The "War on Women"

WARNING:I am very passionate about this, and get a bit... explicit at times. Please read only if you arent too squeamish (Sorry hubs. I dont think you would like to read this one).

Lately, I've been hearing a lot about a so called "war on women." I have a varied group of friends, all with different beliefs on religions, politics, and many, MANY other topics. Lately, I keep seeing links to articles on how Planned Parenthood is losing its funding, and how this is an outrage to women. What I don't understand is how exactly this is to be taken as a move AGAINST WOMEN. I can understand how it can be seen as a war on the poor, or a war even against minorities (who tend to make up a big percentage of the under privileged and poor, but even THAT is a stretch). I do not see how Planned Parenthood losing funding from the government is an attack on women.

First off, men go to Planned Parenthood too. They are an organization that provides condoms, STD and pregnancy testing for those who do not have insurance, cant afford to see a regular doctor, and even sometimes for those who are scared to go to their regular doctor, because they are scared of their parents finding out, or their spouse finding out etc. Planned Parenthood does not exist purely for women. They are an organization that came about to provide sex education and sexual health care for EVERYONE.

My other problem with Planned Parenthood, and everyone saying it's a war on women, is that in reality, their sex education is possibly the WORST I have seen. For instance, a representative from their office told my high school health class that is was VERY possible to contract STDs from a swimming pool, a toilet seat, etc. I checked with a doctor. NOT TRUE. Personally, I wouldn't feel safe putting MY health into the hands of people who teach this. Not to mention they were on my college campus telling us that abortions are perfectly safe and even HEALTHY for women. Last I checked, abortions are NOT healthy for women. They shove a foreign object, not just in a woman's "vaginal canal" but through her cervix and then rip out pieces of a dead baby (or fetus if you would prefer to make the whole process more humane and less humane all at once). Then, you have to worry about infections, because lets face it, even in a hospital or doctors office, no matter how clean and wonderful, there is ALWAYS a chance of contracting some form of infection from bacteria etc.

Then I go and see a Mirena ad on tv

Did anyone else catch the parts where is says "Mirena may attach to the Uteran wall"??? Or the part where it mentions that if you happen to get pregnant while on Mirena, that pregnancy could be life threatening? And let's not forget the cysts they mention...

Sure, all forms of birth control has risks. I was on the pill for a while, and I do understand those risks. I did not when I first went on, but as time went on I started to learn more about the risks of birth control in general. They all mess with your bodies hormones, even if only temporarily. Personally, I don't think birth control is right for me after I've done more reading on it. But I'm not gonna tell others they can't use it. I think, like Paul tells us in Romans 14, we shouldn't argue over the non-essential issues. The essential issue is that we believe in one God, and that Jesus died for our sins. Whether we believe using birth control is a sin or not is a completely separate issue and not one that I'm trying to get into today. I accept everyone whether they choose to use it or not.

Watching this, I have to wonder if the war on women is the hullabaloo going on with religious organizations not wanting to provide birth control coverage for the patients. Or is it that we are expected to be on birth control? Is the real war on women something that has been going on not since the days of patriarchy, but rather since the days of the birth control pill? Women are putting these harmful chemicals and pieces of plastic into their body, all for the sake of "independence" and "freedom" and the ability to "control" their own futures. Yet, when you read the side effects on these things, it seems the only good things about them is their ability to prevent one from being pregnant, and the ability to schedule vacations around your cycle.

Personally, I feel the health risks of something like Mirena seem a bit too high to warrant using it. Not to mention it sounds uncomfortable. Especially if it were to "fall out." I think THIS is what women should be worried about, the health risks surrounding the use of birth control. NOT whether or not a religious organization is providing birth control for its workers.