The real sexist

In response to John McCain’s accusation of Barack Obama’s so-called sexist remark against VP nominee Sarah Palin, it’s important to note the inherent hypocrisies within this situation and talk about who the true sexist in this campaign is.

As you may or may not know, Sen. McCain, the “moderate” Republican, is anything but moderate when it comes to women’s health, reproductive rights and abortion. Throughout his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, Sen. McCain has consistently voted against abortion and has blatantly pledged to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Yet, most disturbingly, Sen. McCain voted for the termination of Title X which provides millions of women health care services such as birth control and breast and cervical cancer screenings. This isn’t the only instance where Sen. McCain has voted against birth control access and funding, and as a young woman myself, I find this disturbing and frightening. Denying access to birth control is denying women their sexual and reproductive rights.

Also, keep in mind that this issue isn’t relevant just to women. To all you men out there, especially those of you who are college-age, think about how your life would be impacted without women’s access to birth control, emergency contraception and abortion. Scary, right?

Lastly, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin both support abstinence-only education. Perhaps in some moral utopia that’s a great idea, but in the country where I live, pre-marital sex is quite common. Need I mention Gov. Palin’s pregnant 17-year-old daughter to illustrate the effectiveness of this plan?

With all mudslinging and name-calling aside, my point here is that actions speak louder than words. Look at McCain’s track record and decide for yourself who the true sexist is. And ladies, just because there is a woman on the ticket doesn’t mean the candidates have women’s interests at heart. Do some research and vote for a real ladies’ man: Barack Obama.

Elissa White
IU student