progress on the prairie

Congressman Sullivan’s response to an email I sent him asking him to support HR4054:

Dear Ms. Beam, 

Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 4054, the Prevention through
Affordable Access Act.  I appreciate hearing from you on this important
issue and welcome the opportunity to respond. 

H.R. 4054 seeks to nullify a section of the Deficit Reduction Act, which
caused many pharmaceutical companies to stop selling birth control to
schools at reduced prices.  Specifically, the bill would allow
pharmaceutical companies to sell birth control at discount rates to
college clinics, and safety net healthcare providers.

I am committed to reducing the number of abortions and protecting the
mental and physical health of American women.  I believe abstinence
education is an important part of our fight against sexually transmitted
diseases, unplanned pregnancies, the abortions that ensue, and the
physical and emotional scars.  Currently, taxpayer dollars are allotted
to various sex education programs supporting both sides of the
abstinence debate. If a tax dollar can be used to fund “safe sex”
education programs, it should also be applied to abstinence education.
I believe that “safe sex” is not always safe and that our young women
deserve to be fully informed before making decisions that will affect
them for the rest of their life.

As your Representative, I will continue to support fact-based
legislation that benefits the health of American women.  Currently, this
bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, I
will keep your concerns in mind.

 Again, thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts on this
important issue.  It is an honor to serve you in Washington and
Oklahoma.  Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future via email
to share concerns that you and your family may have, or please visit my
website at http://sullivan.house.gov <http://sullivan.house.gov/>

Sincerely,
John Sullivan
Member of Congress

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So, this response doesn’t make sense.  He’s not supporting cheaper and more accessible birth control because money should be spent on both abstinence and safe sex education?  What?  What I’m reading here is that he’s not supporting cheaper and more accessible birth control because he thinks that women need to put more thought into having sex?  Like making birth control more expensive and less accessible will make people THINK more about their sex decisions?  Newsflash: IT DOESN’T.  All it does is ensure that more and more couples (homosexual and heterosexual) do not have safe sex–because they are GOING TO HAVE SEX IF THEY FEEL LIKE IT AND YOU CAN’T STOP THEM BY MAKING BIRTH CONTROL LESS AVAILABLE SO FUCK OFF WITH THIS BULLSHIT.

And what is FUCKING WITH the notion that keeping women away from the pill is a good thing?  Like we think that just because we’re on the pill that sex without condoms is a great idea.  Women who are on the pill know more about STD prevention than most–because you have to get a prescription for it from a GYNO who will inform you about all methods of birth control, what they do, what they don’t do, etc.  Making any form of birth control less accessible is just stupid all around.

Besides that, does he even fucking realize that men need birth control, too?  This is about everyone who is sexually active or considering being so.  God damn.  I’m going to start carrying and handing out condoms–they do have cheap ones, 10 for a dollar, at the campus clinic at TU, but they suck.  They’re basically like balloons–thickish unlubed material.  Yugh.  Not enjoyable for either party. 

Looks like I’ll be writing Sullivan back soon…  once my shit calms down a little…

Hearties,
Beamish