Pamela Haag has cut to the chase to remind us what lies behind the euphemism of "women's health:"
This is a polemic: Access to birth control isn’t really about my “health.” It’s not principally about the management of ovarian cysts or the regulation of periods.
Birth control isn’t about my health unless by health you mean, my capacity to get it on, to have a happy, joyous sex life that involves an actual male partner. The point of birth control is to have sex that’s recreational and non-procreative. It’s to permit women to exercise their desires without the sword of Damocles of unwanted pregnancy hanging gloomily over their heads.
OK, that's pretty straight-forward. She voices the widespread opinion that sex should be "recreational and non-procreative," which even many Christians believe. While a wide swath of Americans live as though this is their creed, she explains that there is a massive pretence to which we're obligated to pay lip service, which is why politicians have to refer to "health" and "personal freedom."
But the truth is that when our children have been given information at school about how to have "safe sex," and when "sex workers" are provided with contraception and abortion by government agencies with no worry about their safety or well-being, and the FCC has no problem with the vulgarity that passes for advertising and entertainment, the bulk of policy makers are obviously on the side of Ms Haag.
And yet, the thought of rolling back any of these policies which undermine the dignity of the human person is anathema to so many, because of the simple truth: there is a "larger population of unexceptional, consensual examples of women who get pregnant or use birth control because they want to have sex."
Well then, thanks for reminding us. And at this point, the arguments concerning sexually transmitted diseases, the broken families, the shredded teenagers, eating disorders, children having children, the suicide rates, domestic violence, drug-addicts, drop-outs, femininisation of poverty and even the related explosion of breast cancer incidents doesn't matter. They just want to have sex!
Ok, now you've been told -- and there's not a hint of irony over the fact that the "oppression of women" before the 1960's was nothing compared to how they're being used and abused now. But what does that matter as long as they can flaunt their inner sex kitten with abandon--and for free!
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