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Let's Call Off the 'War on Women'
Detroit News ^ | 10/25/2012 | Lindsey Dodge

Posted on 10/26/2012 8:09:13 AM PDT by MichCapCon

The Life of Julia. The Planned Parenthood v. Susan B. Komen Foundation debacle. Sandra Fluke. Women's health care this year has been depicted as a partisan "war on women," rife with attacks on women's rights.

But let's examine the policy argument behind this suffragette language.

President Barack Obama's current re-election website cites a Planned Parenthood statistic that some women could save $18,000 over a lifetime on birth control thanks to the Affordable Care Act. This has been depicted countless times in popular and social media as "empowerment."

This is patently absurd. If a woman is using the pill — still the most consistently effective and affordable non-permanent option available — for her entire reproductive lifespan, she would be spending about $10 per month for thirty years, which amounts to $3,600.

Free birth control exists already — it's not comparable to cancer treatments or insulin shots. But the use of birth control for endometriosis pain or other ailments was already covered by Catholic universities and others even before the individual mandate — as long as the patient had a doctor's prescription.

What's more, what is "basic" health care to one person — woman or man — is essential health care to someone else. The basic packages required by law are the direct result of special-interest lobbying for contraceptives, dentists, psychotherapy, chiropractors, hair plugs and many different medical needs.

According to the Council for Affordable Health Insurance's 2011 annual report, there are currently over 2,000 "individual mandates" counting those ordered by individual states, and each mandate raises the cost of insurance premiums by the comparative value of the medicine.

A reality check might be the Merck controversy in 2007. This chemical and medical manufacturer lobbied state legislatures so aggressively to require the use of its new cervical cancer vaccine that voters and public health experts began to realize that, hey, this was actually a business trying to sell its drug. Mandating public and private schools inoculate sixth grade girls against a sexually-transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer was neither supported by a cultural crisis nor by escalating levels of cervical cancer among adolescents.

Eventually, people moved on to other concerns, even as the HPV vaccine became mandated in some 41 states. Merck's response to the opposition? "The timing wasn't right."

Mandating at the federal level raises the lobbying stakes and the insurance burden on everyone. If you're insured, you are paying more for the entire package, which must recoup the cost of the mandate. If you are uninsured, the premium will be higher unless you have a voucher. The moral rock upon which these women stand crumbles when you consider the shared financial burden.

And since when did the right for the government to weigh down everyone's health care costs with special-interest mandates become "women's health care?" The National Women's Law Center ranked the health of states for women, and the top killers were the exact same as they were for men. Sedentary living. Obesity. Unhealthy eating. Smoking. Heart disease and diabetes.

That's clearly where the focus should be. Instead, politicians are bickering over $10 birth control available at any Rite Aid.

I understand how the "damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't" cultural standards for women's sexuality can provoke women to say, "There should be a law." But we're putting our faith in a chimera — there's no legislation that could change people's hearts. It's up to women to live their lives with dignity and intelligence, rising above the Todd Akins of the world.

Outsourcing a cultural discontent to the government is a prohibitive proposal in today's economy — and grants power back to an outside authority, which is the precise opposite of what classical feminism is about.


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: gender; women

1 posted on 10/26/2012 8:09:20 AM PDT by MichCapCon
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To: MichCapCon

While we are at, let’s call off the war on WHITE WORKING MALES.


2 posted on 10/26/2012 8:11:25 AM PDT by unixfox (Abolish Slavery, Repeal The 16th Amendment!)
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To: MichCapCon

Democrats have been waging a war on babies for decades!
Do they not understand that babies are a blessing?

Why do they want them all killed?


3 posted on 10/26/2012 8:16:36 AM PDT by DOGHEAD
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To: DOGHEAD

There certainly seems to be a full court press to moderate the GOP.

Meanwhile the democrats continue the race leftward unchecked and are now full on marxists.


4 posted on 10/26/2012 8:20:33 AM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: cripplecreek

Seems almost like Obama and his followers would rather kill babies (Which are blassings from God) more than they would rather kill terrorists. I may be wrong but that sure seems to be the case listening to their campaign.


5 posted on 10/26/2012 8:29:47 AM PDT by DOGHEAD
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To: MichCapCon

But to “them”, killing inconvenient babies qualifies as healthcare.


6 posted on 10/26/2012 8:38:27 AM PDT by JimRed (Excise the cancer before it kills us; feed &water the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS, NOW & FOREVER!)
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To: MichCapCon
Obama's current re-election website cites a Planned Parenthood statistic that some women could save $18,000 over a lifetime on birth control thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

$3,600 for birth control
$2,500 for 5 abortions
$1,000 for medications to alleviate yeast infections caused by the birth control pills.
$10,000 to repair baby-making ability after years of using birth control pills.

For starters. Yeah, their $18,000 may be a correct assessment.

And BO wants us to foot the entire bill.

7 posted on 10/26/2012 8:38:54 AM PDT by Slyfox
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To: MichCapCon

Hmmm—Evidently, the War on Women meme isn’t working out too well for the DemocRATS.


8 posted on 10/26/2012 8:40:04 AM PDT by Arm_Bears (Re-distribute my work ethic, not my wealth.)
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To: unixfox
...WHITE STRAIGHT CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE WORKING MALES.

Small edit for clarity.

9 posted on 10/26/2012 8:41:45 AM PDT by JimRed (Excise the cancer before it kills us; feed &water the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS, NOW & FOREVER!)
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To: MichCapCon

To end this unspeakable War On Women, a war that is based on the despicable act of not providing free contraception for all females across the land, I have selflessly devised an insurance product that will eradicate this horrible stain on America values once and for all.

Protection for Melodramatic Sisters (PMS) is an insurance plan available to every woman in the US. For a mere $50/month, PMS policy-holders can access any pharmacy and receive their free birth control. The pill, IUD, heck, we don’t care if you go through condoms by the pallet... the low, low price of $50 gets you your contraception until it comes out of your ears.

What’s more, with your frequent PMS card, you’ll earn a free procedure of your choice at participating sponsor, Planned Parenthood, every 3 months. What’s not to like about PMS?

But wait, there’s more. For an additional $20/month, you will receive free oil changes for your car. Do you hear what I’m telling you?? Free oil changes. That’s why fully invested PMS members are considered Freshly Lubed and Ready to Go.

Join PMS today. It’s the right thing to do for America.


10 posted on 10/26/2012 8:58:08 AM PDT by headless_thompson_gunner
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To: MichCapCon

war on female infants


11 posted on 10/26/2012 9:04:19 AM PDT by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
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To: unixfox

no, the white male gets to work so all the others can live off the tax dollars he generates


12 posted on 10/26/2012 9:05:08 AM PDT by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
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