Why The Pill Matters

Once again, Beacon Broadside has hit on an issue that hits a hot topic for me: the issue of female contraception. As you may have heard in the news, the Bush administration is seeking to redefine abortion as occuring with the termination of life at any point from possible conception up to birth. This would make The Pill and its use illegal under the law, taking away a woman's right to contraception under the Supreme Court's Griswold v Connecticut decision, further cemented by Roe v Wade. The only means of contraception that I can see being legal under the Bush guidelines would be barrier or rhythm methods - both of which are a great deal less effective than female oral contraceptives and both of which take much of the power of contraception away from women. This would be a huge step back in women's rights, not to mention privacy rights.

As you know if you have read my blog for any length of time, I am not a fan of the Bush administration. The godforsaken war, the economy - any number of decisions they have made which have affected me directly or indirectly have really rubbed me the wrong way. But this one - this one would have a very direct impact on me and the women around me. Yes, I have just turned forty but I am technically still fertile. I am also one of those women for whom pregnancy would be potentially life-threatening. I must be able to have a means of reliable contraception at hand, and this proposed redefinition would affect me personally.

Women who have chosen careers before or after childbearing are also directly impacted by this redefinition. There are even commercials on television touting five-year contraceptive devices for women who want to control their family size. What would become of them?

This holier-than-thou president really needs to stop meddling in affairs he does not understand and leave things at a status quo. He's done enough damage as it is; please leave us with some measure of dignity, privacy and control. Our future depends on it.

Comments

[Ann]

Preach it!

[John Crovis]

It will never happen. Just the fact that our current commander-and-thief is even consider something that asinine may be cause for alarm under different circumstances... At this point, it would not happen. How am I so sure? Well, he's a lame-duck president (formally just lame), alienated the majority of his own supporters, and has become an embarrassment to his own party. Any Republican who stands with him on any issue right now will feel the sting on election day. He has no pull to pass anything more than gas in the privacy of his own home. Now, if McCain wins and utters something similar to Bush's proposal, then we should worry. So vote Obama, m'kay? :-) Namaste.