All must fight for women’s health rights

To the editor:

Women across the country breathed a sigh of relief when the U.S. Senate voted down the Blunt-Rubio bill last week. This was a bill that not only let employers deny coverage for contraception, but it also let them sidestep any medical service they found “morally objectionable.” Now, Speaker John Boehner is signaling he’ll take it to the House.

I’m writing to help get the facts out on what is nothing short of a war on women’s health. After all, doctors prescribe contraception for many reasons, including preventive care. Continued use of birth control reduces the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers, serious infections and cysts. Medical research has confirmed contraception’s benefits, but its cost often prevents women from using it — particularly those between the ages of 18 and 34.

And it’s not just birth control at stake. More than 20 million American women could lose access to mammograms, prenatal screenings, cervical cancer screenings, vaccines, domestic violence counseling and a host of preventive services that shouldn’t be up for debate in 2012. Unlike Republicans like Mitt Romney, Boehner and Sen. Marco Rubio, the president has proven he is willing to take a stand for a woman’s right to make decisions about her health. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, beginning Aug. 1, the cost of preventive care will no longer be a barrier to health. The president’s health reform will ensure contraception is covered with no out-of-pocket cost.

While the attack on women’s health continues to play out in Congress and on nationally syndicated talk radio, the fight’s being waged at the state level, too. As of today, there are about 450 proposals on birth control in state legislatures across the country — including Ohio, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, Mississippi and Texas. Across the country, the GOP is waging this battle, regardless of what it would actually mean for women. It’s up to us to fight back. The stakes — for women’s health and women’s rights — are simply too high not to.

We have an advocate in President Obama, but it’s up to all of us to stand up and fight back as the GOP goes after our rights and our health.

Rosemary Myrick

Wasilla