Paternalism and the Birth Control Debate

Helen Reddy penned the anthemic "I am Woman" in 1971 and it quickly became the theme song for the women's lib. movement.  It's not quite my thing but I understand the appeal: "I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman."  It's not girl power, it's woman power, and I can get down with that.  Imagine my surprise, then, when the people who turned this song into an anthem betrayed such shocking paternalism in their advocacy for birth control.  As I haven't seen anyone else discuss this, I felt the need to draw people's attention to this fact. 

I was first really struck by the paternalism of the birth control mandate during President Obama's "accommodation" speech.  Here is the offending passage:

Today, we’ve reached a decision on how to move forward. Under the rule, women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive services -– no matter where they work. So that core principle remains. But if a woman’s employer is a charity or a hospital that has a religious objection to providing contraceptive services as part of their health plan, the insurance company -– not the hospital, not the charity -– will be required to reach out and offer the woman contraceptive care free of charge, without co-pays and without hassles.

Did you catch it?  It was subtle and I am rather sensitive to these things, so let me recap in case you missed it.  "The insurance company...will be required to reach out and offer the woman contraceptive care."  My insurance company is going to call me and tell me I can take birth control pills if I want to?  What am I, a child?  The idea of my insurance company calling me to tell me I can take the pill if I want to would be laughable if I didn't understand the thought behind such a requirement.  Such a requirement shows that the President, and everyone who has allied themselves with him in this matter, thinks that I am too stupid to make decisions about my "health care" and that I need big brother to nudge me in the right direction. 

For the record, I follow and support the Church's teaching on contraception.  Despite my support for the Church's position, I know that I could take birth control if I wanted to.  My ob/gyn offers it to me every time I go for a pelvic exam/pap smear.  When she offers it to me I politely say "no, thank you"...I don't say "wait, I have to ask my bishop."  I can assure you that the bishops are the farthest thing from my mind when I see a speculum.  Though I kindly decline contraceptives whenever they're offered, I know quite well how to get them if I want them.  I don't take contraceptives because I don't want to take them, not because I don't know how to get them or because a "celibate man in a dress," as an online commentator recently refered to a priest, tells me not to.  To assume that I don't use contraceptives because a man told me not to, and that you'll remedy the situation by telling me I can is the height of paternalism.