This International Women's Day: The War on Women
Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 10:32AM
This International Women’s Day is a blog series featuring the opinions of BTCC advocacy interns and staff related to women’s rights in the US and around the world.
By Susie Robertson, BTCC Intern
This International Women’s Day, I want to talk about one issue that has been on my mind. Last week, the Senate effectively killed the Blunt Amendment, a piece of legislation created in response to the Department of Health and Human Services’ contraceptive care mandate. The amendment would have allowed employers to opt out of covering any health services that are contrary to their beliefs. This was a small victory in what feels like a rising “war on women.” I do not support any attack on women’s access to contraception, but what upsets me most about this controversy is the sudden resurgence of hateful, misogynistic language.
When Rush Limbaugh used the term “slut” to describe the Georgetown Law Student who recently testified before Congress on the issue of contraceptive coverage, I was both offended and concerned. It scares me that that type of language still has a place in our political discourse. That type of stigmatization of female sexuality is not only outdated, it is flat out wrong.
As disgusting as Limbaugh’s comments were, overt sexism is not the only issue at play. Women themselves have wavered in their unconditional support for birth control. The arguments in defense of contraceptive coverage have focused largely on the alternative uses for the therapy, such as treating ovarian cysts and regulating hormonal disorders. Even Sandra Fluke, who has become a symbol of the female side to the argument focused primarily on these alternative uses in her testimony before Congress. These types of conditions are important reasons for the affordability and availability of birth control, but focusing on them seems to imply that there is something wrong with using contraceptive to prevent pregnancy. Taking control over your reproductive health and engaging in consensual sex responsibly does not make you a “slut,” and no woman should apologize for using birth control.
Access to family planning and quality healthcare are the most effective tools to empower women. Today, trafficking and exploitation of women are at disturbingly high levels and women across the globe face the threat of violence everyday. The current attack on women’s health in America is yet another obstacle in addressing this problem. The more we limit access to birth control, the more vulnerable women around world become. As the international community confronts the crisis of women’s rights, family planning and sexual health needs to be part of the discussion.
That is why this International Women’s Day, I want all women to be proudly demand control over our own reproductive health. To paraphrase one of this year’s best movies about strong women, I want to say something to every woman out there: You are kind, you are smart, you are important and you are not a “slut.”
Reader Comments (2)
We all accept that now we are encountering practically in all spheres of life the war. The war on women.. In this war, leaders who are women are publicly demeaned and diminished based on the fact that they are women. They are the object of sexual slurs, and insulted in sexual terms.
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