Conspiracy, Corporate Favor or “Error”? Fact is, Something Must Change — NOW!

To a conspiracy theorist, the ten-fold cost in birth control for low-income and college women would appear to be the work of the religious political extremist associated with the Bush Administration. In 2007, the cost of birth control increased from approximately $5-$10 per month to $40-$50 per month for low-income women and college students. This huge jump has lead many to quit using this form of contraceptive simply because they cannot afford it. This would lead the conspiracy theorist to speculate that the extreme right has found a way to “get rid” of birth control for a majority of American women.

But, a closer look at the issue shows that it was more of a “favor” for the major drug companies. Okay, maybe that’s a conspiracy theory too.

The real reason for the drastic increase in the cost of birth control for these women is actually the fall-out from a provision in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2006. Let’s give congress the benefit of the doubt and assume it was a “technical error” on their part — a technical error that went into play January 1, 2007 and has still not been corrected. It’s been over a year now. It’s time for congress to act.

We need to put the pressure on them to correct this “error.” And, the only way to do this is to demand support for the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act. Visit Planned Parenthood Federation of America to take action on this issue and demand congress “fix” their error immediately!

Visit the WMU Vox page to help spread the word in southwest Michigan. Or email ppscm for more information on how you can help where you live.