Jo Raphael: Hands off free contraception, National

National plans to reinstate prescription fees for contraception. Photo / NZME

OPINION:

We women tend to get the short end of the stick.

The erosion of women’s rights, that have been so hard-fought for, is nowhere more apparent to me than in the US.

The US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade a year ago allowed states the rights to make their own abortion laws.

The decision triggered a wave of state laws banning abortion with some states not even allowing exceptions for rape and incest or even the health of the mother.

I have watched this unfold in the US with horror, as the right for women to make their own health decisions has been brutally stripped away.

Too many US right-wing politicians are, in my view, unnaturally obsessed with what happens with women’s uteruses.

Decisions about reproductive health are no longer between a woman and her doctor - these issues are being debated on state senate and house floors all over that country. In my opinion, it’s weird and disgusting.

But no way can it happen in Aotearoa can it?

The decision to drop the $5 co-payment on prescription medicines was a progressive - some would say vote-grabbing - move by our Labour Government, announced in last month’s Budget.

But it was a move that will provide real, instant relief for many New Zealanders.

And also those who choose to use prescribed medical birth control.

I was horrified to learn Christopher Luxon’s plan to reinstate prescription fees, including for contraception if National got elected.

National doesn’t want to alienate female voters - but this will do exactly that.

As Lizzie Marvelly said in a recent opinion piece, on this topic: “While National’s recent statements may appeal to voters on the fringe, a far greater number of voters in the middle will find them disappointing.”

Free contraception will be good for the country.

Equitable access will lead to fewer unwanted babies, which means fewer people needing pre-natal care, childbirth expenses, ongoing reliance on social programmes, childcare. It will add up.

This money can be better spent on other things.

But the move also gives us a peek behind the blue curtain.

Do we need to be worried about our access to reproductive health in the long run?

I think National needs to walk back this stance, and fast. Find somewhere else to save dollars and leave contraception alone.

It’s my firm view politicians should only facilitate access to reproductive health, not restrict it, nor be able to have a say in how women use it.

Let’s not devolve into a country where women’s reproductive rights are at the mercy of a right-wing ideology that will only lead to harm.

Jo Raphael is a news director for NZME Bay of Plenty and has been a journalist for 18 years.