There's a lot of heat surrounding contraceptives these days. And I don't mean that in a fun, sexual way.
A woman's right to use birth control is being contested everywhere from FOX to The Baltimore Sun. The big debate isn't as much about the women's reproductive rights themselves, as it is about why women aren't being consulted. Most news outlets, it seems, prefer to interview men.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2006-2008, 99% of women who have had sex have used some form of birth control. Where are these women now when lawmakers are having a conversation about restricting our reproductive freedom?
Interestingly, CNN states "thousands" of women have been writing letters, leaving phone messages and sending emails to share their opinions. CNN is actually wondering why men aren't doing the same.
Which is it? Are we hearing from men and women equally? If not, which side is actually being under-represented? It seems it depends on where you get your news.
I understand those who have religious beliefs that prohibit birth control, but I also can read a statistic like the one from CDC and know that, religious belief or not, couples are making choices to prevent pregnancies. And, as many women will point out, not every woman taking a birth control pill does it for pregnancy prevention. Some women take them for PMS symptoms that are unbearable, some women take them to regulate their cycle so they can GET pregnant, some women take them to help prevent other health problems.
Don't let the few decide what's right for you or your family. The government shouldn't be making this decision for us. Thousands of women raising their voices aren't enough when there are over 150 million women in the country. If this conversation is as male dominated as some news outlets lead a reader to believe, then we as women need to stand up. Our opinions are just as important as the ones expressed by men being interviewed by mainstream media. Make yours heard.
No comments:
Post a Comment