The presidential debates have found new playing ground—another circular argument joining the ranks of abortion and homosexual rights—with the allowance of birth control in the United States. Should it cross over state lines? Should churches have to pay for insurance including contraception for their employees? Similarly, should some birth control pills and all morning after pills be illegal since they deter a potential fetus from forming? These questions raise personal, moral opinions, closely related to religious beliefs, but should they really be the target of presidential debates?
Birth control use is a personal decision that should not be regulated by the government. Our candidates should be more focused on the economy and changing America for the better rather than fighting over trivial details of U.S. citizens’ personal lives.
The Catholic Church is making a huge deal out of nothing when it comes to Obama’s mandate requiring contraceptive measures in all healthcare plans. It’s not like the administration is shoving birth control pills down everyone’s throats. Congress just thinks it’s a smart idea related to sexual equality to give everyone the option to control when they conceive babies. They believe they’re doing women a favor by letting them choose what they want to do with their bodies and they may be hindered in this decision since their current plan may not pay for such measures.
In a recent poll of registered voters by the New York Times/CBS News, 61 percent of Americans said they back up Obama’s measure to include contraceptives in all employee healthcare plans, even after he back-tracked when he was condemned by Catholic Bishops for the measure. Perhaps even more of an indicator of overall support is the number of Catholic voters who support the measure: 58 percent, according to the same poll. Obviously this does not bother the general public too much, only our presidential candidates who cannot think of better things to argue about than others’ private, personal decisions.
Complete debates have been centered on this issue, meanwhile the economy still needs reform, we still have a jobs crisis, and issues like foreign policy must be addressed. The Occupy Wall Street movement was not purposeless. Many people are hoping for a candidate who will lower tuition rates at universities and change the overall price of education. Other citizens would like to see discussions over gun control and illegal immigration. Alas, our candidates seem to believe that the truly important argument in the light of the tremendous debt the government has incurred and the fact that there are still soldiers overseas that need to come home is contraception. The entire election season is turning into a red herring that will not be focused. This is a great pity.
Obama’s measure is contradictory to many religious beliefs, but again, no one is being forced to use birth control. Everyone deserves the right to a choice of whether to use contraceptives. The church should be more acceptant of its members’ and workers’ lifestyle decisions. Beyond that, there are more important and pressing issues than contraception to be going over right now.
Presidential candidates should be more concerned with mending the economy and improving the standard of living for Americans and less concerned with contraception in the 2012 election debates.
