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Almost 40 years after Roe v. Wade allowed women the right to have an abortion and over 50 years after the start of the sexual revolution, birth control remains a controversial issue causing heated political debate.  

This issue became even more prominent Sunday, the 36th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, a piece of legislation that prevents Medicaid from funding abortions.

This mainly affects low-income women who rely on Medicaid for their health care. Some say this has set the stage for the birth control and women’s health issues. This amendment is sometimes referred to as the "War on Women Amendment."

George H.W.Bush said, "If family planning is anything, it is a public health matter.”

When Title X passed, the law he sponsored, which funds family planning, it won in the House with a vote of 298 to 32 reported the Washington Post.

However, it seems as if the discord over family planning has grown since the passing of this law in 1970, rather than subsiding. 

New health care laws being put into place by President Barack Obama's administration allow women to access contraception without a co-pay or deductible. Furthermore, ObamaCare would allow women working for charities or companies with a religious affiliation to still access these services through their insurance company so that the company would not have to provide these services against their religious beliefs. 

Obama seeks to provide these services without making it a political issue. He addressed Republicans in a recent speech regarding Planned Parenthood, stating, “If you truly value families, you shouldn’t play politics with women’s health.”

Liberal Democrats have criticized vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan for supporting policies they believe inhibit women’s rights.

“Of course Republicans, myself in particular, recognize that people should have a right to use contraceptives,” Romney told Fox News. He also rejected criticism that his health care reform would exclude women.

In this same interview he also said, “I’m the guy that was able to get health care for all the men and women of my state,” referring to health care reform in Massachusetts in 2006 that required all residents to have health insurance.

Romney believes states should have more power in terms of health care reform. This means something different in each state. Southern states such as Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi are fighting against health care reform according to Forbes. These states declined federal aid to extend Medicaid in their states, which could affect women’s health rights, especially low-income women who rely on Medicaid.  

Women’s issues are especially prevalent in political debate during election years.

There are still many stigmas regarding abortion and contraception which affect the political discourse surrounding it. Rush Limbaugh referred to Sandra Fluke as a “slut” and “prostitute” after she advocated for insurance companies to provide contraception for women.

One reproductive justice advocate Steph Herold put the issue into a different context: “A person’s character, whether upstanding or ‘irresponsible’, should not determine whether or not they receive insurance coverage.”

Reach Staff Reporter Anna Catherine Brigida here.