hello, I am a slut

And so are all my friends, apparently. After all, since almost every female I know is on some kind of birth control – whether it be for health issues that give them extremely painful and miserable periods, irregular and unpredictable periods, or yes, to be able to have sex without getting pregnant – we must all be sluts.

What decade are we in? The last time I checked it was 2012. The TWENTY-FIRST century, y'all.

So can somebody tell me WHY THE HELL women are suddenly being attacked for taking a stand for themselves, their sexuality and their HEALTH?

Here's the thing. I get that birth control is (generally) not a life-saving drug that women absolutely must take to survive. So if you want to argue that one institution or another (be it the government or employers or health care or whoever) shouldn't have to pay to make it affordable for women, that's fine. But then you better be prepared to accept my argument that they shouldn't pay for any other - not ONE single other - medication that isn't 100% lifesaving. I'm betting that is an argument you won't like.

I can't with this thing too much or it will just turn into a rant. But if you want to read more about this issue, I sincerely encourage you to check out the links below, particularly the first by Donna Ladd, editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press in Mississippi.

Living in Hell

Birth control as election issue? Why?

Rush Limbaugh calls woman on birth control 'slut,' but she shows class

Rush Limbaugh Doubles Down on Sandra Fluke, Offering 'As Much Aspirin to Put Between Her Knees As She Wants'

And of course, Jon Stewart's take on the whole thing, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Gross

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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He makes several good points, as always, but the best is, "To the people who are upset about their hard-earned tax money going to something they don't like... Welcome to the f***ing club. Everyone pays for sh** they don't want to all the time. Reimburse me for the Iraq war and oil subsidies and diaphragms are on me!"

It is the 19th Amendment that gives women the right to vote. Which means that 18 other amendments were put forth and ratified before the government seriously considered, "Hey, maybe we should extend this basic right to the other fully HALF of our population - to the ones that give us half of our genes, who carry us for nine months inside their bodies, who nurture and raise and teach us. Maybe we should let all people whom these laws affect have a voice in approving or denying them." YOU THINK?!

But, however late to the party it may have been, it is also the 19th Amendment that gives us the power to keep this shit out of the White House. All the ladies out there - all the sluts out there - let's stand up and show what we think of this issue.