Monday, February 13, 2012
Politics Access to contraceptives could make great wedge issue
Posted by Scott Henry @ScottTheHenry on Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 12:30 PM
Amanda Hess, formerly of sister rag Washington City Paper and now at Good magazine, took offense. And found him at least 20 women who've had difficulty affording the pill.
Ninety-nine percent of women have used contraception, but that hasn't stopped far-right critics of the rule from trying to turn birth control into a controversy, one that has intensified in the past week. No one has spun the issue better than Georgia Rep. Tom Price, who claimed that no woman has ever been denied access to birth control because she could not afford it. "Bring me one woman who has been left behind. Bring me one. There’s not one," Price told ThinkProgress when it asked how low-income women could access contraception if it were not insured.Bring you one woman? Let's start with two. We are a couple of white, middle-class magazine editors. We have both had difficulty affording birth control at some point in our lives. And we're not alone. Many women struggle with the cost of birth control—1 in 3 of us, according to a recent Hart survey. Among young women, more than half face prohibitive costs. We know for a fact that it's not just the poorest Americans who are being left behind. The people affected by the high cost of birth control are poor, working class, and middle class. They are us, and they are our partners, too.
By any standard, Republican Price deserves an old-fashioned Ms. magazine-style thump on the head. But what about the guy who bobbled the issue in the first place by issuing rules, then backtracking in the face of controversy?
A New Yawka political blog post quotes President Obama, clearly caught flat-footed, as saying a mandate for employers to provide insurance that gives female employees access to free birth control “shouldn’t be a wedge issue. I certainly never saw it that way.”
Maybe not, but he may as well embrace it as such now. Certainly, the GOP isn't above using wedge issues to divide voters — and, given that women make up at least half the electorate, standing firm on some kind of birth-control mandate actually could be a winner for the Prez.
Oh, and also it's the right thing to do
Comments (32)
Showing 1-32 of 32
I think Tom is referring to his more accessible form of birth control... The single tablet of aspirin held between a woman's knees.
like
dislike
It is a shame that Tom Price's mother didn't have access to birth control when she was growing up.
I wish there was some sorta prevention method that worked on the voices of GA politicians, especially when they are interviewed by National media.
There should be a contraception device for Tom Price's vocal chords.
totally a backfiring wedge issue of the right's creation. when you do nothing but oppose the administration at every step, sometimes you don't look at where you place your foot
what's this? two female GOP senators break ranks with their idiot cohort and sheepishly admit obama might have a point
susan collins said this:
"While I will carefully review the details of the president’s revised proposal, it appears to be a step in the right direction. The administration’s original plan was deeply flawed and clearly would have posed a threat to religious freedom. It presented the Catholic Church with its wide-ranging social, educational, and health care services, and many other faith-based organizations, with an impossible choice between violating their religious beliefs or violating federal regulations. The administration has finally listened to the concerns raised by many and appears to be seeking to avoid the threat to religious liberties posed by its original plan."
she doesn't need to carefully review the details of the current proposal, because it is the exact same as one she proposed in the distant, faraway world of ten years ago.
well, there is one difference between the current bill and the one those same two senators (and four other GOP senators) proposed - the republican one didn't have any religious exemption at all!
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.x…
“Women shouldn’t be held hostage by virtue of where they live,” (Senator Olympia) Snowe told a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing in September of 2001. “It simply is not fair. All we’re saying in this legislation is that if health insurance plans provide coverage for prescription drugs that that coverage has to extend to FDA-approved prescription contraceptives. It’s that simple.”
so what's changed between then and now? back then, republicans could afford to ignore the social conservative minority. but now they are so desperate to defeat obama that they have to cater to religious nuts who somehow think that a theoretical increase of pennies on their insurance plan is the same as Crucifying Jesus Christ Himself
It is possible to conceive with a tablet held between the knees, though a little tricky.
People should pay for their own contraceptives. And don't give me poor, poor, pitiful poor. Life is hard. If you're stupid, it's real hard.
The real wedge issue belongs to the Democrats. Once this entitlement is given, every two years they can trot out, "If you vote for Republicans, they'll take away your free contraceptives." Just like they trot out , "If you vote for Republicans, they'll take away your Medicare."
"Many women struggle with the cost of birth control—1 in 3 of us, according to a recent Hart survey. Among young women, more than half face prohibitive costs. We know for a fact that it's not just the poorest Americans who are being left behind."
What utter bullshit. The cost of contraception is reasonable enough for everyone but the most destitute.
And there's no such thing as free contraceptives. Somebody has to make them, market them, assume the liability. So people need them, so what? People need pants, where's the program for pants? Another "right," created from thin air. Give me the Constitutional basis for Caeser Obammus to create this right and I will eat my words.
Big deal that some Republicans supported this. Republicans are stupid. But Democrats are stupid and dangerous. What's that projected deficit?
"People should pay for their own contraceptives. And don't give me poor, poor, pitiful poor. Life is hard. If you're stupid, it's real hard. "
people should pay for their own healthcare too, right?
"The real wedge issue belongs to the Democrats. Once this entitlement is given, every two years they can trot out, "If you vote for Republicans, they'll take away your free contraceptives." Just like they trot out , "If you vote for Republicans, they'll take away your Medicare."
a huge percentage of health insurance plans already cover contraception, dave. as usual, the point is flying right over your head
this issue is all about whether certain organizations can claim exemption from providing certain kinds of care on moral grounds
"What utter bullshit. The cost of contraception is reasonable enough for everyone but the most destitute."
'the most destitute' is about a third of america these days
guess all those harried women should get a third job if they want to enjoy the luxury of safe sex!
"And there's no such thing as free contraceptives. Somebody has to make them, market them, assume the liability. So people need them, so what? People need pants, where's the program for pants? Another "right," created from thin air. Give me the Constitutional basis for Caeser Obammus to create this right and I will eat my words. "
and now we get to the real meat of the issue: this is just another way to attack obama for doing things that the government naturally does
republicans are so blinded by their hatred of obama that they're willing to cut off their own noses to spite the race
anyway check out the fourteenth amendment. here's a handy link for you so you can remind yourself which one that is
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_Am…
"Big deal that some Republicans supported this. Republicans are stupid. But Democrats are stupid and dangerous. What's that projected deficit?"
is this going to be another molehill issue like light bulbs where you freak out about the erosion of your freedom to be a douche
"'the most destitute' is about a third of america these days"
Your master plan is proceeding apace.
"people should pay for their own healthcare too, right?"
Why, yes.
"a huge percentage of health insurance plans already cover contraception"
In fact, under the health care reform act, you will not be able to buy a plan that doesn't cover it. A mandate to buy what you may not need or want because the wise guys have decided that all plans must cover it. Mandates are one of the reasons costs have exploded.
14th amendment.
No. Equal rights are equal rights, not a basis for a president to invent a right to health care.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2011…
Dave: Also, seriously. WTF is wrong with y'all? Insurers are putting up record profits. Newsflash: you get none of those monies. Your voting record & those records of your like-minded buffoon friends just assures them that they can keep doing that. Since you keep blathering on & on about personal responsibility, Ayn Rand, "I did it for myself!" Life is hard. If you're stupid, it's real hard. blah, blah, blah.
Where the hell did your compassion go?
Also, there's no such thing as free contraception because someone has to *make them* is the most ridiculous argument for your position.
Wait...
is being able to afford the pill and being able to afford birth control the same thing?
Oh....it isn't?
Good luck with that wedge.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/questions/pt_survey_questions/february_2012/questions_contraceptive_mandate_february_6_7_2012
"Your master plan is proceeding apace."
haha yeah i am the socialist plot to destroy america by making sure people have access to health care
real americans die in the gutter, like dogs
"In fact, under the health care reform act, you will not be able to buy a plan that doesn't cover it. A mandate to buy what you may not need or want because the wise guys have decided that all plans must cover it. Mandates are one of the reasons costs have exploded."
in addition to rising costs of provision, greed, market inefficiency, higher rates set on an optimistic view of economic recovery, aging risk pools, etc.
but since you have a pathological hatred of your own government you're going to blame government before you even consider that the market might be fucked up
"No. Equal rights are equal rights, not a basis for a president to invent a right to health care."
take it up with LBJ
in the meantime, those of us firmly grounded in reality are going to be amused by your clownish efforts to equate a slight change in health care policy to Stalinism
The Forbes story about the early merchant marines isn't really relevant to the health care issue at large because the private ships were, in essence, the Navy of the fledgling USA. The public health care system created for them is analogous to the VA, these days.
There is no right to health care in the constitution.
If the health care sector of the economy was structured correctly, compassion could be practiced, and the truly needy could be cared for. As it is, an attempt to legislate compassion, is being attempted, financed by some nebulous rich class or too-profitable corporations or just anybody except the user. You want to practice compassion with someone else's money. That's not compassion. That's redistribution.
"The Forbes story about the early merchant marines isn't really relevant to the health care issue at large because the private ships were, in essence, the Navy of the fledgling USA. The public health care system created for them is analogous to the VA, these days."
haha really? this is the toughest argument you can come up with?
'if we pretend that private sailors were actually in government service, then my argument kinda sorta makes sense if you squint and tilt your head'
at best, the merchant mariners were contractors. there's no 'in essence they were the navy', they were not the navy. do you know what was the navy? the fucking navy
see what happens when a republican comes into collision with facts? the facts must bend and distort until they fit the republican's argument. the argument is not malleable, reality is
"There is no right to health care in the constitution."
there's no right to interstate highways or ICANN in the constitution either
hey dave, newsflash: it's not 1790 anymore. we probably shouldn't read a centuries-old document as a literal guide on how to live in the modern era
"If the health care sector of the economy was structured correctly, compassion could be practiced, and the truly needy could be cared for. As it is, an attempt to legislate compassion, is being attempted, financed by some nebulous rich class or too-profitable corporations or just anybody except the user. You want to practice compassion with someone else's money. That's not compassion. That's redistribution."
here we go, what did i say?
birth control regulation = stalinism
you idiots really need to step up your rhetoric because calling everything a socialist plot gets kind of old fast. or at least it does for those of us with any tolerance of novelty
history: a socialist plot to destroy america
"The merchant marine is a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Navy, but not a uniformed service, except in times of war when, in accordance with the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, mariners are considered military personnel. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law granting veteran status to merchant mariners who served in WWII. Prior to such legislation, they did not receive veteran's benefits."
"birth control regulation = stalinism"
You're not pushing regulation, you're pushing "free" products for all.
The system created for the early merchant marines is still there. Why don't we sign everyone up if it's the same thing as "Obamacare?"
"there's no right to interstate highways or ICANN"
Totally not the same as "free" health care. Talk about bending reality.
"You're not pushing regulation, you're pushing "free" products for all."
actually no
this policy only affects people who receive employer healthcare that does not provide birth control who does not work at a church
that is not everybody dave
"The system created for the early merchant marines is still there. Why don't we sign everyone up if it's the same thing as "Obamacare?"
actually no that system is not still there
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Hospit…
when i say 'you don't know dick about history' the absolute last thing you should do is prove me right
"Totally not the same as "free" health care. Talk about bending reality."
so are you posting just to get the last word or have you somehow tapped into your bottomless well of stupidity to crap out some more worthless posts
So the last hospital was phased out in 2003, so what. The Forbes article this was all about stated "The program eventually became the Public Health Service, a government operated health service that exists to this day under the supervision of the Surgeon General."
Technical KO for you? Whatever.
And the Obama health act mandates contraceptive coverage for all. This church deal is just a warmup for the main event. Besides, none of this goes far enough for you, right? What does Ericcare look like?
since you've admitted defeat i'll indulge you a bit
"And the Obama health act mandates contraceptive coverage for all. This church deal is just a warmup for the main event. Besides, none of this goes far enough for you, right? What does Ericcare look like?"
it looks a lot like the evil socialist kenyan healthcare which is practiced in every civilized country in the world. healthcare which the right has to continually lie about in order to justify the massive payoffs inherent in a frankenstein hybrid public-private system
i just can't understand how the same people who shit themselves screaming about american exceptionalism also claim that our broken system can't be fixed because we are incapable of performing the overhaul
stagnant hypocrites who claim that america is a great nation, richest in the world, which simultaneously can't manage or afford a system like the rest of OCED nations. instead we get this goofy gold-plated policy which fucks over most of the citizens
http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/411947_us…
"While the evidence base is incomplete and suffers from other limitations, it does not provide support for the oft-repeated claim that the “U.S. health care is the best in the
world.” In fact, there is no hard evidence that identifies particular areas in which U.S. health care quality is truly exceptional."
and yet 60% of bankruptcies are medical-related! the US is the only first-world nation which even tolerates the concept of medical bankruptcy!
"Instead, the picture that emerges from the information available on technical quality and related aspects of health system performance is a mixed bag, with the United States doing relatively well in some areas — such as cancer care — and less well in others — such as mortality from conditions amenable to prevention and treatment."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/23/…
"In 2007, health spending was $7,290 per person in the United States, more than double that of any other country in the survey.
Australians spent $3,357, Canadians $3,895, Germans $3,588, the Netherlands $3,837 and Britons spent $2,992 per capita on health in 2007. New Zealand spent the least at $2,454.
This is a big rise from the Fund's last similar survey, in 2007, which found Americans spent $6,697 per capita on healthcare in 2005.
"We rank last on safety and do poorly on several dimensions of quality," Schoen told reporters. "We do particularly poorly on going without care because of cost. And we also do surprisingly poorly on access to primary care and after-hours care."
and we actually end up spending MORE taxpayer money on our broken-ass system than the socialist nations do!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/20…
government expenditure as a percent of GDP in 2006:
Canada: 10%
Cuba: 7.7%
France: 11%
GB: 8.2%
USA: 15.3 mother fucking percent of our GDP!!!
you really have to be a dog-eared moron to prefer the status quo in american healthcare, because the only way you can pretend that our system is the best is if you're rich as shit or dishonest as shit
I never said keep the status quo. I just don't think a government run system is the way to go. There are plenty of fixes to be made, mostly undoing what politicians have done over the last sixty years.
The Merchant Marine system became the Public Health Service so your "victory" isn't much of one. I was right. You were right. If you want to feel like you defeated me because there is no hospital people can go to under it's auspices, go ahead.
"I never said keep the status quo. I just don't think a government run system is the way to go. "
of course you don't. you've repeatedly asserted this fact in the face of all evidence to the contrary. this belief is the core of your being. we are all very aware that you don't think the government can do any good whatsoever, even though medical experts and policy makers around the world disagree with your provincial and ignorant opinion
"The Merchant Marine system became the Public Health Service so your "victory" isn't much of one. I was right. You were right. If you want to feel like you defeated me because there is no hospital people can go to under it's auspices, go ahead."
i'm very amused that this is what you're reduced to arguing
you're not even trying to argue in favor of your interpretation of the constitution anymore. no, it's just me bashing you over historical trivia and you responding with semantics
now that obama's made an exemption for religious institutions, i don't see the issue. being jewish, there are a lot of things that most people do that we are bound not to do— eat pork, shave our sideburns, etc., so i can understand the catholic situation. but now that the situation has been rectified with an exemption for those hospitals, it is a good plan— those who need birth control should have it available to them— and those who find it abhorrent don't have to distribute it.
"we are all very aware that you don't think the government can do any good whatsoever"
Psychic Eric. Do you have a sign in front of your house with a palm on it?
I criticize the state of academia. I HATE EDUCATION!
I criticize government policies. I HATE GOVERNMENT!
"those who need birth control should have it available to them— and those who find it abhorrent don't have to distribute it."
Not quite true. Catholic institutions still have to pay premiums to the insurance companies which are now required to give "free" contraception and morning-after pills to employees of those institutions.
It's available to anyone. People just want somebody else to pay for it. How about eyeglasses? Hair transplants? Liposuction?
"Do you have a sign in front of your house with a palm on it?"
well i just followed the subtle clues, like when you said 'i don't think a government run healthcare system is the way to go' after i hit you with a bunch of numbers demonstrating that our largely-private system is overly expensive for the results
"Catholic institutions still have to pay premiums to the insurance companies which are now required to give "free" contraception and morning-after pills to employees of those institutions."
many of them did so before the mandate so i don't know what you're whining about
anyway catholics have a religious principle against USING birth control. nobody's forcing them to use it. what we are forcing them to do is offer it as part of a healthcare plan, which non-catholics might be party to
you'd be hard pressed to say that god would be upset with catholics for offering birth control as part of a healthcare policy
oh also justice scalia, that liberal activist fuck, has ruled that religious principles are not sufficient to avoid following the law
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/hist…
"We have never held that an individual's religious beliefs excuse him from compliance with an otherwise valid law prohibiting conduct that the State is free to regulate. On the contrary, the record of more than a century of our free exercise jurisprudence contradicts that proposition."
"our largely-private system is overly expensive for the results"
after decades of government intrusion.
"many of them did so before the mandate so i don't know what you're whining about"
Not whining, just pointing out to the dude how The Bamster snookered everybody with the phony compromise. I have no particular sympathy for Catholics. I like asking my Catholic friends to explain transubstantiation and watching them squirm. At least you get to drink wine when you're a kid. Their contraceptive policy is ridiculous, though it should remain their right to believe it and not to pay for it.
This contraception issue is illustrative of where we wind up when we go down the road of government mandating health care policy for all. What will Scalia say about whether "Obamacare" is a valid law or not? Oral arguments in March.
"after decades of government intrusion."
this is a silly line of argument when you consistently refuse to grapple with the fact that the united states has the least amount of government intervention in healthcare and yet has the highest healthcare expenditures in the first world
"This contraception issue is illustrative of where we wind up when we go down the road of government mandating health care policy for all."
it ends up working out well for everyone. you continually ignore this fact so you can continue to lie to yourself about how independent you are
really the only way your "government intrusion raises prices of US healthcare" argument has any validity is if the US government is uniquely inept and incapable of writing sound policy
which might actually be a fair characterization considering that one whole wing of the government has a major investment in proving how terrible government is and trying to sabotage and dismantle government
Yep, that Forbes article is totally irrelevant to the issue at hand. Just like Dred Scott was irrelevant to everybody except Dred Scott & the second amendment was only relevant to militias.
You're right, there is no phrasing in the constitution that deals specifically with healthcare, but your inability to see the big picture or precedent is the problem here.
It seems it is in the best interest of the government of a country to assist in ensuring the health and well-being of its populace, isn't it? For its future success? Kind of a no-brainer.
lmao conservatives basically just hate sex or generally enjoying being alive
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/02/14/c…
As usual, Eric Pfeifer demonstrates how someone can be so full of shit yet be under the delusion that he's thinking clearly.
"As usual, Eric Pfeifer demonstrates how someone can be so full of shit yet be under the delusion that he's thinking clearly."
i didn't get a valentine's day card from you. i thought you were my secret admirer?
Latest in Fresh Loaf
-
Time and Place: Read between the lines
To me this photo is about doing your own thing and following your own path in life.
-
Vernon Jones wants to return to the Gold Dome and other interesting qualification tidbits 1
Qualifying period ends, dust settles, campaigns begin
-
Suspects in Pittsburgh gay bashing slated to go to trial Tuesday
The men accused of beating Brandon White in Southwest Atlanta already headed to court
- More »
More by Author
-
Scary suburban theocrats aim to embarrass Atlanta 17
Two suburban right-fringe fundamentalists have crazy plan to distribute nutty American Patriot's Bible
-
Changing how we drink 10
Happy hour and distance requirements are on the table in booze code rewrite
- More »
