So yet another fight regarding birth control and places of work is underway.
The argument is, for-Profit companies right to opt out of coverage of birth control for religious reasons. To me, the answer seems simple, but there are many points of view.
Here is mine:
We tend to swing the "freedom of religion" hammer with a great deal of frequency... and we should. It is one of the wonderful things that makes the United States of America, "The United States of America". But what I find really interesting about the constitutional right, is that it seems to be extremely one-sided, at least for certain groups of people. Freedom of religion means exactly that, the freedom to practice (or not practice) whatever religion you feel speaks to you. Just because you are my boss, does not mean I am supposed to believe what you believe and vice versa so why is it ok to impose your beliefs just because you are "the boss"? Now on the face of this question, the answer seems to be, because "I am the boss". But that is not how the cookie crumbles. Denying someone access to something that is essential in family planning for many men and women in this country is in fact DENYING A FREEDOM.
Let's face it, whether people want to believe it or not, this is all about birth control pills and IUD's (condoms are an over the counter purchase at CVS) so yeah, folks, you're keying in on the ladies! What is it about women's abilities to think for themselves that has people so frustrated. Why is it that when a woman decides she wants to control what's happening with her body, it makes people's blood boil? We constantly are telling our boys, wrap it up, be responsible, but it is a distinctly different message for my fellow sisters. Folks, women AND men are having sex.... you aren't going to stop it.
Right about now, some of you are saying, oh, she is a Godless, ULTRA liberal woman, who needs to be saved. Quite the contrary, my FAITH is very strong, however, I am NOT religious and those are two EXTREMELY DIFFERENT THINGS (but that's a subject for a different post). My stance comes from understanding that what I believe does not have to be imposed on my friends or my family, let alone my co-worker's. I am not their judge, nor are they mine... that's for a HIGHER BEING. A women's ability to control certain aspects of her life are exactly that... HER's. Stop trying to make everyone fit into your perfect box that fits on your perfect shelf, next to your perfect beliefs. Birth control coverage is JUST as important as prescription medication for diabetes, a heart condition or anything to do with our health.
This is not about encouraging promiscuity which is the other religious argument (people were having sex before the pill and will continue to do so), this is about allowing women to make decisions for themselves. After I reached a certain age, one thing I always knew when it came to my mom and dad (both God-Loving individuals), was that they always, ALWAYS supported me in whatever decisions I chose. That doesn't mean they always agreed with my decisions, but their mantra was simple: Give me their honest opinion, lay out whatever facts they had and allow me to make my own choice. Whatever happened would happen, but they would at least know I was armed with knowledge to make my OWN decisions and in turn deal with whatever the outcome would be. If my mom and dad didn't make decisions for me, you, as my boss or the company I work for, certainly shouldn't be either.
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