Now that the fig leaf of “religious liberty” has been torn away, the right wing opposition to contraception coverage can be seen for what it is. But the question is, why are conservatives so afraid of free birth control?
The attacks on Planned Parenthood are still technically being justified with glib references to abortion, but the reality—that this is an attack on contraception—is so obvious many anti-choicers are failing to hide it well.
Currently, more than 215 million women around the world want access to quality reproductive health care but don’t have it. Global investment in international reproductive health and voluntary family planning is one of the best ways to save maternal and infant lives, and build sustainable communities. But on a recent trip to Ethiopia, I saw firsthand how limited financial resources, inadequate systems and supply chains, and poor coordination often keep contraceptives from getting into the hands of those who desperately want and need them.
In Maine, family planning providers are concerned about contraceptive and health care access issues already. So a proposed new regulation from the Department of Health and Human Services has them outraged.
McCain would likely continue the Bush administration’s quiet war on contraception; Pro-life pharmacy opens in Virginia, will not dispense birth control; Catholics group explains why they think Obama is the real “pro-life” candidate; Outlook bleak for abortion rights in Northern Ireland; The myth of non-activist justices.
