There's no such thing as a free lunch. There's also no such thing as free sex or medical care. Georgetown law students are having so much sex, they just can't afford it anymore and want you to pay for it. From CNSNews:
Georgetown Law School student Sandra Fluke told the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on Thursday that a fellow female student at the law school-who is married--had to stop using contraception because she and her husband could not afford it.
There are three federally funded Planned Parenthood clinics in Washington, D.C.--none being more than 3.2 miles from the Georgetown Law School.
Fluke makes the argument that religious employers do not cover birth control in their employee insurance plans, but guess what? The women who work for those institutions made the choice to work for a religious institution in the first place. Georgetown University is a prestigious, private Catholic institution. They have rules and students like Ms. Fluke who think they should be able to attend the school and demand birth control coverage, should attend school elsewhere. They have a choice. The real world isn't all about getting what you, want when you want it, from any institution you see fit.
In terms of just "not being able to fit contraception into the budget" anymore, there are lots of things people would like to have and can't fit into their budget, but just because an individual cannot afford their own birth control, doesn't mean someone else should have to pay the pharmacy bill for them. As the CNS article points out, there are multiple Planned Parenthood clinics, all of which provide contraception at a very low cost, within walking distance of Georgetown University. Planned Parenthood already gets millions in taxpayer funds. Fluke should realize taxpayers are already paying their "fair share" to provide for "women's health."
What Fluke failed to mention in her testimony is that the costs of health insurance premiums will now be more expensive for everyone in order to cover "free" birth control, making the argument that government mandated birth control coverage will reduce costs for women, non-applicable.
Even though this whole contraception debate has developed into a massive conversation about birth control and "women's health," rather than the First Amendment, the bottom line is this: Catholic institutions have a First Amendment Right not to provide contraception or contraception coverage. Take it or leave it.
And yes, this woman is going to a be a lawyer someday, most likely working for the ACLU.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member