The XX Factor: What women really think.

Abortion is Abortion and Contraception is Abortion Lite

A post from DoubleX writer Amanda Marcotte:

I can't tell if the Mikulski amendment covers contraception from the first news reports, but it's clear to me that the anti-choice lobby fears that it does. Of course, you have to speak right-wing-nut-ese to see this. The LifeNews article simply expresses concern that the bill will mandate abortion coverage, which is a ridiculous fear on its face. Ridiculous if you assume that by "abortion," LifeNews means abortion—ending a pregnancy through drugs or surgery. But often in anti-choice literature, "abortion" is treated as a catch-all phrase that means both abortion and hormonal contraception, and nonhormonal contraception is considered a form of Abortion Lite, because any kind of fertility control encourages the "abortion/contraception mentality" ... (Read the rest of this article in DoubleX.)

The "Botax" Is Actually a Great Idea

A post from DoubleX intern Jessica Dweck:

With all due respect to Slate's Christopher Beam, I don’t agree that the "botax" tucked into the Senate health care bill is a bad idea. Much as it pains me to swallow conventional wisdom, the obvious conclusion in this case—that taxing elective cosmetic surgery is a great way to raise revenue for health care reform—also happens to be the correct one ... (Read the rest of this article in DoubleX.)

Know More, Screen Less

Emily B, I agree with you that it’s really unfortunate that the conclusion that we don’t need to routinely do mammograms until 50, instead of aparking a national, rational discussion about the advisability of “screening and prevention,” has become the harbinger that we’re all going to live under British health care rationing. The debate over whether we benefit from searching for early cancers is not new, and no wonder the public is so confused. This is like the “no fat” to “no carbs” pendulum swings on official diet recommendation ... (Read the rest of this article in DoubleX.)

The New Mammogram Guidelines Smell Like Rationing

We keep hearing from proponents of health care reform that government rationing of health care is a “canard.” We don’t have health care reform yet, but with the new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that women shouldn’t get mammograms until the age of 50, and then only every two years, it feels like we’re getting the rationing.

The Los Angeles Times writes that “[i]nsurance companies and Medicare administrators … said they they would continue to pay for the procedure -- although it is not clear how long they can resist the panel's influence.” The LAT adds that the panel’s recommendations are “generally followed” by insurers and Medicare ... (Read the rest of this article in DoubleX.)

You Can't Wish the Crazy Away

A post from DoubleX writer Amanda Marcotte:

I usually love Charles Pierce's writing, but this recent piece in which he tries to pin some of the blame for the surge in right wing paranoia simply fails to make its point, and veers ever so slightly into the victim-blaming arena. It's tempting to suggest that if Obama made better choices, especially with regard to his appointments, then this whole right-wing freak-out wouldn't be so bad, but it simply isn't true ... (Read the rest of this article in DoubleX.)

Joe Wilson Deserves No Sympathy

A post from guest blogger Amanda Marcotte:

Hanna, I see what you're saying about how Joe Wilson is in the mainstream of South Carolina white culture, but that doesn't strike me as a reason to shy away from drawing the conclusion that he's a racist. If anything, that just seems to be more evidence that he is a racist. Whether we like to admit this about our fellow Americans or not, there are large parts of the country where the mainstream white culture is overtly racist. As a white person living in a red state, I'm sick of pretending that this doesn't create plenty of occasions where conservatives will say the most hair-curling racist things when they think they're out of the earshot of anyone who will confront them on it ... (Read more in DoubleX.)

Insurers Calling Domestic Violence a "Pre-existing Condition"

One knows all's fair in love and war—unless you toss health care into the mix. Under the prevailing practices of American health insurers, getting punched by a lover makes you a liability. Ryan Grim has the details:

Under the cold logic of the insurance industry, it makes perfect sense: If you are in a marriage with someone who has beaten you in the past, you're more likely to get beaten again than the average person and are therefore more expensive to insure.

In human terms, it's a second punishment for a victim of domestic violence ... (Read more in DoubleX)

Profits (and Race) Are What Health Care is All About

A post from DoubleX writer Amanda Marcotte:

A couple of years ago, my very right-wing stepfather was giving me a ride from the airport, and he told me something I would have never thought he'd outright admit: He'd watched a documentary on TV that referenced a study that showed the inverse relationship between ethnic diversity and social welfare programs. "It seems," he mused, "that those little European nations with high taxes where everyone's on the dole are that way because everyone looks the same."

I didn't know how to respond, since I thought he was smart enough to see that this has personal implications—that he and everyone he knows that are opposed to social welfare spending might be, you know ... racist ... (Read more in DoubleX)

The Protesters Democrats Love to Hate

A post from Double X writer Meredith Simons:

KJ, the Democrats may not have a poster child for health care reform, but they are getting a public enemy. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Sen. Arlen Specter got shouted down by anti-health care reform protesters at an embarrassing town hall meeting Sunday ... (Read more in Double X.)

Abortion's Role in the Health Care Debate

Abortion didn't get much air time during the Sotomayor hearings, but it's become a flashpoint in the fight over Obama's health care legislation. Conservatives are saying that the various bills Congress is considering would increase access to abortion and subsidize the procedure with government funding. Meanwhile, a separate bill with support from both the pro-choice and pro-life sides designed to prevent unwanted pregnancy, with more money for contraception, could get caught in the crossfire ... (Read more in Double X.)