South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley went on the few and made the claim that “women don’t care about contraception.” Um, the hell we don’t! I’ve written odes and sonnets to birth control—I care very deeply about birth control. I’d build an altar and worship it daily if I was into that kind of thing. Here’s what Haley said:
HALEY: Women don’t care about contraception, they care about jobs and the economy and raising their families and all those other things–
BEHAR: Well, they care about contraception too.
HALEY: But, that’s not the only thing they care about. The media wants to talk about contraception.
BEHAR: But when someone like Rick Santorum says he’s going to take it away, we care. [Applause]
HALEY: Well, while we care about contraception, let’s be clear. All we’re saying is we don’t want government to mandate when we have to have it or when we don’t. We want to be able to make that decision. We don’t government making that decision for us.
Okay, she got that last part right, we certainly don’t want that. But there’s something that Nikki doesn’t get there is no government mandate that dictates when women have to have birth control or when we don’t. That’s not the concern, though—the concern is that insurances don’t have to cover it. Some officials are trying to make it so that employer can ask for medical proof that you need it for something other than contraceptive. That’s what we care about!
Now, most insurance companies do cover birth control. It’s good economics to do so at no additional cost because it’s good public health policy. But they do not force them down anyone’s throat. If you need or want them you can have them, to insinuate that Obamacare is forcing women on the pill (which might not be a bad thing) is insane.
The fact that Haley brought up the idea that the media just wants to talk about contraception is laughable as well. Studies show that the majority of Americans (all races, genders, religions and political parties) are for a mandate that covers birth control. Of course we want to talk about it—it’s an important issue—but let’s be clear: Haley’s party made it an issue to begin with! You made your bed, Governor, and I hope you have protection when you lay in it.
