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‘Gals,’ we need to get serious about this birth control silliness. Because Foster Friess, major donor to Rick Santorum‘s super PAC and contraceptive pragmatist wants you to know that you’re all just being a bunch of ninnies. Clearly, the solution to the birth control debate (which is now being discussed by a group of men on our behalf–nothing to worry our pretty little heads about!) isn’t access or coverage–it’s aspirin!
Or at least, that’s what Friess told Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC today. You see, Friess doesn’t want to bother with nonsense like women’s issues, because they are frivolous and easily solved. They make him chuckle! All you need to do, ‘gals,’ is do what the ‘gals’ in his day did–put an aspirin between your knees.
Aspirin, of course, is not an actual contraceptive, nor has it ever been. Not even when Friess was a young people. Aspirin has never stopped the ovaries from producing an egg, and it has never thickened the cervical mucus in such a way as to prevent sperm from entering the uterus. So, ostensibly, what he is saying is that putting a pill between your knees is a good way to keep your trampy, trampy self from getting knocked up. That is, as long as you’re clenching together, you don’t need contraceptive.
Why didn’t I think of that? My birth control is $60 per month, out-of-pocket, but aspirin is so inexpensive!
Of course, this isn’t a super-helpful argument in the case of, say, rape. Or in the case that, say, a woman would want to have sex, possibly even within the confines of heterosexual marriage, without getting pregnant. But then, what do I know? I’m just a silly woman who wants access to chuckle-worthy birth control. If today’s Congressional hearing is any indication, I don’t get a say.
Watch the video for yourself. Mitchell’s reaction is priceless.
Wow. Can you imagine if people with these types of views get elected to REPRESENT OUR COUNTRY? Terrifying.
Is there something in the water that all these Republicans are drinking? Where do they come up with this stuff?
P.S. Is birth control really that expensive down south? In Alberta, if I didn’t have health benefits through work (which make mine “free”) I would probably be paying about $17/month for the BCP and the price has stayed relatively the same over the last decade. Can’t imagine spending $60+ a month.
It’s a combo between no insurance (so basically paying full price) and the fact that my particular brand is under patent.
Yup. 60$ a month is pretty standard for a name brand like many women use, such as OrthoTri Cyclin, Yas, or the Nuva Ring. Generics do exist, but many women have trouble finding a birth control that doesn’t have major side effects for them (like acne, irritability, and weight gain, along with eve worse side effects, like the death of your sex drive).
As a student, I was able to get 10/month birth control though my student health care provider, until Republicans cut the funding for that under the Bush Administration… and then I had to pay for it at full price myself.
Yeah, cause that worked so well back in the day.
There were an awful lot of teens who had much younger unexpected ‘baby brothers or sisters’… and an awful lot of infants reluctantly given up for adoption… and an awful lot of women who died or lost their fertility to back room abortions… and even more who never had a chance at an education or a career or a happy marriage thanks to thinking like this.
Birth Control has helped women get to be real participants in society, which is something we should never turn back the clock on.
Ooookay… So… First of all Santorum is a disgusting moron and has no chance… Second… Since when were men and women unable to go buy a box of condoms if they want to have heterosexual sex without getting pregnant? I can even get them at the 99 cent store if I wanted to use them… Why now do people expect the government or an insurance company to pay for them?
Because birth control isn’t only used for birth control! It’s used for a variety of reasons.
Because condoms are something that MEN use. And men are allowed to have all the sexysexy they want. With trollops. Who have never heard of aspirin.
Because condoms (76%)are less effective at preventing unplanned pregnancy than hormonal birth control(98%)
Because insurance companies save money when women are on the pill (because prenatal care is pricey), and women should benefit from that.
Because choosing between paying for rent or paying for birth control (70$/month at least when your insurance company doesn’t cover it) should not be something women have to do when the insurance company is banking the profits.
All of the above. Condoms aren’t the most effective method of birth control, and let’s be honest: A lot of men and women don’t like using them or don’t use them correctly. Protecting against unwanted pregnancies is a lot cheaper than paying for millions of unplanned pregnancies (and the resulting kids); the government and insurance companies pay for the latter, why shouldn’t it pay for the former?
First, there is the so-called “female condom” meant for vaginal insertion. Second, the attitude that condoms are just something “men use” is flawed as well. NO birth control pill that you can name on the market is going to stop women from contracting HIV or other STDs from unprotected sex, so unless you’re OK with not getting pregnant but possibly contracting HIV from casual sex… Condoms are beneficial to men and women. USE THEM.
Go ahead and take whatever pills you want too. Just don’t ask me to pay for it with higher taxes than what I already pay. It should be between an individual and their privately run health insurance carrier. I don’t have money to spare for anyone else’s expenses.
The Republican implosion is just great! Wow! Mr. Friess, you have gone viral! Can Republicans find more ways to lose an election? It’s fantastic. Other than the lame candidates and their SuperPAC backers, they can blame Conservative pundits like Sean Hannity for the inability to field a competitive candidate. As long as Sean is around, Republican may never win the Presidency again.
http://mankabros.com/blogs/onmedea/2012/02/13/because-of-sean-hannity-republicans-may-never-win-again/