3 Lies About Birth Control That Were Just Reinforced By The Hobby Lobby Ruling

[cal04]

1. Birth control is the same thing as abortion
The entire legal challenge against the Obama administration was based on the fundamental lie that certain types of FDA-approved contraception can end a pregnancy. The plaintiffs in this suit took the unscientific stance that pregnancy begins at fertilization and certain types of contraception, like the morning after pill and IUDs, are “abortion-inducing” because they prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg. But according to the legal definition of pregnancy, a woman is not actually considered to be pregnant until a fertilized egg is implanted in her uterine lining — so anything that inhibits ovulation, fertilization, or implantation is defined as birth control. And on top of that, there’s evidence that those types of contraception don’t actually prevent implantation in the first place.

(snip)
2. Birth control should be separated from other types of medical services
Hobby Lobby opponents have been concerned about the case’s implication for services beyond contraception, pointing out that other companies might cite their religious beliefs to refuse coverage for vaccinations, blood transfusions, or services for transgender individuals. The Court briefly attempted to quell those concerns, specifying that Monday’s decision “concerns only the contraceptive mandate” and shouldn’t be interpreted to apply to other services like vaccines.

(snip)
3. It’s easier for the government to pay for people’s birth control so that companies don’t have to
In his opinion, Alito suggests that the government could simply “assume the cost of providing the four contraceptives to women unable to obtain coverage due to their employers’ religious objections.” That may sound like a reasonable compromise. But in the context of our current insurance system, it doesn’t necessarily make much sense.

(snip)
And, as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg writes in her dissent to Monday’s opinion, the government’s safety net system for affordable contraception can’t necessarily accommodate more women. The Title X program is currently the publicly-funded family planning program that’s supposed to help low-income women afford their reproductive health care. But it’s been plagued with rounds of budget cuts in states across the country — often led by Republican lawmakers who oppose the idea of taxpayer funded birth control — and it’s struggling to provide care for all the women who need help. As a result, unintended pregnancies have become increasingly concentrated among poor women who lack access to birth control.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/06/30/3454815/birth-control-lies-hobby-lobby-ruling/

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. DU Rec.

[RockaFowler]

2. Just more idiotic decisions from the Roberts Court

[Xipe Totec]

3. It’s easier for the government to pay for people’s birth control so that companies don’t have to...

Let's take that to it's logical conclusion

It’s easier for the government to pay for people’s health care so that companies don’t have to.

Sounds like the opening salvo of single payer.

[woodsprite]

4. Wonder if they'll cover the drugs if they're prescribed for

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or to regulate cycles as part of infertility treatment in order to conceive.

[Mariana]

5. If they really, truly believe

that BC pills work by causing abortions, then probably not. In fact, it'll be pretty telling if they do cover it for those conditions, but not for preventing pregnancy - that would indicate that they don't really believe these drugs/devices are abortifacients.

[lancer78]

6. This ruling makes me think

of this scene from Monty Python.

[Vogon_Glory]

7. That Sounds Like How Those People Think

That sounds like how the anti-abortion fanatics think. I was outside the US Supreme Court with a different demonstration watching and listening to the anti-abortion activists' antics before and after the decision was handed down, and I'd say that's a pretty accurate description of their mindsets.

Today they continue their sneak attack on birth control, Tomorrow they criminalize abortion, the day after, they outlaw contraceptives.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. And how many women have been on birth control pills for other medical reasons?

I was prescribed oral contraceptives for endometriosis when I was younger.

[Enthusiast]

9. Kicked and recommended!