Free contraception pits influencers and social conservatives against each other

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In recent months, universal contraception coverage has become a hot topic, with political parties in multiple provinces and territories demanding it, and British Columbia and Manitoba putting it into practice. The Ontario and Alberta governments rejected opposition motions on free contraception, even though public opinion polls showed 74 percent of Albertans They want prescription contraceptive coverage for everyone.

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As a revenue-positive (i.e., cost-saving) plan, universal contraceptive coverage should appeal to political parties that espouse fiscal conservatism, and one might expect support from a conservative prime minister with long-standing pro-choice values. dates, like Prime Minister Danielle Smith. However, her position is contradictory: Smith states wanting women to have “the maximum number of (reproductive) options,” and at the same time recognizing that “a certain number of women” cannot access public or private coverage for prescription contraceptives, which is surely a limiting factor in options .

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More than simply wanting to maintain the status quo of pharmaceutical care, the Smith-led UCP may also be motivated by its mix of social conservatism and alternative health ideology, with a significant overlay of contraceptive sentiment.

He on the right lean of wellness culture in recent years has been well documented, and Smith exemplifies this intersection in many ways. Their framing of COVID vaccines as a battle between bodily sovereignty and government overreach reflects wellness culture narratives about health self-determination. This topic emerged when Smith interviewed a naturopath and Kundalini yoga teacher, and reflected that “everything accumulated before reaching Stage 4 (cancer). . . “That is completely under your control.”

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Another overlap is Smith’s journey into COVID conspiracy beliefs, as in his 2021 interview with three doctors known for promoting COVID conspiracy theories. One of those doctors later lost his medical license and now offers spiritual advice based on the Christian text of the New Age, A course in miracles. Smith feels at home in this combination of right-wing and feel-good.

Like COVID, contraceptive ideology also tends to conflate wellness culture with right-wing politics. Alternative health professionals have long argued that birth control medications are a sinister manipulation of hormonal balance, a conspiracy to cause harm under the pretext of preventing pregnancy. This is posed not only as a medical dilemma but also as an almost spiritual dilemma. In the words of former Goop contributor and “holistic psychiatrist” Kelly Brogan, hormonal contraceptives alter a woman’s “life.”central feminine essence”, violating her fundamental existence as a woman.

And while conservatives have a long history of opposing the women’s liberation and sexual freedom that comes with affordable birth control, there has been an uptick in anti-contraception sentiment following the U.S. Supreme Court decision of 2022 to revoke Roe v. Wade. Along with the Republican Party’s attempts to weaken reproductive rights has come a wave of misinformation about natality control spread through right-wing media. A recent tiktok trend featured hyperconservative “traditional wives” who despised birth control medications as a feminist conspiracy against femininity. This echoes the alternative health notion of “core feminine essence.” It seems that the path of wellness culture for women follows road signs labeled with conservative social mores: the final destination is a recreation of traditional femininity.

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The question remains how the UCP will react as universal contraceptive coverage – a widely popular policy with economic and health benefits – makes progress in all countries. Despite Smith’s stated pro-choice stance, she has surrounded herself with figures and ideologies hostile to contraception. Her health minister is a former anti-abortion activist and one of her key political allies has called out women who avoid motherhood for careers “anti human.”

Meanwhile, Smith aligns his health policy goals with those of a professional who claims to “balance hormones” (a meaningless concept often used to slander hormonal contraceptives) and that teaches a form of yoga that preaches a Feminine Divinity.

Will Smith be able to ride the tide of public opinion on sound health policy or will he be swayed by the not-so-secret handshake between social conservatives and wellness influencers?

Albertans will no doubt be watching.

Michelle Cohen is a family physician and assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Queen’s University. You can find her at @docmcohen on multiple platforms and on https://informedopinions.org/view-expert-profile/?expert-id=45189

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