They were just one day removed from being exactly one month to the day from Israel’s gynaecological conference where no women speakers were allowed to present on lady bits. Just one day. This is 2012, people. You wouldn’t think this nonsense could happen here, now. Here in the Western world, where certain factions declare that we have the most advanced ideas of morality, and where we ostensibly espouse separation of church and state, despite all this Republicans are holding a hearing on contraception where every witness… EVERY WITNESS… is a male religious leader.
The hearing, says committee chairman Darrell Issa (Republican, naturally), is about the religious freedom to prevent women from getting contraception, and whether or not the new HHS rules about contraception without co-pay are Constitutional in keeping Catholics from engaging in religiously motivated bigotry. Rather than, oh, say, why contraception might actually be important and even vital in ensuring the health and prosperity of women in America. Not one testimony came from a doctor, or a woman, or, oh, say, a Constitutional scholar — you know, those people who actually know what is compatible with the Constitution.
One female college student was dismissed as a witness as not having the requisite credentials to talk about contraception. Hey, at least she has the relevant girl-parts, unlike every priest on the panel.
Improving access to contraception for women puts control over women’s bodies back in their own hands. That’s why every Conservative arguing against abortion and contraception is fighting so hard. Not because the Bible says they should (it mostly just says don’t ejaculate on the ground when God’s asking you to impregnate your sister and kids less than a month old don’t count as people). No, this is all about who gets to control reproduction.
Men get to make women pregnant at their leisure, and force them to have their children with or without their consent. Rape babies must also be carried to term to ensure women are thoroughly under the indentured servitude of men who can rape and impregnate them whenever they want. Why? So men can “be fruitful and multiply” without all that nasty business of having to treat women like human beings in the meantime.