Synthaholic
Diamond Member
Iran Is More Progressive Than The GOP On Birth Control
Obamacares contraception coverage mandate is clearly out-of-step with the American public, 61 percent of whom believe that even religious employers should be required to cover contraception for their workers. And in fact, it turns out the right-wing opposition to robust family planning benefits would be too extreme even in the socially-conservative Islamic Republic of Iran.
Andrew Sullivan flagged an interview with author Alan Weisman, who described Iran as having one of the worlds best family-planning systems.
The reason for its success? Widespread support for free contraception and family-planning services for all Iranians who want them, including from the current Supreme Leader and spiritual head Ayatollah Ali Khamenei:
[T]he present ayatollah, Khamenei, issued a fatwa saying there was nothing in the Quran against having an operation if you felt that you had enough children that you could take care of. Everything from condoms through pills, injections, tubal ligations, vasectomies, IUDs everything was free, and everything was available in the farthest reaches of the country.
Weisman goes on to describe an Iranian OB/GYN who traveled across Irans small villages to provide birth control, perform vasectomies and tubal ligations, and give out condoms all for free to any Iranian who wanted her services. Thats a far cry from many American conservatives take on family planning.
Obamacares birth control benefit has helped 27 million American women afford STI screenings, domestic violence screenings, and birth control in the year since it went into effect. Nonetheless, Republican attorneys general in six states have vowed to keep fighting against this provision of the health reform law. And for-profit employers such as the Oklahoma-based arts and crafts chain Hobby Lobby have also resisted it, claiming a religious objection to covering contraception. A federal judge recently ruled that Hobby Lobby would not have to adhere to the requirement, setting up a potential showdown with the Obama administration.
Obamacares contraception coverage mandate is clearly out-of-step with the American public, 61 percent of whom believe that even religious employers should be required to cover contraception for their workers. And in fact, it turns out the right-wing opposition to robust family planning benefits would be too extreme even in the socially-conservative Islamic Republic of Iran.
Andrew Sullivan flagged an interview with author Alan Weisman, who described Iran as having one of the worlds best family-planning systems.
The reason for its success? Widespread support for free contraception and family-planning services for all Iranians who want them, including from the current Supreme Leader and spiritual head Ayatollah Ali Khamenei:
[T]he present ayatollah, Khamenei, issued a fatwa saying there was nothing in the Quran against having an operation if you felt that you had enough children that you could take care of. Everything from condoms through pills, injections, tubal ligations, vasectomies, IUDs everything was free, and everything was available in the farthest reaches of the country.
Weisman goes on to describe an Iranian OB/GYN who traveled across Irans small villages to provide birth control, perform vasectomies and tubal ligations, and give out condoms all for free to any Iranian who wanted her services. Thats a far cry from many American conservatives take on family planning.
Obamacares birth control benefit has helped 27 million American women afford STI screenings, domestic violence screenings, and birth control in the year since it went into effect. Nonetheless, Republican attorneys general in six states have vowed to keep fighting against this provision of the health reform law. And for-profit employers such as the Oklahoma-based arts and crafts chain Hobby Lobby have also resisted it, claiming a religious objection to covering contraception. A federal judge recently ruled that Hobby Lobby would not have to adhere to the requirement, setting up a potential showdown with the Obama administration.
