Taking responsibility
Some important points raised in discussion of health insurance and contraception in the US.
In the US, health insurance is provided by employers. It is not paid for by taxpayers, but is earned by employees and constitutes part of their wages. The actual issue - a bit lost in all the noise - is whether employers and insurers should be allowed to refuse to cover contraception.
(Ensuring access to contraception for those without health insurance is enlightened self-interest; it efficiently saves taxpayers' money.)
Now, I read a very interesting article in New Scientist yesterday which explored some of the differences in thinking between 'liberal' and 'conservative' people. In previous postings here, I grumbled that the basis of opposition to contraception was that women are not entitled to have sex, and should not be able to escape the consequences of having sex. The NS article suggested that, for some socially conservative folks at least, it seems profoundly wrong and unfair that people should be able to escape the consequences of their decisions. Surely almost everyone shares some version of this belief. However, I'd argue that someone using contraception is preventing unwanted consequences. They are taking responsibility for how their choices affect their own lives and the lives of others. Rather than castigation and mockery, they deserve admiration and support.
ETA: Another important point: the withdrawal by Rush's sponsors is not a First Amendment / free speech issue, but the free market at work.
In the US, health insurance is provided by employers. It is not paid for by taxpayers, but is earned by employees and constitutes part of their wages. The actual issue - a bit lost in all the noise - is whether employers and insurers should be allowed to refuse to cover contraception.
(Ensuring access to contraception for those without health insurance is enlightened self-interest; it efficiently saves taxpayers' money.)
Now, I read a very interesting article in New Scientist yesterday which explored some of the differences in thinking between 'liberal' and 'conservative' people. In previous postings here, I grumbled that the basis of opposition to contraception was that women are not entitled to have sex, and should not be able to escape the consequences of having sex. The NS article suggested that, for some socially conservative folks at least, it seems profoundly wrong and unfair that people should be able to escape the consequences of their decisions. Surely almost everyone shares some version of this belief. However, I'd argue that someone using contraception is preventing unwanted consequences. They are taking responsibility for how their choices affect their own lives and the lives of others. Rather than castigation and mockery, they deserve admiration and support.
ETA: Another important point: the withdrawal by Rush's sponsors is not a First Amendment / free speech issue, but the free market at work.