Why does Congress want to take away easy access to birth control for poor women?

Question

Even though the majority of Americans believe birth control should be easily accessible, the costs of birth control is sky rocketing. Why? The soaring costs are the result of an obscure provision in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 that stripped away a long standing incentive encouraging drug companies to provide steeply discounted birth control to certain low-cost health-care providers. The law took effect in January, 2007, forcing many health clinics across the country to ratchet up their prices. Some temporarily defrayed costs by stockpiling drugs before the law took effect, but those reserves are rapidly depleting.

In every year he has held office, Bush has sought to freeze Title X funding, which pays basic operating costs at more than 4,500 family planning clinics serving millions of low-income women. In fact, taking inflation into account, Title X funding is now 61 percent lower than it was in 1980.

How does restricting birth control for poor women help our society?

Sticker Shock
http://www.msmagazine.com/summer2007/stickerShock.asp

Still, with a majority of federal lawmakers opposed to access to full reproductive health care, and a president who bends to the will of antichoice leaders, progress is slowgoing, says Mary Jane Gallagher, president of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association. She notes the huge disconnect between a vast majority of voters who support unfettered access to birth control, and their government representatives who are unduly influenced by a small but powerful faction of conservatives.

“We’re not there yet,” Gallagher says. “Clearly, the conservative right made some serious inroads into policymakers and so it’s not going to happen overnight.”

Answer 1

Christian agenda. Ever notice how condom commercials can't promote its birth control benefits, only its STD prevention. Or have you ever noticed how commercial for the BIRTH CONTROL PILL never talk about its birth control benefits, but only about its affect on your periods, moods, and acne.

There's an agenda out there to stop all birth control methods, listen to right wing pro-life politicians more closely, not only do they talk about getting rid of abortion but there's also hints of getting rid of all birth control as well.

Answer 2

I don't know why we would do this. In fact, i'd go so far as to say we should encourage poor women to be on birth control.

I havent received my grant to conduct the research I'd like on the subject, but I believe that a financial incentive should be paid to women to be on some verifiable form of birtch control. It would be cheaper than wasting an education and all those free school lunches on some kid who will likely end up making more uneducated and poor children.

I think we have way too many people on this planet as it is; we certainly don't need any more dumb ones.

Answer 3

This is a traditional stance of the Republican party. (Why do they call it a party? It's no fun.) They cut programs that aid the least powerful among us and support corporate welfare (as in bailing out the credit unions.) I believe that the Repugnant--whoops, I mean Republican--Party has courted the right wing conservative religious and their huge "flock" so that they get their votes and can tout this as their support of "family." Truly they could care less about "family" unless the family is rich and doesn't need any kind of government help. They want to outlaw abortion and restrict access to birth control. This puts low income women in double trouble and makes no sense at all.

And yet low income people will vote Republican because of their stance on abortion.

Also the Republicans will try to personally villify Democrats in office, example, White water investigation that costs 40 million dollars, destroyed several lives and turned up nothing incriminating against the Clintons. (Notice there's no reference being made to that fiasco by the Republicans this go 'round.) And nobody seems to get this! They also villify the lower income, men, women and children, and hold them up to ridicule and demeaning suggestions--wouldn't work if they had to.

Us poor people need to wake up. Vote Democrat if you need the help of your fellow Americans.

Answer 4

The morning after pill ruffled feathers. You also have the influence of Catholics who oppose birth control period. Bush and the GOP were obliged to throw a bone to the base. If McCain wins, he stands a good chance of having a veto proof Democratic majority in Congress. They might rememdy the situation whether he likes it or not.

Answer 5

My guess is that they want to get these women married before anything else. Without birth control, they might expect these women to get knocked up and have a shotgun marriage.

I don't care how immoral premarital sex might be to some people — almost everyone will need birth control at some point, and unless the government wants to pay for extra babies, they ought to be the ones providing it.

Answer 6

This isn't about controlling personal behavior or morality. The real reason Congress wants to take away easy access to birth control for poor women is so they have more children to grow up in poverty so they become future cannon fodder or slave wage earners. The rich people may start wars but they sure aren't sacrificing their own family members to them nor are they taking the low paying, miserable working condition jobs either.

Answer 7

i would like to make a few points.

1. to the poster that cited our country's deficit? sure, we're in debt, but if we don't support birth control for lower income women we will be faced with bigger hurdles up the road. if a woman can't afford birth control, she certainly cannot afford health care if she gets pregnant, and may be forced to rely on medicaid. who do you think pays for that?

2. poor or lower income does NOT mean uneducated or stupid. personally, i have learned not to equate intelligence with income. if that was the case, why is George Bush so stupid? He is certainly rich and "educated". i am not rich, my family is making it day by day. my boyfriend and i work hard and use all of our resources to raise our son. i'm not on welfare because we don't need it and i don't want to bother with the process. however, i do have my son on medicaid and i am not ashamed of it at all! i work, but don't have affordable access to health care for him. i am not on any kind of health care plan myself.
we are smart people. granted, we're both still in college, but do you think we can afford health care? please! health care, as well as birth control is ridiculously priced and very hard to obtain.

so to answer your question wiswas, it does not help our society at all; it hurts it tremendously. but you know that and you're not the problem.

Answer 8

The U.S.A. has a 9 trillion~ dollar debt, and it's growing as I'm writing this.
Therefore, the government doesn't have enough money to give handouts to the drug companies.

Answer 9

Ah, "Ms." magazine. So over-the-top and full inflammatory rhetoric that it begs for ridicule.
An Emory student finds that "NuvaRing... nearly doubled...from $27 to $44 a month". "Skyrocketing" prices! "out-of-reach prices"! "'It’s a horror,' says Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.)" SEVENTEEN DOLLARS! Cut back on the cellphone and texting minutes. Or would that be too much of an assault on her social life and her self-esteem?" She might have to "switch to her parents’ insurance plan, and thus give up the privacy she had enjoyed at the student health clinic." She has to protect her privacy from those parents shelling out $45,000 for her schooling? THOSE parents? She could get a job, support herself, and pay her own freight through school, if she wants her independence so badly. Or transfer to a state university and save her parents 20 large, and ask for a bigger allowance. She's "forced to make a... decision, but not just any decision, a "quick decision"! "'It’s a horror,' says Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.)"
___I might be inclined to agree with them on the gist of this issue, but this pathetic excuse for journalism is just too emotionally self-indulgent not to gag on.

Answer 10

I guess there will be a lot more taxes spent on well fare in the future.