What do you think about the “War on Women”?
There are so many different places to take this. I think at a very basic level it’s about how we’re socialized to think about sex. Which is very interesting if you have the desire or time to get into the history of sexuality. If we’re talking about birth control specifically, it’s often seen as a women’s issue. Women get the pap, they obtain and pay for the prescriptions, they put the hormones into their bodies, but men are benefitting here just as much as women are if we look at the effectiveness of other forms of birth control. The truth is there is no hormonal option out there for men right now like there is for women. If there was, what would the argument look like? I do think that a lot of the problem weighs in the fact that men don’t have to think about hormonal contraceptives like women do, at least not in the same sense, and I think that they should be thinking about it. If they’re sexually active or plan to be sexually active, the birth control that their partner is on is as much their problem as it is their partners. This doesn’t even get into alternative reasons that women are prescribed birth control that have nothing to do with sex – so it’s sad that they’re getting targeted second hand as well.
I suppose what is most disturbing is that on any given day you can open up your news feed and see news reports of people who wants to change the definition of rape, who want to make it more difficult or more expensive to obtain birth control. We’re cutting funding and we’re attaching a negative stigma to what many women consider very basic health needs. It is deeply disturbing to me that these issues are, for the most part, being handled by men who at least think that they will never be affected by the changes they are proposing.
To me, the war itself is more of an ignorance of what is going on right now in America with sex. We’d rather shove all our shit under the bed then clean up the mess and I think that is where a lot of this is coming from. No matter how sex positive you are, as a reader, as a country we’re still incredibly prudish. When you can’t talk about sex openly and honestly it makes confronting the issues that are related to sexuality that much more difficult.
I guess those are some basic thoughts for you. I try not to get too wrapped up in it because I would lose my mind.
I am an old guy that goes to conservative churches. lol
I think women should use birth control as they choose and paid out of their health insurance. It should be covered by law. Any idea that women should be denied this or have to pay for it is ridiculous.
It seems to be that it is the woman who suffers with unplanned pregnancies. That is ;partly through nature and partly culture.
My wife spent a month in a medical clinic in Pakistan and around 40% of the men were treated for STD. It is not only America. lol Sex seems to be a world wide daily activity.
Being a nice church going old man, I still think our youngsters need to think about the setting in which they will be sexually active. lol
I am not convinced that the freedoms being enjoyed are not going to one day bring unintended consequences.
I agree that we need a full open dialog where there is discussion and not yelling.
frank.
I considered a really long comment in response to this, but I’ll just settle with “I agree”. The subject of women’s is particularly dear to me and it’s handled so poorly because of our beliefs about sex. I’m pretty conservative, but feel we do a disservice when we treat women’s health the way we do. Great post. Worthy of a reblog.
Reblogged this on Honesty and commented:
Excellent post. I’d say more, but the post does it better
from what i’ve read, health insurance companies are happy to pay for birth control because it’s way less than paying for child birth and child care. so i’m wondering just where this war is coming from.
Over here in the UK birth control pills are free, sadly we still have many teenagers that do not use them or use them properly but I would hate to think about the birth rate and abortion rates if they had to pay. The idea in this age any one should tell any other adult what they can and cant do with their body is preposterous, you have to question where is would end. Will all teenage gorls be fitted with chasity belts and the key handed over at the altar. Unfair as this comment may seem it is the woman who has to deal with the consequences of sex. I know there aew men who get trapped by manipulative women and those who would love to be parents but the women says no or even chooses to terminate pregancies. But it is the woman physically who must carry the baby or not as she decides.
Safe sex is all about respect- for yourself, and your partner(s). This alone makes it a gender neutral issue.
http://digitaljournal.com/article/307482
Men’s birth control is on the way! The main complaints I’ve heard so far is “WHA? NEEDLE IN MY PENIS!? NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!”
Otherwise other men who actually read the article are pretty cool with it and would totally do it if its ever approved in America.
Haha, thats right! I hope they hurry it up and get something out there with equal availability.
Completely agree, safe sex is the way forward.. maybe should try tantra massages this is good too..
For a post labelled War on Women, it only touches the surface (I have read various feminist materials), but I respect you not wanting to get too wrapped up in it, and what things you did say that I didn’t know, although it occurs to me that the prudish culture seems to twist into the former.
I suppose you might call me a feminist considering all I’ve read, and all I agree with, including this. The title really does say it all for me, and it’s something I hadn’t really considered. But I’ve been thinking more and more about this, that my mind is addicted to the issue.
So I definitely understand not wanting to get too wrapped up in it, because I am. Oops. Well, it is also something that we should face too I suppose…
I just nominated you for The Versatile Blogger Award check out the post at http://paulaacton.wordpress.com/2012/04/29/my-first-award-41/
I most definitely agree with you.
Personally I think this is a symptom of a larger problem I’m seeing globally where people are getting more ignorant and living in denial and wanting to run away from the realities of life – the end result being that all the noisemakers and elitists who think their view is the only view are emboldened and are pushing their agendas while not enough people stand against them.
We have Arab springs happening where despotism is overthrown, followed not long after by highly conservative and fundamentalists being touted and propped up as the new leaders (which is like trading in one tonne of crap on your shoulders for a possibly worse one) and legislation is being proposed for things like allowing men (and women, we are equal after all!) to have sex with their deceased spouses for a while after and lowering marriage ages and the crap-fest that is flying in America (which has been a bastion in many ways of good, mixed chaos and change) which is also sliding on the slippery slope of idiotically conservative (and I specify because I have no grouse with open-minded and fair conservatives like one of the comments here).
Anyway, I’m going to stop now, because I’m getting too into it and eating into a topic I was going to post on this week!
Nicely written post and nice blog.
Cheers.