The Fox Guarding the Henhouse
It's mind-boggling (but unfortunately not surprising) that President Bush has done it again. Bush recently appointed anti-birth control hardliner Susan Orr (formerly a senior director for marriage and family care at the Family Research Council) to the position of acting deputy assistant secretary for population affairs. This position administers Title X, the nation's family planning program.
This appointment follows the egregious appointment of Eric Keroack, another anti-birth control hardliner, to the same position. Keroack was the medical director of A Woman's Concern, a nonprofit group that runs crisis pregnancy centers in Massachusetts. He resigned from the population affairs post in March.
With the Orr appointment, I find myself pondering the same question again. What is the logic here? The sad truth is that politics have trumped logic. The Bush administration is proving that it will continue to pursue it's anti-birth control agenda, despite data showing that 98% of women use some form of contraception during their lives, and despite the fact that Title X helps to prevent more than one million unintended pregnancies each year.
Having Orr in control of this program is not only foolish and inappropriate, it's flat-out dangerous for the women who rely on it for family planning and preventive health care services. If you're not convinced of that yet, let me leave you with these comments Orr made while at the Family Research Council in 2001. In response to the Bush administration's proposal to eliminate the contraceptive coverage requirement in federal employees' health insurance, Orr said, "We're quite pleased because fertility is not a disease. It's not a medical necessity that you have [contraception]."
I think a large percentage of the population would disagree with her. If you're one of them, SPEAK UP! You can make your voice heard by taking action here. Tell President Bush to stop playing politics with women's health.
Technorati tags: Susan Orr, birth control, Title X, Planned Parenthood
This appointment follows the egregious appointment of Eric Keroack, another anti-birth control hardliner, to the same position. Keroack was the medical director of A Woman's Concern, a nonprofit group that runs crisis pregnancy centers in Massachusetts. He resigned from the population affairs post in March.
With the Orr appointment, I find myself pondering the same question again. What is the logic here? The sad truth is that politics have trumped logic. The Bush administration is proving that it will continue to pursue it's anti-birth control agenda, despite data showing that 98% of women use some form of contraception during their lives, and despite the fact that Title X helps to prevent more than one million unintended pregnancies each year.
Having Orr in control of this program is not only foolish and inappropriate, it's flat-out dangerous for the women who rely on it for family planning and preventive health care services. If you're not convinced of that yet, let me leave you with these comments Orr made while at the Family Research Council in 2001. In response to the Bush administration's proposal to eliminate the contraceptive coverage requirement in federal employees' health insurance, Orr said, "We're quite pleased because fertility is not a disease. It's not a medical necessity that you have [contraception]."
I think a large percentage of the population would disagree with her. If you're one of them, SPEAK UP! You can make your voice heard by taking action here. Tell President Bush to stop playing politics with women's health.
Technorati tags: Susan Orr, birth control, Title X, Planned Parenthood
posted by Marie at
1:58 PM
2 Comments:
I am so angered by this. For some of us, hormonal contraception is a medical necessity! Would they deny someone else their prescription pain medication on the grounds that migraines aren't diseases either? I think not!
I am sick and tired of those attitudes held by the anti-birth-control crowd, that the Pill is only some kind of recreational drug, that all we really want to do is be able to jump in the sack without facing the consequences, that it serves no useful medical purpose. I'm sick of it. I don't know whether I'm in a minority so tiny it can safely be ignored or if they're just ignoring it anyway, but I hate it either way.
Sorry for the TMI, but I'm really frustrated. I figured I could rant in good company here.
This is absolutely ridiculous. I can't believe that another woman would support setting women back fifty years by being in favor of taking away something as important as contraceptives.
And I'm with you, Jennifer-we don't want contraceptives just so we can screw around to our heart's content. I don't think we are in a minority-and it's a scary day when an extremist like Susan Orr is put into a position where she can influence the family planning options of the majority.
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