Letter - Women's health and the Constitution

To the editor:

A recent letter to the Echo Press stated our president is shredding the Constitution by trampling on religious liberties. He is doing so by cleverly arguing in favor of “women’s health” and contraception. How dastardly, he!

I perused that same Constitution recently and found nothing within that ordained government intervention between a woman and her doctor. Maybe the Founding Fathers missed something. It seems unlikely though, as the congressional brouhaha over this came entirely from “fathers.” The whole problem with the writer’s position is that when Congress leapt into the fray to save us all, it did so by holding hearings involving...men only! Old men. Old white men. Old white men, several of whom are professional celibates. This was a bad Monty Python movie.

It is amazing that insurance covers the male side, i.e., erectile dysfunction, of this issue while leaving women to fend for themselves on the contraception side. Honestly, I can’t believe anyone would think it a good idea that every sexual encounter should lead to pregnancy? Think of the school funding costs alone!

This past week an Indiana lawmaker claimed the Girl Scouts of America have a close strategic affiliation with Planned Parenthood (true story!). Thus, he says the Girl Scouts must be “pro-abortion” and promote “homosexual lifestyles.” His conclusions are undoubtedly based on GSA having that word in its title – GIRL! In the same week, the state of Virginia proposed legislation requiring a woman considering an abortion (a legal procedure) to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound procedure. A medical procedure ordered by the government – involving vaginal penetration. This time, finally, even pro-life Republican women jumped up and said, “Enough.”

Men should recuse themselves from women’s health issues. If not, it’s time for congresswomen to hold hearings on Viagra, with only women as witnesses.

Tom Obert

Alexandria, MN

Tags: opinion, letters