Contra(Inter)ception

Ok y'all, it's time to get serious - Election day is in four days. FOUR DAYS!
If you've been following me, you're aware that I am pretty riled up about the whole thing.
This election is one of the most crucial in our nation's history.

Regardless of what you think of the rest of this post, or what side of the line you stand on, PLEASE exercise your right to vote. If you don't contribute, you don't get a say. 

I am incredibly emphatic about a lot of issues at stake in this election. Predominantly the social concerns. I guess I just think that all Americans should be treated equally. Crazy, right? Well, anyway, there are some issues that are particularly important to me that I want to talk about. The first of these is a little thing called "Women's Rights."

I dunno if you've heard anything about it, but there are a bunch of folks out there who think that they have the right to tell women of our nation what we should do with our bodies.
Hm.
Interesting...
You know, it's hard enough being a modern woman without having to fight for basic rights to our own bodies. Do they have ANY IDEA how hard it is to be taken seriously but remain light and feminine at the same time? Or to balance career goals with traditional feminine decisions like marriage? Or to find a good deodorant?
Being a 21st Century Lady is tough business. 

We've come SO far. We have careers. We have Oprah and Tina Fey. We have spanx! 
And now these men are trying to bring us down!

The truth is, dealing with contraceptives is hard enough as it is! Out of the countless women I know, only a tiny percentage of them are even happy with the type of birth control that they have! Too many hormones, not enough hormones, too permanent, too impermanent, uncomfortable, unsafe, unsure. 
There are SOO many freaky factors and things to consider about what kind of birth control to use, that it is an incredibly sensitive and STRESSFUL issue all on it's own! THEN we have to add the additional concern that we may not even be legally allowed to get it? OR in extreme situations get FIRED for using it? No. Fucking. Way. 

I live in Arizona, which is particularly conservative on women's rights, even though, ironically, our governor is a woman.
In this state alone in the last four years, TWENTY-SIX bills have been introduced that diminish women's rights! TWENTY-SIX!
On top of that, congressionally, Republicans are trying to ban abortion altogether AND end all federal funding for Planned Parenthood! 
By the way - 97% of the work done at planned parenthood is not abortions. It is contraception, cancer screenings, prenatal care and guidance, and more. Women NEED a place to go to get that kind of help. Because, while we're at it- the conservatives ALSO don't believe in Universal Health Care! So basically they are continually chipping away at any and all chances women have to get the help they need. Awesome.

In the end it's not even necessarily about the birth control itself (even though it is), it's about the fight for women's rights and us getting total control over not only our own bodies but our own futures.

Ok. Whew! Enough about the baby-makers. Let's talk equal pay real quickly.

For those of you who don't know, THE VERY FIRST bill that President Obama signed into law is called The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This law states that women who do the same job as men are required to be paid the same amount. Go figure. 

It is MIND BOGGLING to me that anyone, especially women, can support a candidate who openly says that he/she does not believe that women deserve equal pay for the exact same work. What. The. What?! There is NO other way to spin that than sexism on the brink of misogyny. HOWEVER I believe in Pro-Choice on all issues - including who women choose to vote for.

These issues are just the tip of the iceberg. 
The controversies involved in this election not only extend to women's rights, but gay rights, immigration rights, citizen's rights and so much more. 
Women have come so far, and yet there's still so much to be done. The pill has only been publicly legal to the masses for 50 years. We haven't even had the right to vote for 100 years yet! 
How can we respect ourselves until we require the public, the law and the government to respect us as well?

We need to elect a president who truly believes that All PEOPLE are created Equal. 
Period.