Posted on October 17, 2012 |
Not to go off on a rant, but…
Earlier this week, I was very upset by an interesting post on The New York Times Economix blog about the economic arguments for contraception.
Not the whole post by any means, just the first sentence – which was wrong. Really, really wrong.
It said, “Americans passionately disagree about both the biology and the morality of contraception.”
This simply isn’t true.
Nine out of 10 adults believe birth control is moral. That doesn’t sound like passionate disagreement to me.
Oh, and on the “biology” of birth control? 99 percent of sexually active women have used contraception. It is one of the most widely prescribed categories of drugs and devices in the country.
Birth control is an everyday part of the lives of American adults in the 21st century.
It is the norm. The usual. Conventional. Routine.
And yet, it certainly has been debated in the news a lot lately.
Why?
Because a relatively small but well-funded group of very conservative people in positions of power say – despite all evidence to the contrary – that birth control is controversial. (Like the Members of Congress who insist on taking votes on birth control.)
Because the mainstream press, in an attempt to seem neutral, has accepted this claim without much question.
Because the conservative press has stirred up their audience on the issue.
Because if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.
Conservatives cannot succeed in getting rid of birth control if the overwhelming majority of people approve of it and use it. It would be like attacking fluoride toothpaste or aspirin.
So, they need to marginalize it. Make it seem controversial. Turn it into a “hot topic.”
Worse, they seem to be succeeding. As evidence, I give you a blog on a mainstream news site that is very much in support of birth control yet begins by saying that there is broad passionate disagreement about birth control. Which is not true.
…and that is why I’m ranting.
If you find this infuriating too, please join me in my rant. If enough of us keep repeating the truth, we just may be able to win this one. So, comment, tweet, fb, blog. Let’s get the truth out there.
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Comments
the passion is around control-careful who you vote for
I think there are passionate people who want to control what women do and who want to impose their personal point of view. I agree that we do a disservice when we allow them to seem more numerous than they are. What is too numerous are people who are complaisant that the few passionate anti reproductive choice, including birth control, could not set us back. A Trojan horse, for instance, is the talk of personhood which not only affects abortion but also certain types of birth control and IVF for those who need help with pregnancy. So I agree with the writer that media is doing a disservice by not reporting facts and only reporting emotion and assigning the same value to the few negatively passionate as the vast majority that is being still too complaisant. You don't need to go back far, just 2011 and the number of anti-reproductive rights votes the House took when Republicans took over. All you have to do is recall the too numberous Republican led actions at state level right after the 2010 sweep. Wake up folks! Watch who you vote for. With regard to jobs, Republicans can do no more. But with respect to social issues, they can send us back to the equivalent of the stone age of the 50's, 60's, and early 70's, and even closer stone age with respect to gay rights.
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