Contraception critics out of control

Say what you want about President Obama, but he at least kept one of his promises to the American people.

Throughout his 2008 campaign he promised change, perhaps more than was feasible. I will agree the state of the nation doesn't feel very different four years later, but it would have been impossible for him to accomplish all he set out to do with the checks and balances within our government.

Yet, I am proud to say he succeeded in his promise to offer birth control to all American women, whether they can afford it or not.

While the law — which requires insurance companies to foot the bill for birth control starting April 1 — may be old news, the opposition to the law is frequenting news headlines across the U.S.

If you haven't been keeping up on this topic lately, check out the Saturday Night Live skit from Feb. 18 with Amy Poehler. For me, it's a good summation of the feelings of those who support contraceptive rights and free birth control.

Not only do I strongly disagree with right wing opinions on this issue, but also how Republican representatives handled themselves in arguing against the law.

Republicans have recently tried and failed to make an amendment to the law, which would allow companies and insurers to opt out due to moral or religious objections. The Blunt Amendment — named after the Republication senator from Missouri with the same name — was killed in a narrow Senate vote, 51-48.

Insurance companies try to get around paying out to their customers whenever possible, and this amendment would only give them another excuse not to pay out. Of course they don't want to foot the bill for everyone's birth control, so why not say it's against their morals as a way out? The same goes for companies that provide insurance for employees. While their intentions may be good in providing health insurance, they are still trying to pay as little as possible and could also cite religion or moral objection to save a few bucks.

I think it's important for elected representatives to remember why they're there: To represent the American people. Most polls reveal the majority of Americans support the use of contraceptives. A CBS News/New York Times poll taken in February found that 61 percent favor the recent law.

There should not be such a strong resistance to something the American people want.

Not only are Republican politicians fighting against the law, but they're also bashing their political opponents and insulting women in the process. It's one thing to say you don't believe in contraception — which is ludicrous to me — but don't act like you're a saint and start insulting all women who have sex.

Perhaps the worst move made by Republicans was holding a birth control policy hearing without any women present. Who better to decide the rights of women than men, right?

The Democrats even hosted their own unoffical hearing after being angered by the lack of sufficient representation at the initial hearing, only to have their request to broadcast the event denied by the House recording studio. I think Republicans may be narrowly focused on the religious aspect of the first amendment and forgotten  about free speech and free press.

Republicans are also saying Obama is against religious freedom because of this law. This law is in no way infringing on religious rights. America makes it a priority to protect religious freedom, but at the same time we cannot make laws surrounding religion.

Laws are created for the good of the people. Not everyone is going to agree, but that's the beauty of a democracy. The people have spoken, the law has passed, so quit fighting so hard against it.

I'm not saying "vote for Obama because he gave us free birth control." I just don't see any reason for there to be such a large level of objection against a law that will do so much good. It shouldn't matter what your party affiliation is, this law makes sense and gives women the right to make decisions regarding their own bodies without having to think about money as a factor.

Follow Badger on Twitter @megbadger

or e-mail her at stylus@brockport.edu