THE DIFFERENCES

Playing out across our national stage are perfect and interesting illustrations of the definition of the word ‘different.’  For instance, we have a veritable array of political candidates, religious representatives, commentators and anyone else who can inject their opinions into the fray, all of whom are indignant at the sacrilegious idea that a business operated by a religious institution must provide health care for their employees that includes coverage for birth control, if the employee wishes it.  These folks do not see birth control as an element of women’s health, they see it as a sacrilege.  But the women employees involved may have a different viewpoint.  They, and lots of others, may see the refusal of these people to allow access to birth control as an effort to impose their religious beliefs on everyone else.  You see, it can work both ways.  And there are those of us who are amazed that there was never any such furor about products such as Viagra being offered for men.  So it’s okay for men to have sexual enhancements covered by insurance, but not for women to choose what happens to them.  No, this seems to be a religion versus women situation, being turned for political reasons into a healthcare/President versus religion situation.  But I suspect that regardless of the rhetoric, women fully realize what it is really all about.  Women know the difference between their bodies and those of others.  Between their religion and that of others.

And now we have an illustrious radio commentator weighing in on the situation, against a young law student.  And here the differences in this argument become even clearer.  The radio commentator, whom I can only describe as a truly nasty old man, has actually verbally attacked this young law student for standing up for her beliefs and concerns, not only for herself but for all other women who would be affected by removing birth control benefits from the new health insurance programs.  Here we have a young, intelligent, articulate, educated woman giving testimony about the economic burden of obtaining birth control, for married and single women, and being attacked vilely for doing so, by a commentator who claims to be conservative, but apparently has no values.  It is obvious that this commentator does not care about women, about decency, about anything except promoting himself and what increasingly appears to be his twisted and vulgar viewpoint.  And here again, the difference is clear.  And women know the difference between what is right and what are the ravings of a dirty old man.