Now here's a sensible solution.
http://thefederalist.com/2014/07/01/otc-birth-control-your-body-your-choice-your-responsibility/
OTC Birth Control: Your Body, Your Choice, Your Responsibility
JULY 1, 2014 By Ben Domenech
Yesterday’s narrow Hobby Lobby decision shows why the culture war isn’t over – it’s just getting started. The reality is that in the absence of the ability to compel employers to pay for things over their religious objections, and at a time when covering 16 forms of birth control out of 20 is culturally insufficient, the Obama administration will be more than happy to turn to the traditional method of the left: skipping the middle man of the employer and just handing people other people’s money.
So because some people cannot be compelled to pay for their employee’s IUDs, Plan B, and Ella, everyone will be compelled to pay for it. It renders the whole argument over deeply held religious beliefs a cute sideshow: if employers can’t be forced to pay for it, all taxpayers will. Congratulations on retaining your personal image of faithfulness while sticking the rest of us with the bill.
That’s one of the reasons why support for making birth control available over the counter is rising on the right and the left. There are a number of objections to this, but I find them to largely amount to unconvincing paternalism. The chief argument advanced is that standard oral contraceptives mess with hormones and have all sorts of side effects. This is, of course, true! But: dangerous side effects are rampant within all sorts of other over the counter drugs. Women can think for themselves and make decisions with their doctor and pharmacist about what drugs they want to take – and the evidence shows they are good at self-screening. In fact, it would actually increase the ability to mitigate and respond to unanticipated side effects, since changing tracks will no longer require a doctor’s visit and getting a new prescription. Assuming that women won’t or can’t take responsibility for themselves to consult with a doctor unless required to by arbitrary government policy is absurd.
It’s obvious why libertarians like the idea of OTC birth control. Conservatives should like it because it removes the responsibility for redistributive payment from themselves while demonstrating that yes, they really aren’t about banning things or preventing access to birth control. And liberals should like it because it will lower the drop-out rate, which is currently largely driven by the requirement to re-up the prescription as much as every few months. The American College of OB-GYNs supports it, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Colorado Rep. Cory Gardner support it, most of the world already has it, and making it official policy would lower prices, lower health care costs, and make consumers more cost conscious. All of these are good things.
Now, some liberals won’t be satisfied by this OTC solution in the absence of the overall contraception mandate, because it would only address the challenge with oral contraceptives, not IUDs. In her dissent, Justice Ginsberg pointed out the high cost of IUDs as reason why employers need to cover the cost. But I suspect that making a policy change which addresses concerns about contraception’s availability for the vast majority of people will really take the energy out of that push, just as an honest case against Hobby Lobby (that they just didn’t want to pay for things that can prevent the implantation of a living embryo – two morning after pills and two implants – versus preventing the creation of that embryo in the first place) would’ve aroused a far less aggressive opposition to their stance. I think those on the left who prioritize this issue know this, too.
Social conservatives who can see the writing on the wall with the over the counter availability of Plan B – a supercharged version of the low-dose contraceptive hormone, now available via vending machines on college campuses, and which sexually active teenagers (which is to say: teenagers) are already using as an abortifacient substitute for the daily pill – should know that they’re not going to get this horse back in the barn. The question becomes whether you will have to pay for other people’s choices in violation of your religious beliefs. Here, I think the OTC solution is not just viable, but leads people to the logical conclusion they ought to have about birth control policy: your body, your choice, your responsibility. People don’t naturally assume that over the counter drugs should be available for free: they think they should be able to buy them.
I’d encourage social conservatives who oppose this idea to rethink their opposition. Otherwise, birth control and abortifacients are simply going to become the name we give to the things we choose to buy together.
Posts by JeffT
-
89US Supreme Court: Hobby Lobby wins we lose
by designs inthe old guys sided with hobby lobby today in denying birth control coverage to its female employees based on the owners religious views.
intact- is viagra for the guys.
funny how the far right evangelical owners of hobby lobby didn't want to touch that one.... read judge ginburg's scathing counter argument and opinion.. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/13-354_olp1.pdf.
-
-
JeffT
-
89
US Supreme Court: Hobby Lobby wins we lose
by designs inthe old guys sided with hobby lobby today in denying birth control coverage to its female employees based on the owners religious views.
intact- is viagra for the guys.
funny how the far right evangelical owners of hobby lobby didn't want to touch that one.... read judge ginburg's scathing counter argument and opinion.. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/13-354_olp1.pdf.
-
-
JeffT
Here's a question: Do you believe that women are capable of managing their own lives without the intervention of somebody else (the government, their employer or whatever) to manage it for them?
-
89
US Supreme Court: Hobby Lobby wins we lose
by designs inthe old guys sided with hobby lobby today in denying birth control coverage to its female employees based on the owners religious views.
intact- is viagra for the guys.
funny how the far right evangelical owners of hobby lobby didn't want to touch that one.... read judge ginburg's scathing counter argument and opinion.. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/13-354_olp1.pdf.
-
-
JeffT
If the government thinks everybody should have birth control, the governemnt should provide it. Some time back during the Obamacare debates I reversed my position on all of this. We need a single-payer system. If society wants to accept the idea that everybody is entitled to something, that cost should be borne by everyone, not a few (like employers).
-
19
A Warning for anyone with Fibromyalgia or CFS
by LisaRose ini had been hearing about a food supplement that has shown to be a promising therapy for fibromyalgia or chronic fatique syndrome, a food supplement called d ribose.
i tried it and was impressed with the results, so i have been taking it for the last three months.
unfortunately during this time i have also had intestinal issues, which have gotten progressively worse, to the point it was debilitating, also nausea, dizziness and a mild headache.
-
-
JeffT
This is a warning to everybody that takes supplements. Just because something is natural and/or organic or whatever doesn't mean its free of side effects. I take a few things myself, but I've researched them thoroughly before doing so.
-
25
Another PR / marketing website for a JW international convention - this time Seattle
by sir82 inhere is the link: http://seattledelegates.org/.
i would guess this is the wave of the future.
a secondary channel of business revenue for the wts - compensation for recommending restaurants, tours, etc.
-
-
JeffT
WTF does this mean:
Evening Program
Your evening program of entertainment and association will be held at either the Renaissance Hotel or the Bell Harbor Conference Center at Pier 66. Buses will take you to the program. See your itinerary for the place, date and time.
It's on the website. I've never heard of such a thing.
I live in the Seattle area, I suspect traffic around this is going to be a mess. 300,000 people heading for Gas Works Park for the fireworks show won't help.
-
95
The Ravings of Trolls Distracts FOCUS From Real Watchtower Scandals
by cofty inmy thread was inspired by gentledawn's insightful comment about the effect the events in wales had on her jw husband.... hope any lurkers out there can filter out the signal (storys and experiences like this) to noise (the current trolls running amok on the forums) ratios.
this the problem with those who focus on outrageous fantasies about the watchtower.
it distracts from the real issues that need to be highlighted.. what happened in wales was for real.
-
-
JeffT
Points well made Cofty. Unfortunately this thread seems to be proof of the problem of noise to signal ratio on these forums sometimes.
-
24
What would the ideal racial demographic be for the Governing Body?
by LogCon inthe number of white men on the governing body has often come up for discussion.
the negro member has been called the 'token black.
' no reflection on his race, but it just seems odd that with the great number of witnesses around the world, in such a variety of countries, that every member, but one, is white.. in your opinion, [with 8 as the target number].
-
-
JeffT
I'd prefer that they all be invisible.
-
28
I Am Celebrating 6 Months' Sobriety Today
by agonus inyay for me!.
please take a minute to visit my blog and leave your comments: benpogge.blogspot.com.
have a good one!.
-
-
JeffT
Congratulations! Six months is a milestone. I will hit nine years at the end of August, they've been the best years of my life.
-
101
org is dying
by lambsbottom ini don't understand why so many ex jws and faders think that the jws will continue to grow and thrive as a religion.
i still attend a meeting once a week and you can smell the death of the religion creeping up when you hear the talks, read the study wts and hear the letters from the gb.
the way the organization has changed is a sign that it reached its peak (in "healthy" membership) long ago.
-
-
JeffT
I've been in my current home, a condo in a well developed and growing part of town, for seven years. I've been retired and mostly at home for the last five. I have NEVER been contacted here by JW's. I'm thiry miles and 25 years away from my disassociation so I'm sure they have no idea that there's an apostate here. I lived in a rural area outside the city outside the city for about 8 years starting in the mid 90's. We were contacted at least three times there. Clearly preaching is not being pursued the way it was.
I don't know if the org will die, there will always be some sheep needing direction. But something serious will have to change if it is going to regain the fire they had when I joined during the run up to 1975.
-
52
400 Million Atoms Know What to do at the same time
by seekchristonly init's claimed it takes 400 million atoms to become a single strand of dna.
how do the atoms know.
3. what order.
-
-
JeffT
How did my wife's car know to get a flat tire? She took it into Les Schawb and they told her she needed new tires. If she had not gotten that flat should would be driving across the state on the old ones. LORDY, its a miracle!
/sarcasm off/