OPINION:
Feminists are declaring a sex strike for Obamacare-subsidized birth control. The group Liberal Ladies Who Lunch is organizing “Access Denied,” a week-long exercise in self-denial starting April 28. The strike is supposed to motivate men to stand up for government-funded birth control “because when we lose our reproductive choices, so do they.” This is akin to protesting welfare cuts by getting a job.
Highlighting opposition to Obamacare-subsidized birth control by abstaining from sex is a bit off-message for the feminists. This isn’t exactly Lysistrata trying to stop the Peloponnesian War. In this case, activists are abandoning the activity that causes their supposed need for the birth-control handout. The only people affected are their unfortunate husbands and boyfriends who may begin to question their devotion to being sensitive New Age guys.
Conservatives should applaud the strike. Abstention is well-regarded on the right, and not simply because it is 100 percent effective in preventing unwanted pregnancies. Taking a week off from promiscuity may give young women an opportunity to think about their life choices. Perhaps there is more to being a woman than ensuring the government supplies the means to engage in limitless hookups. Nursing chastity for a week puts necessary perspective on the type of subsidized sexuality that’s at the center of the debate.
Liberals think the issue is a winner. On Sunday, Sen. Charles Schumer, New York Democrat, claimed the “latest polls show we’re up by 15 percent” among women voters, but Mr. Schumer should check his facts. A month ago, President Obama’s support was 51 percent among women in the Gallup weekly survey. In the latest poll, it’s still 51 percent. A Washington Post poll revealed Mr. Obama’s gains among women were within the margin of error. A CBS/New York Times poll released Monday showed Mr. Obama “lost some support among women over the past month, even as the debate raged over birth-control insurance coverage.”
The deeper poll numbers explain why. To the extent people have an opinion, they side against the administration. Fifty-one percent said all employers should be able to opt out of government-mandated birth-control programs, which rose to 57 percent when asked about religiously affiliated employers. Asked what is the “most important problem facing the country today,” jobs and the economy combined got 51 percent of responses. All other issues were in low single digits. Democrats might think harping on this issue fires up their base, but to the average voter, it is time wasted that could better be devoted to getting the economy out of the ditch.
In response to the radical feminist sex strike, a conservative group on Facebook announced “Access Granted,” a week in which women can “spend quality time with their husbands (or significant others) and to appreciate that a true man will stand behind us when we truly believe in something.” The group calls on women to “vow to not use your intimate relationship as a ’weapon’ to get what you want. Have respect for yourselves!” Meanwhile, maybe leftists could protest limits on federally funded abortion by abstaining from killing the unborn.
The Washington Times
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