I’m not the most politically minded at this stage of my life. It’s not that I’m not interested; it’s just that I’m not…interested. But the whole controversy over Rush Limbaugh and the word “slut” has made my self-absorbed world stop and take note of what other women are really pissed about. Let’s be honest, this whole contraceptive debate is not about a ruptured ovarian cyst anymore than you drinking Kettle One over Ciroc is saving the grape population. 
This is about sex…and a woman’s right to do it, whenever, however, and with whomever she chooses. Every man AND every woman have that right.
When I separated from my husband, I was met with a difficult decision. For the first time in 10 years, I had to think about birth control. At 34, the pill was not a good idea. The best alternatives were a permanent solution, which I wasn’t’ ready for, or something semi-permanent that I wouldn’t have to think about. I chose the semi-permanent.
But, there was only one problem…my insurance wouldn’t cover it. They had covered a “birth control” procedure for my husband many years previously, so I was denied coverage. We were “irretrievable broken” yet still, according to the state of Florida and our health insurance, husband & wife. And apparently, not both entitled to be “sluts.”
I mean, that is what he said, right?
She's having so much sex she can't afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex." -Rush Limbaugh
So, if I am to be deemed a slut for wanting birth control for recreational use, then so would my male partners in crime, right?
Sadly, the answer to that is no.
Remind me what year this is again?
Women have the right to pleasure just like men. But, our bodies are wired to not only to experience pleasure, but also to incubate, develop, and raise what could theoretically be the outcome of that pleasure. It’s a lifetime commitment. A commitment that will, no doubt, cost the health insurance companies thousands of dollars in vaccinations, snotty noses, and attention deficit medications. So yeah, I think $25 a month in contraceptive coverage is not unreasonable.
More than half of large insurance plans do not routinely cover birth control. The reason drugs like Viagra are covered but female contraceptives are not? These insurers make the argument “pregnancy is not a medical condition, whereas erectile dysfunction is.” Thus, coverage is justified in the one case but not the other.
It’s not a medical condition to push a baby out of your vagina, but a flaccid penis? Well, that’s a different story.
For women of any age, I’m not going to judge. You do what makes you happy. It’s your body, your choice, and your future. I respect your abstinence, commitment to monogamy, or the “talent” to welcome more visitors than the Statue of Liberty.
Slut is a bullshit word. I just erased it from my vocabulary.
Besides, vagina face is more original.
-angela
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