I am not a woman, but I know women; as co-workers and superiors, as friends, as acquaintances, and as family and the love of my life and future mother of my children. They are people I know in this rough-tossed world, and that is ultimately what matters; that women are people. They need and want the same things as the other half of the human species.
That's why as a guy, I'm ashamed that a male-majority on the Supreme Court of the United States has effectively ruled against the health and well-being of millions of American women in their most recent decision in the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. The matter at stake is whether a for-profit business must provide no-cost access to contraception for female employees, as per Federal mandate, with Hobby Lobby in opposition based on "religious freedom". A 5-4 split decision from the Supreme Court has upheld this opposition, permitting employers to deny coverage of female contraceptives if they claim objections on religious grounds. A crock and a lie, says I, and I will get to why shortly, but first the more pressing matter.
That this ruling is shameful to anyone who cares about the health and welfare of women should come as no surprise. What is surprising is how widespread the misconception of the various functions and uses of birth control are, particularly among men. Various forms of contraceptives play important roles in daily health, not just strict regulation of reproduction. One need look no further than the condition known as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal imbalance that causes irregular menstrual cycles. This can lead to depression, weight-gain, and most striking, fertility problems due to the uterus line not permitting any fertilized eggs to implant properly. In the case of the latter, proper use of birth control can regulate a woman's cycle, thus improving fertility. Not only does it serve a daily health use, it is also a potential aide to conception, not necessarily a preventative. As with any medicine, it is in how you use it. Also note a key symptom of PCOS; the uterus wall prevents fertilized eggs from implanting. Remember this, as it will be important soon.
The Intrauterine Device (IUD) is another contentious form of birth control that Hobby Lobby and supporters object to. It is a small strip inserted into the uterus that prevents pregnancy by killing sperm and preventing fertilized eggs from implanting on the uterus wall by keeping the lining thin. It also regulates the woman's monthly cycle, similar to the pill form. It's main advantage is long-term protection against pregnancy that is also reversible, simply by having a doctor remove the device.
Remember that symptom of PCOS, where the uterine line prevents fertilized eggs from implanting? That is what happens with the IUD, and as mentioned before, promoting a thicker uterine lining by regulating the cycle is what the birth control pill helps with. Thus any and all objections to the IUD on the grounds that it causes thin uterine linings should thus support treatment of PCOS symptoms; ie., birth control pills.
But now, that complicates the issue, doesn't it? Different forms of birth control affect different aspects of a woman's reproductive system, and vicariously her entire body's health. And it is important that we acknowledge this complexity. Because by acknowledging it, we must then accept one important fact:
A woman's health decisions
are none
of an employer's
business.
It's not their body they're making decisions about, it's not their life they're judging; it's someone else's, who may have vastly different medical needs than them.
Let me offer a basic scenario: a business offers health benefits, but denies their employees any and all prescription drugs, because it is possible to abuse them and become addicted. Shocking proposition? But there is no difference between this hypothetical and the actual position of Hobby Lobby and like-minded businesses; they are forcing a blanket denial to half their workforce because of very specific potential abuses. In so doing they throw the baby out with the bath water and send the message to their female workers that their health is not important, that they do not matter, that they are not people.
If you also happen to believe in a woman's right to choose when and how her body becomes pregnant, that she has the right to choose when to take on that task and that the adult thing to do is to allow people to make their own decisions, then the religious freedom argument is truly indefensible.
Your religious beliefs do not trump the health needs of other people. Never.
But it gets even better when you remember also that at no point in this entire debate, at no previous time did Hobby Lobby have anything to say about male forms of contraceptives. Indeed, their health benefits still cover vasectomies, a notably permanent method of rendering a man infertile. Why do men get to choose when and how they regulate their ability to reproduce, but women do not?
That is why the "religious freedom" argument is a crock and a lie. In the end it all comes back to controlling women. Controlling their bodies, their life choices, and punishing those who dare to choose differently, while men enjoy complete freedom.
As a man, I urge other men to look into the medical needs and concerns of women. You share so many aspects of your life with them, it is only right that you do so. And when you do, take that to heart and consider what you stand for, and what you should stand for. Ultimately, it's your decision. Take that as your first clue.
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