In the fabulous land of Theory, Rush Limbaugh has apologized for his remarks about Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke. In the world of Reality, it’s not much an apology, more of a justification. Limbaugh’s remarks included the following:
“I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability?”
By social activity, he means sex, and specifically, sex between a woman and a man, which is the only way pregnancy can occur. So my question to Mr. Limbaugh is this: Where are the men? The ones who are having sex with the women wanting contraception? The health insurance industry subsidizes the sex lives of older men, paying for drugs to treat erectile dysfunction. Younger men who “get around” are revered by both their peers and by popular culture. Yet somehow, women need to be more personally and financially responsible about sex.
Let’s assume a culture and enforceable legal system in which every single time a man had sex, he knew that there was a possibility of pregnancy. DNA testing can confirm paternity beyond a doubt, and let’s assume that every single pregnancy would require a man to pay for 18 years of child support, even if he was already married, paying off student loans, had met the woman only once before, or had to take a second or even third job to support the child. Let’s assume a cost of effective contraception high enough and an economy tight enough that married couples had to supplement responsible family planning with a hope and a prayer, the latter method by some politicians.
Here’s what I think would happen: politicians and economists would talk about on-demand contraception as a keystone to building personal and family wealth. Easy access to contraception would be hailed as an important step to our country’s financial recovery. Men would routinely make financial donations to Planned Parenthood and they would be on the phone with their elected officials, requesting that birth control be included in all health plans.
Mr. Limbaugh, the problem that exists is not that there is no “personal responsibility” about sex, but we behave as if only women are involved in these “social” activities. Sex is about all adults, not just the 51%.
