Oklahoma senators spurned fearmongering about women's health. Will the House and governor step up?

Yahoo

14-04-2025

A packet of birth control pills is pictured. (Getty Images) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.)
A tip of the hat to Oklahoma's state senators who managed to do some good governing that, for once, actually would help improve women's health.
These brave lawmakers voted to allow women to access six months's worth of birth control at a time. That would make life infinitely easier for tens of thousands of Oklahomans who rely on contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies or to treat other medical problems such as acne, irregular periods or endometriosis.
Any legislation aimed at safely blocking unplanned pregnancies should be an easy win for lawmakers who have all but banned abortions and who abhor the idea of women traveling out of state or taking medicine to end pregnancies.
But apparently even the idea of easing women's access to birth control was still a bridge too far for a 13-member bloc of Republicans who spent considerable time fearmongering and bashing their constituents who utilize safe sex practices.
In their minds, men and women who rely on extremely safe and common contraceptives are murderers because they're preventing the fertilization of a human embryo.
I've been called a lot of things in my life, but I think that's the first time I've been accused of murder.
This is a good reminder that legislators should really think before they speak. KFF reported that last year, 82% of reproductive-aged women used a contraceptive. Oral birth control and condoms were the most common.
At one time, I utilized oral contraceptives for family planning purposes. My doctor and I – not my elected representatives – determined daily medication was the best option for me. The oral birth control pills my doctor prescribed required that I take them at the same time each day for them to be effective.
At the end of each month, I would cringe because I had to make a special trip to the pharmacy to refill the prescription. Anybody who has ventured to a pharmacy knows it can be an arduous process.
There was a period of time when my insurance company allowed me to get a two-month supply at once, which was a small miracle. But at some point that benefit vanished.
That's one reason I was so thrilled to hear that lawmakers were considering legislation that would enshrine that convenience into law threefold.
But rather than focusing on the good that it would do, some of our lawmakers focused on insulting not only women's honor by accusing them of murder, but their intelligence.
They railed about how 'very dangerous' contraceptives are.
Republican Sen. Dusty Deevers went so far as to insist that women on birth control have smaller-than-normal brains and increased rates of depression, anger and suicide. He also said birth control pills cause women's sex drives to decrease, leading to less intercourse. And he warned of increased rates of blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, and cervical cancer.
Using contraception is a choice. And it should always remain an accessible choice — for both men and women who want to lower their chances of contracting a sexually transmitted infection or becoming a parent.
Contraception is not for everyone. I respect the decision of women who choose not to use it for whatever reason just as I respect the decision of women who need access to it.
And yes, there are very low risks to using contraceptives – just like there are with any medication. But as it turns out, women face higher risks of blood clots and stroke while pregnant compared with being on birth control. I wonder why lawmakers conveniently forgot to mention that little nugget.
I took acetaminophen while writing this column because legislators' arguments were making my small brain hurt. Out of curiosity I decided to read about the possible side effects of generic Tylenol. It turns out that it can cause bloody stool, produce sores on the lips, or make eyes or skin turn yellow.
And since men in the Oklahoma Legislature feel the need to focus on medication that primarily affects women, I decided to look into one for them. Complications of a popular men's drug to treat erectile dysfunction include risks such as vision changes and hearing loss.
There's a risk to everything in life. Some are greater than others. But that's why medications are prescribed in consultation with our trusted physicians, and each medication comes with a disclaimer.
Oftentimes the benefits outweigh the risks.
Most rational people understand that you can't murder what doesn't exist, and just because someone is engaged in sexual intercourse doesn't mean they're automatically going to fertilize an embryo. Just ask the families who are struggling to conceive. Experts place the odds of becoming pregnant at around 15% to 25% each month though things like age and sexual frequency could impact that.
Luckily, a bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats saw through the charade, because there was a brief moment when I thought the Democrat-proposed bill would meet a terrible demise.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Now we must wait and see if our House legislators and governor can match that intestinal fortitude.
We women are watching.
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