Does Sarah Palin approve of all common forms of birth control? David Harsanyi of The Denver Post claims that Senator Barbara Boxer lied about Palin by claiming she is “against birth control.” Harsanyi’s claim was no surprise to me, as I’d already read she supports birth control. However, this does not address the issue that some forms of birth control may prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus, as Diana Hsieh and I discuss in our paper about Amendment 48.
I sent Harsanyi the following note:
Dave,
I knew that Palin was fine with contraception.
However, as Diana and I point out in our paper about 48, some forms of contraception, such as the pill and IUDs, may prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. (IUDs also increase the risk of medically-necessary abortions.) Given that you’re a journalist with a large paper, you might be able to ask her a) whether she thinks those forms of contraception can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting and b) whether they should therefore be banned.
As much as I appreciate you taking the time to debunk false claims about Palin, you’re missing the real story here. Surely a guy who rails against the nanny state would be interested in proposals to ban the birth-control pill. And if Palin indeed approves of those forms of birth control, how does that mesh with her view that personhood begins at the moment of fertilization? Either way, it’s an important story.
Please let me know what you come up with.
Thanks, -Ari
To read more about the issue, please see pages 3-5 of the paper. To repeat but one point there, Ortho Tri-Cyclen (registered) claims in its prescription literature that it “reduce[s] the likelihood of implantation.”
There is a very real possibility that Palin will be nominating Supreme Court justices at some point; I wouldn’t be surprised if she ran for president in eight years, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if she ran in four years. And the fact that McCain chose her indicates that he’s more than willing to “reach out” to the religious right. (Remember that McCain’s ultimate stated goal is “ending abortion.”)
It’s time for Palin’s supporters to stop crying about the left’s treatment of Palin — as bad as that’s been — and start discussing Palin’s actual views.