Alyssa Franke

A SYTYCB Entry

At American University, I’m used to seeing my professors featured in the national media. Normally its quite a fun experience, and at a school as politically active as ours (actually, we are the most politically active school, according to the Princeton Review) its great to learn from Professors who are active, intelligent, and politically connected. But I have to say, I was disappointed by an article written by Executive in Residence Anita McBride that was posted on CNN earlier this week, titled “Why Paul Ryan Is Not ‘Bad’ For Women.” In it, she argues the Republican line that although Ryan has recently become a flash point for women’s social issues, he isn’t really ‘bad’ for women because he’ll address their economic issues. However, this argument completely ignores the fact that for women, choice and contraception issues are economic issues.

Let’s start with an issue that affects the young women at American University: contraception coverage. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, contraception must now be offered without a co-pay or a deductible, saving us a lot of money which can now be used to purchase textbooks and other needed schoold supplies. Remember Sandra Fluke? The media may have focused more on the controversy surrounding her being barred from testifying, but her testimony is worth a read. In it, she details the financial struggles endured by college students who used to have to pay out of pocket for contraception.

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