In the proposed dismantling of Obamacare, one of the first cuts was to the coverage of contraceptives. Should these proposals pass, many women would have to pay for a daily medication that does more than prevent pregnancy. For many women an unmedicated period can be entirely debilitating. In addition to the physical pain many women suffer, there are also mental symptoms that can affect daily life. If you’ve experienced these symptoms you understand what that entails. If you have not, then you can only begin to imagine what it’s like to suffer an uncontrollable bodily cycle you must go through every 28 days.

The benefits continue. Studies have shown that users of birth control have less risk of ovarian cancer later in life. By taking away financial coverage of contraception, the government will take away the access of many woman to normal functional lives. This decision will sentence many women to a fate of unnecessary pain and suffering, not to mention risk of unwanted pregnancy.

Regardless of your beliefs, our country was founded to establish a government whose duty was to protect the unalienable rights of its citizens. The restriction of access to this and other medications that can insure those rights contradicts the core of our nation's beliefs.

Sarah Frick

Salem