BLOGS

It is disappointing that the Republican Party and specifically the right-wing conservatives are actually working against health care for women and children. In February, the House of Representatives, now controlled by the Republicans and the Tea Party caucus voted to eliminate the financing for Title ten known as the family-planning program.

Title Ten provides affordable, life saving cancer screening, birth control and general health care for women. The House Majority even voted to eliminate sex education funding for teens. Attempting to put the most charitable interpretation on this short-sighted action, I’ll assume that the right-wing conservatives are merely using women’s and children’s health issues to strengthen their base. They can’t really believe that that health care for women and children has no value.

Planned Parenthood is one of their targets. Ninety-six percent of the activity of Planned Parenthood deals with women’s health and reproductive care. Four percent deals with abortions. Planned Parenthood clinics, especially in many rural areas, are the only affordable health care option for women financially challenged and without insurance. The conservatives detest the concept of the single payer health care option, yet they seem to receive an emotional high at the possibility of eliminating health care for women who can’t access our for-profit insurance system.

It’s hard to believe that Republican women can actually join this male dominated partisan effort to deny health care for many young and mature women. I thought we were in a panic to develop jobs, but Republicans are concentrating on social issues as they struggle to find an emotional, partisan issue and an electable leader that is party-platform pure. The Tea Party victory last November created a giddy attitude amongst the Republicans and re-energized their dream of eliminating all social programs.

Republicans have camouflaged all of these issues under the umbrella of debt reduction, even though these issues have very little to do with the debt. The abortion issue has been used for years because it stimulates fiery sermons and generates financial donations. Even those who are not religious know that the abortion issue energizes the conservative faithful. Why do they concentrate on abortions when they devote little or no effort to the care of children once born? Out-of-the-womb issues have minimal political appeal and zero fund raising power.

I’m not condoning abortions. I am challenging the Republicans and especially the religious right to re-adjust their emotional preoccupation with abortions and review their theology. The last time I checked Google, Jesus said nothing about the fetus or denying women preventive health care. Jesus did say, “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” I think the concern of Jesus was for those children already born.

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