Am I Liberal or Conservative?

The recent controversy over funding of contraception has made me question whether I am liberal or conservative. I have always thought of myself as a liberal, though conservative on some issues. I have always believed that a person’s sexual behavior is his or her own business as long as it does not harm anyone else. The contraception controversy causes me to think that maybe I am more conservative than liberal. I believe that government should stay out of private business as much as possible. The government should get involved in private business only to the extent of protecting citizens who are incapable of protecting themselves.

The controversy over the funding of contraception is more evidence of a widespread sense of entitlement. Women may have the right to access to birth control, but that does not compel anyone to provide it for them. Not paying for something is not the same as denying someone’s rights. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees our right to say what we want, but that does not mean that the government or our employers are compelled to buy air time on radio or television so that we can say it.

Not only that, but health insurance provided by employers is a benefit, an incentive. Employers offer it because if they didn’t, they would be less competitive at attracting the employees that they need to run a business. If our government mandates what kind of coverage they have to provide, it seems to me that that employers will have more incentive to not provide health insurance. It is already getting to be expensive and complicated. If a religious organization or a private businessperson objects to paying for a morning-after pill on religious grounds, that is their business. They just need to make that clear during the recruiting process, so that anyone considering a job with them can make an informed decision.
If contraception should be between a woman and her doctor, then it should be between a woman and her doctor. It should be her responsibility. If a woman thinks that her employer should pay for her contraception, then it is up to her to negotiate that with her employer. If the employer refuses, the employer has not denied the woman her right to access to birth control. It just means that she needs to consider whether she wants to stay with that employer or find one who will hire her on terms that are more acceptable to her.

Sense of Entitlement

The protests about the decision of the Susan G. Komen forthe Cure Foundation to stop providing funds to Planned Parenthood is more evidence that many people in our society are plagued with a sense of entitlement.  The foundation is a private organization, and should be able to allocate their dollars as they see fit.  It is not the business of United States Senators to urge a private foundation how to spend their money.  It strikes me as particularly odd for a politician, namely New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, to say that “Politics have no place in health care.”

Mayor Bloomberg was probably referring to the politics of abortion, since the original reason that the Komen Foundation gave for stopping funding to Planned Parenthood was that Planned Parenthood is under investigation.  They are investigation because of allegations that they used federal funds for abortions.  The reason that I say that the protests over this decision point to a sense of entitlement is that if the Komen Foundation does not wish to fund an organization that provides abortions, that is their decision.  It is a private organization, answerable to its donors. 

It makes sense for the Komen Foundation to provide funds to an organization such as Planned Parenthood if Planned Parenthood provides screenings and information in such a way that it furthers the mission of the Komen Foundation.  At some point, though, the directors of the Komen Foundation must make a calculation.  If they receive feedback from donors that they do not want their dollars being used to help an organization that provides abortions, they must calculate whether they will lose donations if they continue to support Planned Parenthood.  Just because the Komen Foundation has provided funds to Planned Parenthood in the past does not mean that they are obligated to continue doing so.

The United States Supreme Court has ruled that a woman has a right to an abortion, but that does not mean that anyone is obligated to finance that abortion.  I have a right under the First Amendment to self- expression.  That does not mean that the Columbus Dispatch is obligated to publish my letter to the editor.  I may have a right to become a Rastafarian, but that does not mean that the government or anyone else is obligated to purchase ganja for me to practice that religion.  My son has the right to own a firearm under the Second Amendment, but that does not mean that I deny him that right if I decide not to give him a rifle on his eighteenth birthday.

How the Komen Foundation distributes funds is not public business.  Therefore, members of the United States Senate have no business writing letters to a private foundation about that foundation’s decisions on how to allocate funds.  Our senators need to pay attention to the nation’s business.