Weighing in, politically

 I don't typically do this. I really hate to discuss politics, unless I'm with very close, trusted friends. It makes everything uncomfortable, and I hate to alienate people for having an opinion that differs from mine (and likewise).  I just have to vent a little bit about a recent media frenzy. You don't have to agree with me on the issue, but please take into consideration what I have to say.

Regardless of how you feel about the subject of birth control, calling a woman who speaks out for her beliefs and defends her actions a "slut" in an effort to gain traction for your argument is incredibly wrong. I get it, that's Rush Limbaugh's schtick: say shocking things, get more listeners. But, being a woman, I found this enormously insulting. Unfortunately, it's nothing new. I just had high hopes that as a society, we had moved past the point of calling women derogatory names in an effort to immobilize them. It's infuriating.
Ladies and gentlemen, think what you will about me. I've been a supporter of reforms for women's health and rights for years. Also, I need birth control. Despite the fact that I would do anything to get pregnant right now, in an odd way, birth control plays a huge role in how that is achieved. Hormonal therapy achieved through birth control is the number one treatment for endometriosis. I was prescribed it when I was nineteen. I'd had stomach problems, along with severe cramps each month. At the time, the prescription was just a precautionary measure; they didn't think I would actually need it (maybe because I was ugly at the time?), yet it certainly helped the cramps. (And I'm sure my parents slept better knowing their nineteen-year-old college daughter wouldn't be returning home to Kansas with a grandchild, even though they trusted me.) Knowing what I know now about my reproductive health, I can't imagine how much worse it would be if I hadn't had that access to birth control during my late teens. My poor ovaries would have fallen off by now. It helped my body to function in a healthy way. I mean, all that weird crap growing on my various organs could have gone hose-crazy and interfered with more significant organs like my heart or lungs, if I hadn't had the benefits of birth control. (Plus, my rack looked amazing. I miss that.)
 The truth is this: many women use birth control for more than, well, birth control. Ovarian cancer is terrifying and extremely lethal, and birth control significantly decreases its risk. We also don't know what causes endometriosis. It could be environmental, for all we know. Millions of women are affected by it, most of them without knowing it, until it becomes a problem. Wouldn't it be nice to have something readily available as a form of preventative care?
 Women's health is making so many gains scientifically, yet we as a nation have such a difficult time disconnecting women's sexual health with women's sexual practices. And then the name-calling starts: whore, femmi-nazi, bitch, slut.

Please, don't resort to that kind of thinking. I don't think it complies with the golden rule.*




*The golden rule is "love thy neighbor."**





**Which is different from Jacob's golden rule: "never touch my wrists."