Don’t you just love when billionaires talk about what’s good for the American people—us common folk—and especially when they talk about those “inexpensive,” petty issues we deal with? Like, say, contraception!
Foster Friess, a billionaire backer of Rick Santorum, delivered a now infamous “joke” about contraception last week, and left a slight ringing sound in many people’s ears: “This contraception thing, my gosh, it’s [so] inexpensive. You know, back in my days, they’d use Bayer aspirin for contraception. The gals put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly.”
Of course, Santorum quickly distanced himself from the remarks made by the man who is largely responsible for keeping his presidential hopes alive through his Super Pac’s funding of pro-Santorum television advertisements. The candidate referred to it as a “bad joke” and was quick to point out that he was not responsible for every comment made by his supporters.
We are all entitled to our religious beliefs and Santorum clearly perceives contraceptives as “not okay” and dangerous. And in a free world, he has every right to do so. But when a potential candidate for the American presidency asserts that he will make sure that insurance does not cover something that, according to the Guttmacher Institute, 99 percent of American women have used, clearly there’s something amiss.
The majority of women in this country use contraception, so it’s safe to say most students do, too. So perhaps if we asked those American women—the ones who are likely to have thousands of dollars in student loan debt when they graduate—if they think it’s an inexpensive issue, they might provide a clearer picture.
Currently, the basic insurance Portland State students are eligible for does not cover contraceptives, but they are sold on campus at cost, which makes them much more affordable than the average local pharmacy where a monthly prescription can cost up to $50. That’s $600 a year. Inexpensive? To whom?
A representative from the Center for Student Health And Counseling discussed the services to PSU students: “Because we provide contraceptives at cost, the basic ones run anywhere from around $6 to $14 a month.”
Other more specialized and long-term contraceptives are available too and start at around $50 and go up to as much as $824.
A SHAC nurse noted that students often qualify for a federal program that provides one free year of contraceptives at organizations such as Planned Parenthood. So it’s definitely more affordable as a student, but what happens when you graduate?
To a billionaire, $600 a year may not sound like, but what about to someone who is hoping to find a job that’ll cover the rent?
As President Barack Obama’s new employer-provided health insurance plan seeks to provide women contraceptive coverage much, there will no doubt continue to be controversy. It is indeed a subject that has always provoked significant debate and raises the question about how the religious freedoms of institutions are represented. And these are real and valid questions that are being addressed.
But what makes it difficult is that in general, this conversation is being had by people seemingly very far removed from the pulse of the nation. Shouldn’t the decision ultimately be up to the 99 percent of women who, day in and day out, are responsible for their own reproductive decisions? Shouldn’t they be allowed to make the decision on their own consciences without having to worry about an exorbitant financial cost?
In economically difficult times, it seems that Obama is cognizant of the fact that women need to be supported as they make choices for their own futures and those of their families. When Viagra, which gives men the ability to start a family, is commonly covered by insurance, why is a woman’s choice to wait for a family not given the same financial credence?
It all comes back to the question of money. If you’ve got enough of it to not be bothered with this issue, will you really care? Do those who make the decisions for us on Capitol Hill really have our best interests at heart? Sometimes, it’s hard to see that.
What we really need are people involved in the conversation who understand what’s “inexpensive” for the average American. And, what we don’t need are billionaires telling us how simple it all is.