Right now Church and State aren't looking so separate in the US. Both the Catholic Church's opposition to birth control as well as the Bush Administration's similar attempt to limit access to contraception by defining it as abortion, have been openly criticized this week by contraception advocates.
An open letter, written by over 50 international Catholic dissent groups, asks the Pope to lift the Church's ban on birth control. Taking out an ad in an Italian newspaper, the groups point to the important role contraception plays in the fight against AIDS, especially in poor countries. But the plea fell on deaf ears, as the Vatican quickly denounced the ad as propaganda, adding that condom policies have failed to fight AIDS.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton wrote an open letter to her supporters, hoping to raise awareness about Bush's plan to put "ideology before science and women's health." Clinton explains that the Department of Health and Human Services wants to make it harder for women to access common forms of contraception like birth control pills, emergency contraception, and IUDs by labeling them "abortion." Proposed regulations would allow healthcare providers to refuse to provide contraception to women who need it, disproportionately impacting uninsured and low-income Americans.
Diesel
Anne Weyburn
Odille
OMG. What year is this? Are people actually going to allow the government to tell them that condoms and birth control pills is a form of abortion?!?!? What is wrong with these people?
1WTF?!
2ditto.
3That picture will put you off the idea of sex, it's nasty!
4Birth control is birth control: the government really should have better things to do than to constantly be trying to find ways to dictate to women about their reproductive rights - these proposals and the constant changes are a waste of our time and money.
It's really interesting because they are trying to say that a human is defined as when the egg and sperm meet, which would totally change the current definition! It is ridiculous. Did you also know that most insurance will not cover birth control, but WILL cover abortion? Did you also know that most insurance that won't cover birth control, WILL cover viagra because it is not a man's choice to have ED but it is a women's choice whether or not she has sex and gets pregnant! (Sorry this is long but I am becoming so frustrated by this whole situation as a PRO CHOICE WOMAN!!!!!!!)
5How long until condoms are contraband?! How long until a woman who miscarries midway through her pregnancy be charged with negligence of a child? Ridiculous, all of this is ridiculous! What about those of us who aren't having sex but are on the pill to control our periods and PMS? Are we out of luck as well? I'm grateful that the insurance I have covers my pill, but once I'm no longer under that insurance, will I be out of luck? This is just so incredibly infuriating.
6Well first of all listen up to all you people who live near metropolitans. If you want condoms for free go to your nearest Gay Night Club and look for the bucket or the FishBowl...full of free condoms.
As for condoms failing to fight aids well that's ridiculous. Condoms fight aids every day and if it wasn't for condom use aids would be more wide spread than it is today. Condom's were never meant to prevent aids they were designed to prevent pregnancy and a peripheral benefit of their function is that they can prevent in most cases the transfer of disease as well.
7They wont smell like fish though right hypno?
8I think about everything I would say has already been said. But the point I would like to add... how many more of our choices are they going to try and take from us?
9AARGH!
Can I get a huge NO in flashing neon lights? Or possibly just go to Rome and knock some elderly male heads together?
Widespread contraception is the most effective way to *prevent* abortion. In an ideal world, maybe only people who are married, disease free and willing to risk pregnancy would be having sex. (Though not in my ideal world - I come from a fertile family and do not want either 14 children or lifelong celibacy.) In the *real* world, nobody who universally opposes contraception has any right to claim to be "pro-life."
10That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Birth control* prevents pregnancy, which means one then won't get an abortion. Duh. Jeez.
*(For some reason, I accidentally typed in "b!tch control" at first.)
11If they are really morally against abortion, do they not realize they will be increasing their number??
12I am sure that Bush's grade in biology was lousy. He probably does not understand even the basic facts of life.
13Ok, I must of missed it, but when did Bush say condoms and the pill were types of abortion?
14Janneth, I'm sorry, did you go to Yale?
15No to Yale.
16I think the Bush admin is allowing extremists to redefine scientific and medical terminology.
yes, but could someone please tell me where the bush admin. said that condoms and the pill were abortion?
17So, you just say he is stupid to go with the crowd then janneth?
18I think it's highly problematic that family planning practices like contraception are so often conflated with abortion. I don't understand how people can fail to realize that unplanned pregnancies resulting in the births of children that parents aren't ready for and can't support are an enormous burden and disadvantage to the children, the parents, and society at large?
Even from the perspective of small-government conservative views, fewer unplanned pregnancies and children born to parents unready or incapable of supporting them means less government spending to feed, clothe, house, and school those children and to support their parents, no?
This is why religion should have no place in policymaking, particularly policymaking that relates to science, medicine, and health.
In defense of Bush, however, I don't think he personally issued any statements conflating birth control with abortion. The articles I've read have simply stated that the White House itself would have no comment on the proposal. I could be wrong, though.
19http://2004.georgewbush.org/bios/yale-transcript.asp
20Geology grade 75
Astronomy 69
exactly jude. It is all rumor and the spreaders think lumping bush into something will work people into a fervor. I get emails from a completely leftest petition site that has bush responsible for you getting a blister. They blame everything on him and show no proof or connection. And, believe it or not, there is no answer when you email them to correct it.
21"It is all rumor and the spreaders think lumping bush into something will work people into a fervor."
Yeah.
I don't often find myself in the position of defending Bush, obviously, but even I have to admit that there is a line that should be drawn between justifiably calling him out on errors he has made, and throwing his name about to get support against things that haven't been clearly linked to him. I've read a few things that just barely stop short of accusing him of drafting the Department of Health proposal himself.
22It's very easy to blame Bush for every little thing and a lot harder to really focus on what can be done to solve the issues we are currently having. Granted I don't think he has been a good president but it's really close-minded to blame him for all the world's ills. We can't solve problems and focus on important issues if we aren't willing to see the truth.
That being said, I am SO glad to see the majority of us agree that contraception PREVENTS abortions and in fact should be a win-win for both sides of the debate.
23I only agree that the whole idea of contraception/abortion relation. I had to leave an actually read the article. Then, I got all caught up in other stuff at home. I only read the first paragraph. Still not totally informed.
GS will you forgive me for commenting before I fully read the article?
Jude and Geebers! For being fair! 
24I did a google search and couldn't find any source for Bush equating birth control with abortion - all they refer to is that draft proposal from Health and Human Services that has been making the rounds....I am with Jude, I don't frequently find myself defending Bush, but in this case, it does appear that he is being accused of something he didn't say/do.
That being said, I hope that the government realizes that the easier access women (and men) have to birth control, the fewer unplanned pregnancies and abortions will occur.
25Hey everyone. The Department of Health and Human Services is part of the Bush Administration, which Bush is the head of (obviously
.)
26Well, as most of us have stated this is so incredibly stupid.
.
27For most of us logically thinking people, we would think that if "pro-lifers" want to prevent abortion they would want to be all for birth control right? WRONG. The point is they want NO SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE! I believe that they think that if they can make it more difficult for people to get birth control we will all just stop having sex and stop being sinners.
More great logic
Well, I guess this is something we can all agree on.
28This is just another way for the government & church to try and control women's bodies. Many women HAVE to take birth control pills for medical conditions and many women SHOULDN'T get pregnant. Also, prevention does not equal abortion.
29"The Department of Health and Human Services is part of the Bush Administration, which Bush is the head of"
I know, I was just saying that there isn't anything I've seen so far indicating that he personally shaped this proposal. He may have approved it at some point, but he hasn't come out and said that he personally believes contraception is abortion or anything like that.
30*I blame his administration for a lot more than I blame him personally.
31Totally valid, Jude C! I just wanted to clarify for everyone.
32Argh! This just makes me so mad.
33Also, "That picture will put you off the idea of sex, it's nasty!"
That's so funny, because I was like oh, condoms, that means sex, woo hoo!
34If condoms are considered abortion, maybe men that use lotion to stimulate themselves and giz into a Kleenex should be considered murderers as well? And perhaps PORN is the gateway to Kleenex. Just sayin...
35Bush has had time to learn of the proposal, if indeed people in his administration are going off making such extreme policy without his knowledge. As he says, he's the decider, so it's perfectly fair to equate the birth control/abortion connection to him until he says otherwise. It's semantics, smoke and mirrors to simply distance the president from the policies of his administration because he's not standing in the Rose Garden clearly articulating them all.
36His administration has not been know for it's scientific accuracy.
37*known
38Accuracy? Dubya probably needs guidance to even miss the rim on a toilet when he takes a whiz!
39An abortion terminates a pregnancy, birth control prevents it. Completely different things.
I hate when men make decisions on what woman should do with their body.
40No. Contraception is what helps prevent getting an abortion. Also helps prevent AIDS, HIV and STD's. Birth control should be handed out more not prevented.
I'm pro-choice, I feel every woman should be allowed to decide what is right for themselves and their situation. The fact that President Bush and the Pope think birth control is wrong absolutely angers me.
Just another reason I do not consider myself Catholic;the hypocrisy, ignorance and plain stupidity within the church. Never liked George Bush and I can not believe that he ever became our president; what I said about the church also goes for Bush.
41LMAO! fuzzles you should bust in on George and yell MURDERER!
42Fuzzle's last comment reminded me of a little song:
"Every sperm is sacred, every sperm is great! If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate!"
Just a little Monty Phython humor for ya'll.
43hypro,
I think the pretzel might protest!
44*Hypno* CORRECTIION
Imagining Bush in the bathroom and actually hitting the bowl is making me falsely excited!
45Well as rediculous as this notion is I kinda think the next President who ever it is McCain or Obama will reverse it.
Aight! Peace out we're off to go dance our booties off and if we're lucky use a condom later. Haha!
46Hypno,
But tell us how many marriage proposals you got!
47Understood, Liberty
Hypno, unfortunately this is where John McCain stands on family planning rights:
"I have stated time after time after time that Roe v Wade was a bad decision" and that he supports "the rights of the unborn," presumably over the rights of the pregnant mother.
According to NARAL, he also "voted to shut down the major federal family-planning program, which provides millions of women with health-care services ranging from birth control to breast cancer screenings."
I'm not contesting your assertion that McCain might also reverse that bill, just making clear that he isn't as pro-choice as many assume him to be. Unfortunately, he is far less pro-choice than many believe, thanks to his "maverick of the Republican Party" image. So I have my doubts as to whether he would reverse that bill.
48McCain=Bush Tres. Period.
49And considering that he favors abstinence only programs, this i'snt so far-fetched.
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