Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters by Jessica Valenti

powerful organizations, and even the president are creating new ways to keep birth control away from us every day.
    Check this one out: At publication time, a lawmaker in Wisconsin, Representative Daniel LeMahieu, is close to banning birth control from being distributed in any of that state’s colleges. And again—it’s all about The Sex or, in this case, fear of spring break. (Cue scary music.) LeMahieu got all bent out of shape when he saw an ad in a University of Wisconsin campus paper that recommended picking up some emergency contraception (EC) before heading out for spring break. Most would say a smart idea, no? Everyone knows that plenty of The Sexing goes on during spring break, and that in case a condom breaks it’s good to have backup birth control. That’s not exactly how LeMahieu saw it: “I am outraged that our public institutions are giving young college women the tools for having promiscuous sexual relations, whether on campus or thousands of miles away on spring break.” 1
    Many women who get abortions say that concern for their existing children is a key factor in their decision. That sounds like the opposite of “ selfish” to me

    Girls Gone Wild on Birth Control! Because who among us hasn’t gotten a little wet in the panties when confronted with contraception? That plastic case is just so . . . sexy. Anyway, this ad started LeMahieu on his banning-birth-control crusade—it’s just a matter of time before colleges in other states follow his lead.
    Unfortunately, it’s not just on college campuses that we can’t get birth control. Women of all ages are being denied contraception at the one place you’re supposed to be able to get it—the pharmacy. Imagine this: You take your monthly trip to the local pharmacy for your birth control pills. When you hand your prescription slip to the pharmacist, he randomly asks you if you’re married or if you’re using the pills to regulate your period. When you answer him (even though you’d like to smack him silly and tell him it’s none of his business), you say that you use the pill for the reason most women do—to avoid getting pregnant—and no,
you’re not married. He tells you sorry, but he can’t fill the prescription—he doesn’t believe in premarital sex. Even when you inform him it doesn’t really matter what he thinks, he still refuses. It gets so bad that you have to go find a police officer to escort you into the store and force him to give you your pills.
    Sounds ridiculous (and fucking annoying), but this is what actually happened to college student Amanda Phiede in 2004 in Wisconsin—and that’s just one woman’s story. 2
    Pharmacists all over the country have been straight-up refusing to give women birth control, even though it’s their job. And because of the introduction of something called “conscience clause laws,” they’re getting away with it. Thirteen states have introduced laws that would allow pharmacists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to refuse to distribute medication that goes against their moral, ethical, or religious beliefs. So essentially, if a pharmacist thinks that premarital sex is wrong, they don’t have to give you your pills. If contraception is against their religion, they don’t have to dispense your medication. I don’t know about you, but when I go to the pharmacy I just want my pills, not a lecture about someone else’s morals.
    By the way, notice that pharmacists aren’t refusing to give men condoms or grilling them about their marital status. The anti-sexers really only focus on women (since we’re the keepers of the all-powerful hymen, I guess).
    I joke, but this is a huge deal. First it’s birth control. Next thing you know, nurses are refusing to treat gay
patients because homosexuality is against their religion. It’s scary shit.
    And while some states are creating laws that would force pharmacists and healthcare professionals to dispense contraception (you know,