The GOP’s War Against Women

You’d think that they would just do the numbers and realize that by singling out women for punishment, the Republicans in congress would discover that women vote, too. Since Women’s Suffrage passed, anyway.

Statistically, you know, women account for 51% of the electorate.

But no, according to the Congressional Record, Republicans appear to be in all out war with “the fairer sex.”

Witness H.R. 3, a Republican-sponsored bill (with a whopping 211 co-sponsors) that promises to raise taxes on millions of women and families that pay for health insurance which includes, as part of the health benefits, an abortion.

I swear, it’s true. Here is the text:

“(1) no credit shall be allowed under the internal revenue laws with respect to amounts paid or incurred for an abortion or with respect to amounts paid or incurred for a health benefits plan (including premium assistance) that includes coverage of abortion.”

See? It’s pretty clear that this legislation punishes women even for purchasing health insurance if it covers an abortion, even if the insured women never take advantage of that health benefit. The punishment then would preclude a woman from buying insurance that covers abortion, and, I might add, preclude a health insurance company from offering coverage.

It is, in short, a tax on women based on other people’s religious beliefs over when human life begins.

But wait, there’s more.

Women’s health is under attack on the budget front as well.

H.R. 1, the so-called budget bill, as it is developing, is steadily evolving to a second front on the Republican War Against Women.

Budget cuts that affect women, and women only, include the following:

Defunding Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is a national program to promote women’s health and well-being as well as providing contraception, family planning advice, and, yes, abortions. Millions of women benefit from Planned Parenthood’s services. Many would not be alive right now if it weren’t for them.

And yes, they also provide abortion services.

But not only that, Republican budget cuts in have completely defunded Title X health care benefits for low-income women. Gone will be their access to cancer screening, HIV tests and access to family planning.

Republicans are at War With Women, and it’s clear to me that this is yet another issue that didn’t come up during the mid-term election, which they tell me was a “referendum on Obamacare.” But it is clear to me now that misogyny is on their hidden agenda.

Now, I know that Republicans hate poor people, and some poor people vote for Republicans whenever they can for some unfathomable reason. Too, it now seems that Republicans hate women, and some women also vote for Republicans whenever they can, again for reasons that seem baseless to me.

And you definitely get what you vote for. They say it isn’t personal, it’s just budget cutting, but I’d say that losing your health care doesn’t get any more personal.

If you want to lodge your complaint, or maybe cast a ballot that you missed casting in November, you can do that at California Senator Barbara Boxer's petition which can be found right here.

I did.