Birth Control is a Right, not a Religious Controversy

Recently President Obama and Democrats in Congress have met much controversy over a proposal to broaden the exemption from new rules that require health insurance plans to cover contraceptives for women free of
charge. After protests by Roman Catholic bishops, charities, schools and universities, the White House is considering a change that would grant a broad exemption to health plans sponsored by employers who object to such coverage for moral and religious reasons.

This exemption is inherently flawed and wholly unequal, un-American, and unintelligent.

Representative Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat and leader of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus points out,

“Millions of women work for colleges, hospitals and health care systems that are nominally religious, but these folks use birth control and need coverage.”

Birth control is a civil right. Concerning health care coverage, it is absurd that teeth cleaning and doctors appointments would be covered while birth control might not be. Birth control is a preventive medicine that saves millions of dollars and millions of lives. Woman should not fear pregnancy because of financial limitations. More so, birth control prevents the need for an abortion, an even more controversial topic.

To be blunt, birth control saves America money, and if necessary, abortions do as well. Let’s say a young woman could not afford birth control and could either not afford an abortion or was opposed to getting one. This new child, born into unwelcoming circumstances, would require foster care, welfare, health insurance, education, or might even turn to crime and cost the state prison system money. Comment if you disagree, but I think the government should fully cover the cost of abortion. A hundred dollars for a young woman now could save the millions of dollars it takes to raise even one child.

A child’s life is precious, and there are millions of children without a proper home who should be taken care of and loved. World population is reaching carrying capacity and should emphasize limiting growth rather than glorifying “good Christian” families who have neglected birth control and bring eight new offspring into the world.

Catholics and other religious groups have the constitutional right to practice their religion and to live according to their own moral values. However, they have no right to pressure others to do the same. Law is not governed by religious morality, but by equality and rationality. The right to choose involves equality, because, while a man is physically freed from the bind of paternity, a woman must carry a child for an entire nine months. Women should be free to spare their body from pregnancy if they so wish. If they are against abortion and ascribe a premature fetus personhood, then they have the individual right to choose to carry to term.

Any person who denies someone medical care based on religious reasons is driven not by morality, but by egotism. Religious institutions have no right to control the health care benefits of their employees.

By: Leslie Horwitz

(Photo courtesy of sxc.hu)