Good sex ed and access to birth control: a value, not a debate
by Morra Aarons Mele

Today is the 42nd anniversary of the legalization of birth control in America. And while 81% of voters (see link below), male, female, red state or blue state believe in access to birth control and medically accurate sex education in public schools, listening to the leaders of this country you'd think sometimes most Americans think sex is a crime and birth control should be outlawed. Why? The agenda of a few radical activists seems to have corroded the brains of many politicians in Washington, DC.

At a briefing today to command support for the the bipartisan Prevention First Act

(that would require health plans, including Medicaid, to offer the same level of coverage for contraceptives as for other prescription drugs and services. It would also mandate comprehensive sex education in schools and access to emergency contraception for rape victims and is in front of the House now) women's rights leaders shared

incredulity that polls show most Americans believe access to birth control is a basic human right and a normal value, because since the 1980's, public policy would indicate otherwise. Recently, the Bush administration has poured billions into funding "abstinence only education," which doesn't work, while cutting family planning funding.

With huge respect to the feminist icons who helped bring us what rights we have today, why are you so incredulous? Maybe it's because these leaders are all of a certain age. Ask younger women who've come of sexual age in an increasingly conservative nation, and I don't think they'd be so shocked. Rather, many young year old women are just used to shelling out big bucks for the pill, or praying they won't need emergency contraception or an abortion...if they even know it's available, since there is so little money spent on awareness.

Eleanor Smeal and her comrades fought, then enjoyed a brief period in which Americans' values about sexuality were vaguely in line with politicians. Not so any more.

Dr. Susan Wood, who became a hero to many sane people when she resigned as assistant commissioner for women’s health at the Food and Drug Administration to protest the FDA’s politically-driven "foot-dragging in approving emergency contraception, said most people were surprised when they learn that policymakers are opposed to birth control. “Then they become outraged,” she said.

That's why the Prevention First Act matters: it funds better education and access to birth control for all Americans. This reduces the need for abortions. Please keep tabs on this bill, contact your leaders if relevant.

From the press release:

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), chair of the House Committee on Rules and a pro-choice champion, noted that conservatives are undermining Americans’ access to family planning information and services through “conscience clauses” that allow pharmacies to refuse to dispense contraceptives; funding for abstinence-only sex education; and opposition to emergency contraceptives and stem cell research. Many insurance companies do not cover the costs of family planning, she said, causing great hardship to poor women.

Links to polling: www.BirthControlWatch.org: According to the BirthControlWatch.org poll, between half of voters and six in ten strongly agree that to achieve equality women must have access to birth control, that health insurance plans that cover prescription drugs should also cover birth control, and that the federal government should provide funding for birth control for women with low incomes.

Submitted by Morra Aarons Mele (view blog) on Thu, 06/07/2007 - 16:54

Comments

 

Yes! But the can of worms gets bigger.

Hey Morra,

Thank you for pointing out these important issues. I'm a big believer in "knowledge is power". And I also believe the older feminists that fought hard to get us the rights we enjoy today are starting to "age out". That is why it is our responsibility (as the next generation of concerned women's rights advocates) to step up and make some noise about issues we don't agree with: Birth control, wage gap, pro choice rights, etc. And it's critical we educate as many other women as possible. So kudos to you for doing your part!

My reply to your post addresses two thoughts: One, the importance of keeping up on women's rights that are being threatened (which seems like way more than birth control these days, doesn't it? Friggin' Dub'ya), and two, another example of pro choice rights being threatened.

Keeping up on where we stand:

I don't consider myself a radical feminist. I'm just an all American chick who had been totally caught up in my personal world of business, family, friends, bills, parenting, and trying to lose 20 pounds, when one day I realized that I knew more about Paris Hilton's issues than I did women's issues. I realized I was really out-of-touch with where women's issues/rights stood. I suppose most feminsts would have graded me a D-.

So now I do what I can to educate myself and the "Average Jane" chicks on key issues by interviewing experts on important topics (Title IX, women in politics, health, etc.) and then I share what I learn with other women through a variety of mediums.

Unfortunately a majority of women in our country are NOT up on women's issues. I wish they'd all visit BlogHer! I was at a bbq last weekend and asked the adults how many people knew about the current issues surrounding Title IX. No one raised their hand. And these people are educated professionals, and all have kids in school.

So, I applaud your efforts. It's an education effort and the more women out there "spreading the word" about important topics, the better.

And just as important, any of you out there that is an expert in a certain area (on ANY topic) and/or in a leadership position, do public speaking and try to get in the media. That's critical to keeping the women's momentum moving and raising the volume.

I interviewed Marie C. Wilson yesterday for my podcast, and she is the President of The White House Project (.org), co-founder of SheSource.org and former Director of the Ms. Foundation. She is one of THE big mamas in the world of women's rights. And Marie told me that, on average, only 14% of people interviewed as "experts" on the Sunday morning news and political shows are women, and around 85% of the quoted experts in the media are men. So women NEED to get out in the media more and "show" their leadership. This motivates other women!

Another Pro Choice Issue Threatened:

One addition I wanted to make to your point about birth control is the latest fiasco our servicewomen are victims of. Many of your readers may not be aware of this. It's bad enough our gals are being killed at war (along with our guys), but now they are being denied emergency birth control and/or it is totally delayed in being available to them, even in the cases of rape. And, sadly, the number of sexual assault cases (our male soldiers raping our female soldiers) is pretty damn high.

For any of you interested in learning about this issue, it's called the The Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act. And back in 2002 the Department of Defense itself had approved providing female troops with access to emergency contraception but President Bush’s political appointees overruled their decision a few weeks later without explanation. And now, big shock, it’s still being fought in the red tape of Washington. In the meantime, our servicewomen are the ones suffering because of this reversal in policy.

You can read more details about it on the Democrats.org website or www.naral.org

Anyway, I'll shut-up now. Thanks for your hard work getting the "word out" on important topics. Keep it up!

Cheers to Chicks!
Lisa

Lisa Orrell
Chief Chick of Chickonomics
Chickonomics Blog & Podcast at:
www.Chickonomics.com

Submitted by ChiefChick on Thu, 06/07/2007 - 17:37
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