Politics & Pregnancy

I have been struggling a bit lately with all of the political hype around the elections this week. First and foremost, I want to put something out there before I dive into this post …. I hate politics. Not politicians (per se), I just hate the whole idea of republicans vs. democrats, donkeys vs. elephants, liberal or conservative… however you slice it, serve it up, and tie a pretty red or blue ribbon on it, I can’t stand it. I think it’s because I am not a controversial person. Now, that does not mean that I don’t have my own beliefs and views on what I think is right, I just choose to keep them to myself. This is not about what party I follow or support. Let me make that very clear before I reveal what this post is all about….I want to talk about something that has been on my mind every night since Scott and I have decided that we will be pursuing IVF treatments after the new year. I want to talk about….

Abortion.

Yes. I know, I know. Likely one of the most contentious & highly debatable topics since Roe vs. Wade. But I have to get this off my chest. Again, I want to stress the fact that this is not about whether I’m pro-life or pro-choice. I am purposefully choosing not to disclose my beliefs and views on the act of abortion, but only to share my frustration on why our government funds organizations like the Planned Parenthood but does not mandate insurance coverage for fertility clinics and infertility treatments. According to their latest annual report for 2011-2012, The Planned Parenthood Federation of America said that its affiliated clinics performed 333,964 abortions in fiscal 2011. That works out to an average of one abortion every 94 seconds. The same report states that from 2011 – 2012, Planned Parenthood received $542.4 million in “government health services grants and reimbursements.” Now don’t get me wrong, I realize Planned Parenthood offers a wide variety of other services other than abortion for millions of women AND men who cannot afford necessary healthcare services. But where is the support for couples who are trying to bring babies into this world, not prevent it? I recognize there is SO much more than just ‘offering’ coverage to anyone who wants to have a baby and can’t on their own. It would need to be heavily regulated to prevent wackadoo women like Octomom from abusing the system. I’m merely questioning why our tax dollars aren’t ALSO supporting creating life, not just preventing it.

I had another appointment with our other fertility doctor in a last ditch effort to ensure I had covered all my bases before we hit the go button on starting anymore treatments. After meeting with the doctor, and hearing that there wasn’t much else that we could do at this point other than begin the process of IVF, I immediately went back to my computer and began consulting with my friend Google. He introduced me to “Resolve”, the National Infertility Association. As I paroozed their website, I stumbled across their Family Building Options page and spotted “Insurance Coverage.” I immediately clicked it in the hopes that I had perhaps overlooked the fine print in my insurance policy and there was some hidden clause stating that I would be fully covered and all my worries were about to be washed away. To my dismay, the headline read “Currently, 15 states have passed laws that require insurers to either cover or offer coverage for infertility diagnosis and treatment”. I looked over the list. Again. And again, praying my eyes were playing tricks on my and I had somehow missed North Carolina. I was so focused on trying to find my new home state on the short list that I almost missed it. There it was. MARYLAND. Are you KIDDING me????? Just 18 short months ago…..SIX MONTHS before we started trying, and you’re telling me I would have been covered if I still lived in the state I had called home for 27 years???? I thought my head was going to explode. I could feel that lump in my throat growing larger as I tried to choke back the tears. How is any of this fair, I thought to myself?

That night was the end of all the campaigning and election nonsense. I plopped myself in front of the TV hoping to be distracted by a Bravo re-run, but somehow landed on one of the local news stations. In between segments, the network was flooded with political ads and campaign slogans. Before I quickly changed the channel to avoid the noise, I heard one of the candidates mention abortion and my mind began to wonder. How is it that SOME women (and I truly mean some women, not all) are ‘abusing’ our system and using abortion as a FREE form of birth control and Scott and I have to bare the burden of huge financial expenses just to get pregnant? And I realize I am treading in dangerous waters here, but I am really only referring to the women who are having unprotected sex, and having multiple abortions instead of being responsible and using other forms of birth control to prevent pregnancy.

Again, back to my previous statement. I am NOT saying I believe abortion is right or wrong. I believe it is not my right to judge a women’s decision when I have not been in the position to have to decide whether to keep a baby or not. I only know what I WOULD do if I was faced with that decision, and I feel that it is my right to keep that information to myself. So, again, this is not about the act of abortion. This is my soapbox speech on why there isn’t just as much support for women and loving, able couples who want to bring a child into this world. How can we create a system that offers the same types of funding programs for people who are struggling to conceive on their own?

I will end with this. Nothing is going to stand in our way from bringing our baby home someday. And I mean NOTHING. We aren't going to let the financial aspect of all of this stop us from having a baby. However, wouldn't it be nice if our government was supporting us and others who are trying to bring new life into this world just as much as for those who are trying to prevent it? 

End rant.