The Big Mac McDonald’s Extra Value Meal – $4.75. A book bill for a semester of college – $450. Having the federal government subsidize your sexual behavior – priceless.
The August 22 CNN “American Morning,” as part of its “College Week” celebration, featured a segment about the rising cost of birth control at college campuses and provided an interesting peek into the background of one of CNN’s own employees.
“When I was a student here at
That sticker shock of course is the rise in the cost of birth control – primarily birth control pills and the birth control patch. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 pared $39 billion in spending on federal programs, including reductions in Medicaid. That reduction changed the way Medicaid-related rebates that pharmaceutical companies pay to states are calculated and that has forced birth control manufacturers to stop offering colleges and universities discounted oral contraceptives.
For the story, CNN paraded out several people who saw this as a serious crisis and to explain why the government should act.
“It will mean that more college women will become pregnant in an unwanted pregnancy during their college student years,” claimed Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) to CNN. “It will mean that many will have to drop out of school or face an abortion. It is a difficult situation to put college women in.”
However, the CNN report didn’t offer anyone who would regard a birth control subsidy as excessive government spending nor did they report on the moral elements involved with birth control financially supported by their government on college campuses.
But, Cohen did manage to find someone to point out the tough choices ahead for some student. “[Stephanie] Davidson [a
