“Hi! So, I am super sorry to have to tell you this, but due to women’s health care funding being cut by the Republicans last night, I can no longer afford to have sex with you. I am truly sorry, as I do love the way you f*ck me, but unfortunately, my outrage over this injustice is too painful and cuts too deep. If this decision is reversed, or changes at all, I will be happy to jump right into bed with you again. Unfortunately, that might be a long time coming. Please understand this has nothing to do with my feelings for you.”

 

This is the message I sent to 10 or so men this afternoon after reading about the moves the Republican congress made in the dead of night to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

I prepared for the worst and expected the best. For the most part, the men with whom I have casual relationships were pretty supportive. A few tried to argue that not having sex wouldn’t help or change anything—to them, I explained it already had.

This comes back to my basic assertion regarding body positive behavior, beliefs, and culture. When you love and value your body, you will not tolerate when others do not. Even in the face of being told that my actions are useless, meaningless, and ineffective, I know that what I do, I do to communicate to myself that I matter; that my health and my well-being are important.

This legislation is an attack on how people take care of themselves. In order for people to really take a hand in their health, they must be able to afford to do so. Without the Affordable Care Act, it becomes more and more challenging.

For instance, as I am in an open relationship and sleep with multiple men, I not only use condoms, but I also get tested every three months. This keeps me and my partners safe, and it improves the quality of the sex I am having, as I am not constantly worrying about whether or not I have a disease or am giving one to someone. With affordable health care in place, these visits cost me around $25. Without, they are $300. This means I realistically can’t afford to express my beliefs, freedoms and individuality in my personal life.

Now, let’s talk drugs. With this plan in place, antibiotics are extremely affordable when a random yeast or cervical infection pops up. Without this plan, these drugs, again, are hundreds of dollars.

Speaking on a social level, millions of people are losing coverage. This, in itself, is a reason to revolt.

That the Insurance and Big Pharma industries have so much to gain by the repeal of the Affordable Care Act is yet another reason. People with pre-existing conditions—and let’s face it, a huge number of Americans fall into this category—will no longer have coverage.

This is all set to happen at the end of January. The Republicans claim they will have a better replacement for the Affordable Care Act by then, but as of yet, not one of them has come forward with anything even close to a replacement.

I will not go on participating in an oppressive and exploitive system, one run by millionaires who, even without the best insurance in the world, would be able to afford whatever healthcare they needed—not to mention higher quality food and preventative maintenance to keep them well.

For decades, there has been legislation which put my name on the bullet of every dead person our government has killed. It put my name on the crap food the government subsidizes. It put my name on a million other things I do not, in actuality, support. I admit, I should have done something sooner. I should have spoken up earlier. I should have stopped supporting this government when I saw what it was capable of at Standing Rock. But I did not. I am now.

I can no longer support a government which so clearly is operating for the benefit of corporations which pollute the world, oppress people, and exploit the weak. I love my country, but my government is not one I recognize.

I will continue to find ways of expressing that as often as possible with as many people as possible.

Even if it means I will be having way less casual sex.

 

Author: Sara Young

Image: Foundry/Pixabay; Wikimedia Commons

Editor: Nicole Cameron