Women's rights have been at the forefront of US politics as of late due to a controversial policy in President Obama's signature piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act. The controversy first exploded due to the Catholic Church's opposition to the policy in which, under section 2713 of the Affordable Care Act, employers would be required to cover the cost of contraceptives along with other preventative care methods for women. The Catholic Church sites religious freedom violations due to their long standing opposition of contraceptive use because of dogmatic principle.
The Department of Health and Human Services, under the President's direction, has since revised the policy to ensure the cost of preventative care for women is covered solely by the insurance company if the employer sites moral objection to the use of contraception. The religious right still oppose the law saying the First Amendment's guarantee of the separation of church and state is being violated by the policy.
The separation of church and state was originally intended to keep religious authority out of the business of government. Some people who oppose the Church say that it is presently being used by the Church to implement its own moral dogma and re-hash their centuries long tradition of women's oppression. So the question stands: Should the Catholic Church have the authority to prevent women from receiving preventative healthcare? Or does the separation of church and state hold fast against Church morality being implemented in a woman's life?
As per the most recent available data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census,[1] there are 62 million U.S. women in their childbearing years (15-44). Out of those 62 million , 62% currently use some form of preventative measures to ensure they do not have children before they are ready. On average, the typical U.S. woman would prefer to only have no more than two children in their lifetime and thus would require the use of some form of contraception for approximately twenty to thirty years. Many fear that if the Church has their way then these contraception measures will no longer be covered under their current healthcare plan. The burden of cost would be placed on the women themselves no matter what their income level may be. In contrast to this dilemma, men's use of Viagra and other such sexually stimulating drugs is covered under and sanctioned by the Church's healthcare plans. This raises the question of equality between genders in the eyes of the Church.
Some may find it difficult to believe that in this day and age the United States of America still has to have a discussion of this caliber. It could be argued that the puritanical semblance of religious conservatism is outdated and should be rendered obsolete. To some, bringing up the issue of "women's rights" is in itself nothing more than a form of prejudice oppression. This issue goes beyond gender and is truly a matter of equal human rights. The right for the individual to choose what is best for themselves without the interference of governmental authority or religious interference.
[1] U.S. Bureau of the Census, Table 2: annual estimates of the resident population by sex and selected age groups for the United States
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