Dr. Siri Fiebiger, Fargo, letter: Wake up to reality about health care access

FARGO — I’m tired of this false debate about birth control. It’s a ridiculous conversation meant to distract from the real issues of expensive and inaccessible health care in this country.

We pay more than $7,000 a year per person for health care but have the highest unintended pregnancy rate (about 50 percent) among developed countries because:

** Forty-seven percent of women have no public or private coverage.

** Others have insurance that doesn’t cover contraception or has a high deductible so that the $800 a year is out of pocket.

The Obama administration’s decision leaves room for religious opinions while providing women the coverage that they deserve.

The solution certainly isn’t to ignore women’s voices, which the GOP did last week when they held a House hearing on birth control but did not bring any women to the table to take part in the discussion. The Democratic female members of the committee walked out in protest. They had the right idea.

Show our representatives in Washington that we’re smarter than they think we are. It’s time for all voices to be heard — and for commonsense to win out over extreme ideas and political bickering.

Siri Fiebiger

Dr. Fiebiger is a Fargo-based obstetrician and gynecologist.

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