting combination of words I have ever read. There is nothing honest about the act of rape, and the phrasing makes the victim the suspect.
I totally agree that the cry for small government is bullshit, particularly when it comes to how people live their personal lives. Many conservatives want no intervention in matters that clearly affect the greater public, but are willing to dictate private behavior. ew.
As for the Catholic church having a religious problem with being required to fund birth control, I say there are lots of people who have been funding all kinds of things they don't agree with. I don't particularly like tanks, but my tax dollars certainly fund the military industrial complex. And what about people who are pacifists on religious grounds?
(BTW - Hi, I'm Lindsay :) I'm friends w/Miri and I found your blog through hers.)
Amen to both of these comments, and amen to your post, Megan! There have been so many posts and articles this past week about how the GOP is obviously stuck in the 1950s, and mostly I'm just glad that others have said it so I don't feel so desperate to point it out myself.
"Many conservatives want no intervention in matters that clearly affect the greater public, but are willing to dictate private behavior." Lindsay, that is exactly it. Exactly. I can't even digest that kind of hypocrisy!
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