We Treat American Women Like Children

This past weekend, the pope spoke with the Vatican’s bioethics advisory board, reaffirming his indefensible position that doctors tactics can be “deceptive” when it comes to abortion. He confirmed his belief that abortion is never a legitimate choice – even when abortion is a medical necessity.

This bold, ignorant move by the pope is representative of the crisis in reproductive health care services – and basic human rights – for women in the U.S. and abroad. Women in developing countries are most at risk to die during child birth. Disturbingly, even with our advanced medical facilities, there are still 40 nations that have a lower risk of maternal death than the U.S.

To me, this comes as no surprise since we are a nation obsessed with moral ideals, informed by delusional leaders like the pope. We believe in magic. We believe that morals should override health and well being. We believe we have cornered the market on morality – and we have inextricably linked our moral ideals to our politics.

That is why the U.S. Congress is launching one of the more vicious attack against women’s health in recent history.

How do I even begin to comment on such insanity? Let’s start with a joke. Two elderly women are sitting on a park bench in New York City’s Central Park.

Sandra: “All my life, one trouble after another. A bankruptcy, a divorce, a terminally sickly great grand child, and a son who’s a thief. Sometimes I think I’d be better off dead.”

Jean: “I know what you mean Sandy.”

Sandra: “Better still – I wish I had never been born. “

Jean: “ Yeah, but if the Republican budget bill passes, who will have such luck? Maybe one in ten thousand?”

Politically and morally, we are treating American women as if they are children – or worse yet – property. We are controlling female sexuality by limiting access to rational sexual education, health care, and safe abortions – all in the name of our moral beliefs.

The fact remains, through our religious scheming to save the unborn child so she can be reborn with Jesus, we are killing women. Human rights and moral zealotry can not co-exist without the severe and systematic suppression of female sexuality.

If we are to truly accept women as fully functional, equal members of society, (which clearly we don’t) there is no way that we can continue to take away her full-spectrum reproductive rights – especially when it comes to basic health care and abortion.