Back in 2013, pro-choice progressives were singing the tune to
make prescription birth control available over-the-counter (OTC). Now, for political reasons, these Democrats
are changing their tune.
If you’re one of the 10-million women in America who uses the
pill, the prospect is nothing short of life-changing. Going to the doctor to refill the pill every
month or even a couple times a year is annoying and time-consuming. According to many doctors, it’s unnecessary. The pill is safe to take without a
prescription. “So why can’t we have
this, when the public and the medical establishment both think it’s a great
idea?” asked progressive journalist Amanda Marcotte (two years ago).
Just last year, far-left women’s groups – Planned Parenthood and
Emily’s List – also thought making birth control available OTC was a great
idea. And according to a Reason-Rupe
poll, so do 70% of Americans.
Well, in an uncanny and highly unusual turn of events, Republican lawmakers
in Washington actually listened. Just last
week, legislators introduced a bill that would encourage drug companies to
apply to sell contraceptives without a prescription. But if Republican Senators Cory Gardner (CO)
and Kelly Ayotte (NH), along with four other GOP senators, were expecting
flowers from Planned Parenthood and others for their bill, the Allowing Greater Access to Safe and
Effective Contraception Act, they should brace for disappointment. Suddenly, the idea doesn’t sound so great, and
the former supporters aren’t mincing words.
Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards said the bill is a “sham
and an insult to women.” Karen Middleton
of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado even got personal, saying, “Cory Gardner can’t be
trusted when it comes to Colorado women and their health care.”
Why the about-face? Well,
the story the libs are going with is that the bill will actually make the pill
more expensive once it’s no longer prescription (and therefore not covered by
insurance) … which would be a fair point if it were true.
An op-ed by Planned Parenthood’s Jennifer Frizzell said women
would be “forced to pay several hundred dollars more out of pocket each year”
and “pay twice for their birth control – first they’ll pay for insurance
coverage that includes birth control coverage, and then they’ll pay out of
pocket for it, too.”
Of course, some women would rather not pay as much as $300 in
monthly premiums for Obamacare when they can buy birth control a la carte from
$10-30 a month. But more importantly,
there’s nothing in the Gardner-Ayotte bill that says all forms of birth control
must be made available OTC. Some may
remain prescription only. Furthermore,
the Obama Administration already mandates that Plan B, emergency contraception
that is OTC, be covered by insurance, and it could require the same of birth
control.
Sen. Ayotte said, “Those who are falsely saying our legislation
would eliminate insurance coverage apparently haven’t read the bill – nothing
in our bill changes current insurance coverage for contraceptives or prevents
insurance companies from continuing to cover contraceptive costs.”
Beneath the fear-mongering lies, the more likely reason for the
change of heart on the left is simply because the bill was introduced by the
wrong party. If Democrats concede this
issue to Republicans, they lose a major battlefield in their “war on women”
narrative. For years, pro-choice groups
have been peddling the charge that Republicans are against access to birth
control. But it’s utterly (and provably)
false.
For one, Gardner and Ayotte are not the first Republicans to
champion OTC birth control. Gov. Bobby
Jindal introduced the idea in 2012. For
another, last year Gallup found that a whopping 88% of Republicans find birth
control to be morally acceptable. To put
this into greater perspective, more Republicans are okay with birth control
than Democrats are okay with gay or lesbian relations (71%) or abortion (59%).
But rather than do the right thing for women, progressives are
putting politics before women’s health. One
hopes that when they actually read the bill, Planned Parenthood and others will
change their tune. More likely, they’ll
just come up with another reason to say “no” to something women want, but that
they alone want to take credit for.
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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