A bit ago, I wrote about the kerfuffle regarding thepillkills.com, their stance on abortion, and subsequent plans to picket Planned Parenthood locations nationwide. Following that bit of head-shaking, I was stunned upon viewing this CNN video (sent by reader, Amy). I’ll admit to having watched it several times, for at first I was positive that it was some clever spoof of The Onion’s; but, nary, what I’d viewed was honest-to-goodness reality.

The DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) is proposing to define birth control and IUDs as “abortion.”

I’ll tell you that I’m not getting my panties in a bunch… yet. Having the pill and/or the humble IUD defined as “abortion” would require some fancy footwork; the very definition of life itself would have to be changed. That being said, I’m still dumbstruck that a proposition so patently ludicrous would make it up so far up the departmental ladder. What’s next? Shall we define condoms as abortion? The spilling of sperm whenever a male-bodied person masturbates? The shedding of the uterine lining and unfertilized egg? My mind reels with possibilities.

If you are concerned, please take it upon yourself to review this snippet from Planned Parenthood:

This is outrageous. Can you imagine living in a place where
health insurers won’t cover birth control because it is
considered an “abortion”? Where even rape survivors are denied
emergency contraception? Where you have to worry whether your
doctor will deliberately withhold information from you based on
his or her own personal bias?

It seems unbelievable, but the Bush administration is quietly
trying to redefine “abortion” to include birth control,
jeopardizing access to basic health care for millions of women.
The Houston Chronicle says this could wipe out dozens of state
laws that protect women’s reproductive freedom and that protect
rape survivors. And this proposed “rule change” doesn’t need
congressional approval.

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is fighting back. I just
signed a message to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike
Leavitt, whose department is considering this rule change,
telling him: “Birth control is NOT abortion.” Can you add your
voice to this cause? Click here to sign the message.

Reproductive choice is something that matters to all of us; let’s make sure we continue to have control over our own bodies, and not let others control them for us.