By: Aimee Hancock
When it comes to birth control, many Bowling Green State University students agree that it is an important option for women and that they should have easy access. Yet there are disagreements regarding the payment.
This debate has become a hot issue in Washington after the Obama administration’s decision to require insurance plans to cover the cost of birth control. According to an article on MSNBC.com, women who are insured will be able to receive contraceptives with no required copayment.
While some students support this mandate, others have a different opinion. For instance, Senior Emily Fairbanks, 23, believes that mandated full coverage is simply “unnecessary” and that if women want the product they should have to purchase it themselves.
Sophomore, Bailey Bloch, 19, pointed out that many insurance companies cover the cost of Viagra for men, so the coverage of birth control can be considered just as necessary.
The mandate does not make an exception for religiously affiliated employers, according to the Huffington Post. This has generated much disagreement from religious communities. Republican John Boehner has been quoted as calling this mandate an “attack on religious freedom,” according to an article on ABCNews.com.
Yet many students see this accusation as a bit extreme. BGSU freshman Kevin Storer, 19, said, “The government concedes to religion all the time”.
Twenty-year-old sophomore Rachel Schirra, a friend of Storer, agrees. She said, “What happened to separation of church and state?”
There are also disagreements in whether or not this topic should be of such magnitude in regards to politics. Rachel Schirra, 20 and a sophomore, said that politicians, specifically the GOP candidates, should be focusing on more important issues. Storer said that the opinions of candidates on this issue would not affect whom he voted for.
Furthermore, given that this has been a big subject in politics, many students believe that there must be understanding and compromise from both sides. Sophomore Brice Tarbox, 19, said that within the “arena of politics” there needs to be “give and take”.