My Akin Vagina

I must live in a cave.  I was tuned in when a college student was called a slut.  I remember the idea that institutions have feelings and that somehow that makes it a-okay for Roman Catholic institutions to refuse to offer birth control coverage for their employees cuz that offends institutional sensibilities.  But on August 18th, I discovered the wonders of Google Sketch-Up(r, no copyright infringement intended) and I am just now resurfacing for air.  So I missed the whole Todd Akin fiasco regarding legitimate rape and repelling vaginas.  And I missed Tom Smith of Pennsylvania saying that carrying a pregnancy that resulted from rape to term is equivalent to having a child out of wedlock.  Uh, excuse me please.  WHAT ???  Oh lawdy lawdy, my Akin vagina.

A good friend of mine, a college student-- a devout Roman Catholic college student-- was raped one night while walking back to the dorms after her job.  The rape, the legitimate rape, was definitely forcible.  I guess her Akin vagina failed to do the job it [or should I refer to her vagina as "she?"  I don't rightly know] was Divinely Created to do.  Because she did indeed turn up pregnant after the rape.  As a devout Roman Catholic, the proper thing according to a bunch of men in dresses would have been for her to stay pregnant.   

Alas, there was a twist.  My friend had cancer.  [She is dead now].  Her specialist informed her that if she continued her pregnancy, she would die.  Sooner, rather than later.  And the baby inside of her Akin vagina pretty much didn't have a chance anyway.  Because abortion was not available as a legal option, her specialist did a very compassionate and humane thing.  He arranged for her to have a safe abortion via the "exploratory surgery" route.  Sorry folks, I don't feel bad about her medical insurance company having to pay for that one.  [This was much longer than eight years ago, b.t.w.].

My friend did not want to have the abortion.  Her specialist understood the true value of life.  He understood the value of a baby's life and also the value of the mother's life. 

I too was raped.  I was raped several years before my friend got raped.  But my Akin vagina did her job.  She repelled the rapist's sperm and I walked away unscathed.  Uh, well, not exactly unscathed.  That was an unfortunate choice of words.  I walked away unexpectant.  At least I think I did.  I have been told once by one person that a woman can have a spontaneous abortion and not even know she was pregnant.  One person believed that, so it must be true.  This spontaneous or "natural" abortion thing will happen in cases where the baby is totally deformed.  Not all cases obviously.  Just in some percentage of cases.  A quandary of the highest order.  Does God allow spontaneous or natural abortions in the case of rape?  Maybe so.  Or maybe not.  Oh my.  I don't know what to think.  Neither does my Akin vagina.  I'm so glad that those men in dresses and a bunch of politicians can do my thinking for me.

Men can get raped too.  Not just forcible rape in prison by other men either.  Men can and do get raped by women.  I know it happens.  Well, specifically I know it happens at least once.  Because it happened to a male acquaintance of mine.  But men cannot get pregnant.  And men aren't commonly ordered by divine writ to be subservient to women.  Maybe a few men are subs-- oh never mind, that is quite the subject for a different day.  Maybe even a different blog. 

I'm suddenly thirsty.  I shut down the computer and go stumbling off in search of some of that totally kewl powdered sugar in packets to stir into a glass of water.

radical sapphoq

P.S.  And then to discover that Todd Akin was put in charge of some kind of science and tech committee!  That just makes me want to join those poor folks who migrated to Guyana with their good buddy Jim.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops vs. President Obama

If Catholic hospitals and universities are given the option to not offer contraceptives to their employees, then why can't a Muslim organization do the same?  Or a Jehovah's Witness publishing house refuse to offer coverage for blood transfusions?  Or Christian Scientist employers not offer health insurance at all?  That is the flavor of some questions being asked by only a few people in blogs and news articles on the internet, in my opinion far too few.

A religious entity such as a Roman Catholic hospital or Baptist nursing home as a matter of course hires workers who may or may not be practicing the same faith as their employer does.  It is not legal for such places to discriminate against prospective employees in the matter of their personal religious practices or non-practices.  This is as it should be, especially considering that hospitals and other health care facilities as well as universities and colleges accept public funding in the form of health care payments through insurance such as Medicare or Medicaid or in the form of government-sponsored grants and loans.  Additionally, such places are tax-exempt.  It is abhorrent to me that any organization claiming to be Christian (or any other religious identity) would then seek to legally impose such beliefs and practices on their employees via not offering insurance with reproductive health care.

Your scruples as an entity doing business in the United States should not be able to dictate the medical behavior of any of your employees, period.  If you don't want to know about someone in your employ having an abortion, then don't ask them.  If you would feel violated because your insurance company made contraception affordable to a woman employee because she was seeking to space out her pregnancies, not have a pregnancy, or as treatment for endometriosis, then again, don't ask.  Your conscience as a tax-exempt organization ought not to trump an employee's medical choices.  Period.  If you think that you should be exempt from the laws of this country, then get out and take your hospitals and universities to some other country.  Period.  Harsh?  Too bad.  I am personally tired of being expected to kowtow to religious folks and lobbies who want to impose their ways of being upon any minority.  So stop it.  The conscience of the individual is sovereign over any religious mandates.  Stay out of my healthcare decisions.

To the Bishops and to the organizations who do not want to provide contraceptive care under your health insurance plans, I have one thing to say to you: Suck it up. 

To the President who was seeking a compromise so as not to alienate any potential voters in an election year, I have one thing to say to you: Your "compromise" smacks of cowardishness. 

radical sapphoq says: President Obama and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: FAIL.

Sources:

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/Religion-and-Contraceptive-Use.pdf

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57376781-503544/battle-over-contraception-rule-wages-on/

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/catholic-churches-distribute-letter-opposing-obama-healthcare-rule/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/santorum-insurance-shouldnt-cover-birth-control-at-all/2012/02/10/gIQAJZaY4Q_blog.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/birth-control-may-now-be-wedge-issue-against-gop/2012/02/10/gIQAbzVO4Q_blog.html

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/02/13/why-i-skipped-mass-today-practicing-catholic-objects-to-bishops-arguments-over-bi

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2011/09/30/religious-exemptions-contraceptive-coverage-denial-still-constitutional

http://www.npr.org/2012/02/13/146795687/catholics-take-side-on-contraceptive-insurance-debate

http://news.yahoo.com/top-republican-wants-vote-birth-control-mandate-170357694.html

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=13285

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/11/local/la-me-0211-church-mandate-20120211

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/04/local/la-me-0204-contraception-20120204

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12044/1209835-152-0.stm

http://www.uscatholic.org/news/2012/02/obama-compromise-contraceptive-mandate-unacceptable-bishops-say

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72751.html

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Sheldon+Alberts+Obama+gaffe+birth+control+rule+helping/6143015/story.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/12/usa-contraceptives-idUSL2E8DC0HZ20120212

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/09/10365739-catholic-tv-network-sues-us-over-birth-control-mandate

http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/09/10365844-catholic-bishops-birth-control-stance-harms-employees-bioethicist-says

http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-021.cfm

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/index.cfm

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/bishops-renew-call-to-legislative-action-on-religious-liberty.cfm

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120213/world/US-Catholic-bishops-reject-compromise-on-contraception.406536

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/women-113696-health-catholic.html

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72669.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/09/america-pro-choice-majority?newsfeed=true

http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2012/02/dolan-cites-obama-promises-on-birth-control/

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/feb/10/holy-war-against-birth-control/

http://www.nationofchange.org/obama-s-breach-faith-over-contraceptive-ruling-1328371594

http://www.prolife.com/BIRTHCNT.html

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/11/15/142358413/the-pill-not-just-for-pregnancy-prevention

http://www.medicinenet.com/hormonal_methods_of_birth_control/page2.htm

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/ask-dr-cullins/cullins-bc-5398.htm

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/medical_ethics/me0129.htm

http://www.catholicforum.com/forums/showthread.php?30369-Birth-control-sterilization-for-medical-reasons