I can’t be the only person who felt violated by the Koch brothers’ latest attempt to frighten Americans into opting out of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”). The ad features a woman visiting a gynecologist, only to find once her feet are in the stirrups that it won’t be a doctor examining her, but rather a demonic, animated Uncle Sam, representing President Barack Obama and big government putting their hands where they don’t belong. The ad is meant to frighten me from taking advantage of the benefits the ACA provides to women, including expanded options for birth control, preventative cancer screenings and the right to choose. 

What the Koch brothers fail to realize is the irony of bashing the ACA in the name of protecting women’s healthcare. I fear a mandatory vaginal ultrasound probe should I seek an abortion more than I fear an imaginary Uncle Sam in my examinations. I fear my insurance rejecting claims relating to reproductive cancer issues, because having a uterus is a preexisting condition, not government-sponsored care. The ad’s attempt to make me believe that the opposition to the ACA has my interests as a woman in mind is downright evil. They have the nerve to demand “smaller government” while they seek governmental control of women. The House has voted again to delay the ACA, meaning a slew of services for women are on hold. This ad reminds me to double my efforts to ensure people like the Koch brothers don’t get to make healthcare decisions.

Justine Schnitzler

freshman, international studies