You Can't Be Pro-Life AND Anti-Women's Healthcare

(Photo courtesy of Flickr.)

Abortion has become an issue fraught with venom. People who are against the medical procedure moralize and want to penalize abortion providers, as well as those who have the procedure.  On the other side, Americans who want to continue to allow this Constitutionally protected procedure find themselves demonized by the right.

One would think we have no alternative to abortion for preventing pregnancy.

Aha!  Birth control is a reliable way to prevent pregnancy, but it also has come under the scrutiny of the right.  Historically, the Catholic Church opposed ANY use of birth control. In modern times however, even the Church has taken a less rigid stance, choosing instead to just keep mum.

At the heart of the issue today are the ultra right wing Christian corporatists, who view it as their right to dictate what treatments can be covered by insurance.  Apparently, by virtue of employing you, the Hobby Lobby lobby feels entitled to make your reproductive health choices for you.

Meanwhile, affordable, accessible birth control becomes more and more a thing of the past for some women.  In rural east Texas for example, the right wing 'minding-your-business-for-you' faction has shuttered every single provider of reproductive health services for low-income women, just because SOME of the services they provide relate to abortion.  What about cancer screenings?  What about pre-natal care?  What about a place to pick up free condoms, for that matter?

Places that allowed themselves to moralize away health care for women are likely to see huge increases in their state budget in the coming years. It is also likely they will be unhappy with the consequences of their own actions.  

Funds will be needed for:

• Additional pre-natal care, and labor and delivery costs;
• Feeding additional kids and larger families;
• Welfare programs, in lieu of significant improvement of employment opportunities;
• Child care for the lucky women who manage to get a minimum wage job, since she won't be able to pay the bill;
• Public education, and more schools and teachers; and
• Health care for children.

All of these areas will become more urgent as some states come face to face with their decision to make women’s health care unavailable to millions.  Women with advanced breast and cervical cancer diagnoses will come to the state for help, too late in receiving a diagnosis to make treatment affordable or effective. Advanced disease is very costly to care for, as common sense tells us.

States who failed women are going to see what their actions have brought to bear.  Failing to care for women is mean and unforgivable….and it will end up blowing budgets in many states across America.

It's a fact: