Jessie Hethcoat (The Beacon)
By Jessie Hethcoat, Guest Commentary
Recent legislation proposed by the Obama administration is challenging the policy of Catholic colleges to refuse prescription (or any form of) birth control to students in their health centers. Catholic spokespeople have responded to this proposal by saying it is a threat to religious liberty.
But what I don't get is how you can claim that you're upholding ‘liberty' by taking away someone's choice.
I understand that this issue is beyond the scope of my legal imagination. Further, there's not much I can write in The Beacon to affect change on our baby campus; the battle being fought here is a national one. Instead, I'm writing in to urge students, staff and faculty members to educate themselves about this issue because it affects all of us.
While this policy of Catholic campuses is ostensibly one they are entitled to as religious institutions, it just doesn't line up when you look at the idea of "religious freedom" versus the practice of taking away an individual's option to protect herself. I'd like to present two scenarios to you:
Scenario 1: Tanya is a sophomore at UP. She lives on campus, doesn't have a car and works in addition to taking classes. The Health Center is her primary health care provider, and because she has neither the time nor money to visit a gynecologist to access birth control pills, she and her boyfriend Tom stick to condoms for birth control.
Sometimes they run out of condoms, and in those rare cases, they take their chances and have sex anyway. Eventually, one of those rare occasions turns into an unwanted pregnancy, and Tanya and Tom are faced with a life-changing decision.
Scenario 2: While consulting with a health center nurse practitioner her freshman year, Tanya decides that birth control pills, at a co-pay of $10 a month, are the right choice for her healthcare needs. She meets Tom a few weeks in to her second semester of college, and they date throughout their four years at UP. She and Tom split the co-pay each month, only costing them $5 each. Eventually, when they're good and ready, Tanya and Tom get married and raise a family, all on their own time.
Which scenario do you want for your students?
I'm not trying to suggest that having an abortion will ruin your life, but I am trying to show you that no one should be faced with that decision if they don't have to.
People have sex! How do we decrease abortion? We increase the availability of birth control. The Obama administration has stated that birth control is not just a convenience but is also medically necessary "to ensure women's health and well-being."
The success of Tanya and Tom hinges on their access to birth control. According to the New York Times, 98 percent of sexually active Catholic women have used contraceptives. Let's be real here: Family planning is an essential part of living in the 21st century. I don't plan on popping ten babies out of my ankle-length trumpet skirt because, hey, I don't have to! I also don't live in the 1800s.
So, to co-opt a current political movement: We are the 98 percent! Whose side are you on?
