Trump administration's abortion "gag rule" is a backdoor attack on birth control
Yanking Title X funding really isn’t about abortion. It’s about cutting women off from affordable contraception
AMANDA MARCOTTE
MAY 18, 2018 10:00PM (UTC)
The headlines regarding the latest move from Donald Trump's administration heavily feature the word "abortion," but the most important thing to understand about this proposed new policy is that it's not about really about that. This move needs to be understood for what it is: A broad-based attack on the access that young and low-income women have to the full range of health care options that allow women to be sexually active while still avoiding unwanted pregnancy and disease — even death.
The new decision, which made big news on Friday but has not yet been formally announced, is being called a "gag rule" by pro-choice activists. The administration would yank Title X funding, meaning money from the federal program that provides financial support for contraception and sexually transmitted infection prevention, from any clinic that provides abortion, refers for abortion or even, it appears, mentions abortion.
Anti-choice activists are framing this as a "pro-life" move meant to discourage abortion. In reality, it's a direct assault on the ability of millions of women to get birth control, as well as gynecological exams, STI testing and treatment, and cancer screenings. Let's be clear about this: The funds in question do not go to abortion services and have not done so since the 1970s.
But it's true that clinics that provide these services rarely try to conceal the existence of abortion from patients. Not only would Planned Parenthood, which serves 41 percent of all Title X patients, be shut out of the program, it's likely that many other clinics would as well, since simply referring patients for abortion services or discussing the option is a standard part of gynecological care.
Because birth control is widely used and widely popular, anti-choice activists often downplay or conceal the anti-contraception sentiment that runs through their movement. Careful observation makes it clear, however, that the anti-abortion movement is rooted in a belief that sex should be for marriage only and ideally that marital sex should be about procreation over pleasure.
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https://www.salon.com/2018/05/18/trump-administrations-abortion-gag-rule-is-a-backdoor-attack-on-birth-control/
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It is blatant in your face Christo-Fascism. The Talibangelists think they have won. The fight should be over, but bronze age misogyny seems to be in vogue again.
