Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2012)
Street roots Feb. 17. 2012 Women want health care, not politics David Greenberg, Ph.D., is the president and CEO o f Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette BY D AVID GREENBERG lawmakers, of which 135 were enacted. This was a 75 percent increase over 2009. We are wo weeks ago, we witnessed what now witnessing a campaign against women’s happens when politics is placed ahead health waged under a politicized banner of of health care. “religious freedom” . The Susan G . Komen for the Cure Most Americans believe that access to Foundation allowed right-wing bullies to birth control is a basic human right. influence its decision to withdraw funding for Contraceptive use is nearly universal in the breast screening services at Planned United States, with 99 percent of all sexually Parenthood. Women all over the country were experienced women and 98 percent of outraged. More Americans rallied behind sexually experienced Catholic women using Planned Parenthood than at any point in our birth control at some point in their lives. The organization’s 100-year history. Thankfully, typical woman spends 30 years trying not to Komen reversed its decision. get pregnant. Last week, led by a carefully coordinated This is a commonsense issue for women — plan developed by Roman Catholic bishops, but not for anti-birth control politicians or the the political attacks on women’s health care Catholic bishops. And it’s also an issue of continued. The Obama administration had social justice. The cost of birth control is one decided to include birth control as a part of reason poor women are more than three basic, preventive health care meaning that times as likely to end up pregnant contraceptives would have to be made unintentionally as more affluent women. available to women through their employers’ The Affordable Care Act already included a health insurance plans, without co-pays or comprehensive refusal provision: 335,000 deductibles. Under pressure from the churches and church associations nationwide bishops, former White House senior adviser are exempt. What’s at the heart of the David Axelrod first suggested that President current political battle is the Catholic- Obama might reverse his decision to ensure affiliated health care system, where one in six that all women, regardless of their employer, Americans go for health care, and hundreds have access to birth control. And then the of thousands of workers are employed. These President announced that his administration systems receive hundreds of millions of public would make an “accommodation” permitting dollars every year for providing health employees whose employers refuse to cover services, and they should not be allowed to birth control to still receive contraceptives. refuse services to their own employees, or He proposed doing this through insurance any patient who may or may not share their plans in what are called “side benefits” religious beliefs. covered by the insurance companies rather Efforts to protect birth control coverage than the employer. are about the nurses, secretaries, janitorial Several bills were introduced in Congress staff and other employees of all faiths who that would prevent women from getting free work at universities and hospitals, and don’t birth control, not just from religious want to lose their benefits. People don’t want organizations, but also from any employer employers cherry-picking what’s covered by that didn’t want to provide this coverage. The their health insurance. Rubio-Manchin Bill would even overturn This benefit would not require that anyone Oregon’s 2009 Access to Birth Control Act personally dispense or use birth control. that requires Oregon’s insurance plans to Many Catholic-affiliated hospitals and cover contraceptives. universities already provide contraceptive Confused? That’s what happens when we coverage to their employees. And religiously- mix politics and religion with health care. affiliated insurance companies such as With all the problems facing us, it is Providence Health Plan do include puzzling that access to life-saving cancer contraceptive coverage in many of their screening and birth control are occupying so insurance plans. These institutions are in line much of our attention. 2011 saw a record with their supporters, because 58 percent of number of attacks on reproductive health Catholics believe that employers should be care, with more than 1,100 bills introduced by C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T T The Face of Youth Being Arrested in D.C. By Mike Hastie You wonder where it is all leading to. You wonder how much longer the Police State is going to get away with beaten by the previous generation of Americans who said they loved me. That political incest betrayal took me to a padded cell nine years after I got back everything. The innocence of youth in America is getting more and more disillusioned from Vietnam. When I went back to Vietnam in 1994 to make amends to the Vietnamese people, with the future of their lives. Eventually, that innocent face will turn to hopeless resentments that will no I found my soul again. I followed my path, and it led to the truth. I was born in America, but my heart is longer trust any generation that came before them. “The Road,” is becoming more traveled. America has become the thousand Vietnamese. The youth in America will have to find their way back home, and that path will force them to become a citizen of the world. It is the last thing the political elite in America yard stare. The U .S . Propaganda State has become high on everything. The most profound realization I had when I came back from Vietnam, was that I was the enemy in Vietnam. I was still young then, but that innocent face I took to Vietnam was battered and want them to discover. Betrayal is like having a lifelong mentor turn on you and become your worst enemy. That enemy still lives inside of you, and in order to survive, you have to outgrow the lies that once defined your life. Photo by Mike Hastie, taken at a demonstration near The White House. required to cover contraception at no cost to the employee. It’s simple: All women should have access to free contraception no matter where they work or whether they work at all. This common sense and popular idea means that millions of women who would otherwise pay $15 to $50 a month will have access to affordable birth control, saving them hundreds of dollars each year while allowing them to plan their families. T ills Is a commoasease Issue In our lo r wontea — bat aot lo r anti* community Planned b irth control politicians or Parenthood serves the Catholic bishops, t a i I l ?s 60,000 patients also an issue ©I social each year with justice« The cost o i b irth annual exams, pap tests, breast exams control Is one reason poor and other life women are more than three saving cancer screening services, times as llfeely I® end up pregnant unintentionally as counseling, birth control, testing and more affluent women. treatment for STDs, vasectomy and early abortion care. Most patients coming to our 11 health centers receive services at no charge, and we have sliding-scale discounts for everyone. A full list of services and health center locations are available at www.ppcw. org or by calling (503) 788-7273. The Obama accommodation announced last week seemed like a good compromise. Women will get birth control, and the Church- affiliated hospitals and universities won’t have to pay for it. But the struggle to provide basic, preventive health care for women isn’t over. Some members of Congress, most Republican presidential candidates and the Catholic bishops are still trying to take away contraceptives from women. In our community, people don’t want politics or religion getting in the way of health care. For women everywhere, birth control is basic health care. It shouldn’t be attacked. And just like cancer screening, it shouldn’t be politicized.
