Does Mitt Romney Know What’s Going On?
EOM Staff
During last night’s Republican debate, Mitt Romney was asked if thought states should be allowed to ban contraception. He hemmed and hawed and the question was repeated. His comment was that “contraception is working just fine. I don’t know if a state has a right to ban contraception. No state wants to!” he told moderator George Stephanopolous. He then wondered why he was being asked such a silly question. He also said he couldn’t imagine a state pursuing such a policy. Obviously this man who wants to be our President is completely unaware of what is going on in America. Missouri recently voted down the personhood amendment on their ballot. There are a handful of states that will vote this year on a personhood amendment. So, yes, Mitt – several states are hoping to ban birth control!
While proposed amendments don’t exactly say that granting “personhood” to a fertilized egg will end birth control, it will, in effect, ban IUDs and the birth control pill. Both of these methods simply prevent the fertilized egg from implanting itself in the lining of the uterus. If a fertilized egg is considered a person, these methods will be banned.
Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are the only GOP candidates who have not signed a pledge with Personhood USA to declare that a fertilized egg is a person. However, they have both stated that they believe life begins at conception, which certainly leaves the door open to the next step – preventing American women from using birth control.
Yes, there are many important issues to consider when you vote. The economy, jobs, health-care, preventing future wars….but if women lose the right to determine how many children they have and when they have them, they are losing one of the more basic human rights. Consider the long-term effects. If a young married woman can’t use birth control, she will probably start having a baby every other year. That prevents her from having a career. The more children she has, the harder it will be to provide for them. Doctor’s visits, immunizations, dental care, vision care, clothes, food, text books, shoes, college… Our schools are already over-crowded. There are more Americans living in poverty now than since before World War II. The programs to assist low-income families are strained and in many cases, closing down. And if birth control is banned, all of these problems will become even more severe.
So before you vote in November, carefully consider all the things that are important to you. And remember, birth control is important to millions of American women. If you have a mother, a sister, an aunt, a wife, a daughter…birth control is important to them. And it should be important to all the men in their lives, too.
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