Why some people are angrily comparing limiting contraceptive coverage to gun control

Gun regulation and birth control don’t seem particularly related at first glance, but after the events of this week many people are angrily drawing comparisons between the two issues.

President Donald Trump’s administration announced Friday that it was rolling back the birth control coverage mandate instituted under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. That means certain employers are now exempt from providing free birth control coverage to women in their health care plans, provided their objections are based on “sincerely held religious beliefs” or have “moral convictions” against it.

The Trump administration gave a few reasons for the decision, including that applying the birth control mandate to those with strong religious beliefs against it “does not serve a compelling governmental interest.”

But another reason seems to have spurred the comparison to gun control among some on social media. In listing health risks the administration said can be associated with the use of contraceptives, it says the mandate could promote “risky sexual behavior” among some teenagers and young adults.

Given the Las Vegas shooting that occurred Monday, ending 58 innocent lives and injuring more than 500 others, gun regulations have become a major part of the national discussion this week. While Republican lawmakers have signaled they are willing to consider gun regulations on certain accessories, they’ve said little about any other additional regulations.

In addition to Second Amendment rights, many conservatives argue that additional gun regulations would only keep guns out of the hands of law-abiding Americans — and not the criminals who would use them for murder.

So the Trump administration’s argument that regulating birth control would stop risky sexual behavior among adolescents spurred some outrage.

Others responded that the government wasn’t taking away birth control, it was just rolling back a mandate that said employers had to pay for it.

This story was originally published October 6, 2017 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Why some people are angrily comparing limiting contraceptive coverage to gun control."