President Donald Trump is already on shaky ground when it comes to respecting women and their rights. Now, he’s taking something else without their consent.

The Trump administration announced plans to roll back federal mandates requiring employers to provide birth control coverage as part of health insurance policy on the basis of “religious or moral reasons.” As expected with this president, men who will never experience a period or unwanted pregnancies know what women’s need for their reproductive organs are.

The move is just the latest example of the Trump administration’s petty attempt at overturning the Affordable Care Act — a move that would slash coverage for more than 55 million women, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. In a country that boasts a separation between church and state, this rollback is the latest example that freedom of religion is only applicable if it fits into the Christian doctrine.

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Friday that the federal government’s decision was a “disgraceful” attack against American women, especially low-income recipients.

“Instead of advancing women’s rights, this Administration is rolling back a century’s worth of progress for women in this country,” Cuomo said. “This reckless decision, which will undoubtedly come down the hardest on low-income women, is repugnant to everything we know is right and just.”

The White House is about to roll back mandatory birth control coverage by your insurance plan.

NY will not go back https://t.co/GK3SqhswrV

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) October 6, 2017

Following suit, New York state Assemblymember Pamela Hunter (D-Syracuse)  blasted the administration for toying with an issue that “goes beyond the choice debate.”

“This isn’t about politics … Some women with reproductive health disorders rely on birth control to alleviate their symptoms,” she said. “Limiting their access to contraceptives puts their health at risk and places an unfair barrier between women and the care they need.”

Beyond pregnancy prevention, birth control is also used for treating irregular menstrual cycles, acne, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, anemia and plenty of other health issues. Trump’s complete disregard for women’s health isn’t surprising, given the GOP’s repeated attempts at revamping healthcare would strip coverage of female-centered pre-existing conditions including menstrual irregularities and pregnancy.

This is just Trump’s newest attack on women’s reproductive rights.

The GOP also plans on restricting abortions after 20 weeks, defunding Planned Parenthood and roll back funding of the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Program, which has helped slash the national pregnancy rate by 42 percent in the last ten years, according to a 2016 Pew Research Center study.

As someone who has used birth control to alleviate menstrual irregularities and autoimmune health complications, I am tired of a 71-year-old man telling me how best to take care of my body. Female sexuality is an unrequivocated right, not something any woman should have to ask permission for.

No uterus? No opinion.

Kelsey Thompson is a junior magazine journalism major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at katho101@syr.edu.

Published on October 7, 2017 at 9:55 am