Dear Mr. Romney

Every morning, I check my "words with friends" games and "facebook" while, um, attending to morning needs.  This morning, I saw a story posted on FB that elaborated on Mr. Romney's recent comments about the "gifts" Obama gave to non-white and young voters to "buy" the election.  He said that Obama gave out "free contraception" which was popular with young college aged women. 

Then, I realized that perhaps Mr. Romney has never been in the position to know anything about contraceptives.  He is a man in his 60s, and mormon, married young and had only sons.  Perhaps he never had to learn the more delicate details of, you know, "down there."   

First off, it isn't "free" contraception . . . it's no co-pay contraception.  That means the "college aged women" who benefit from this "gift" are either covered by school based or their parents' insurance.  So, health insurance companies (you know, companies you probably have some investment in) benefit from no co-pay contraceptives.  Even if they pay out more for the prescription coverage, the premiums are priced such that the companies (and shareholders . . . you know about shareholders, don't you Mr. Romney?) make a profit.

But, you know who else benefits from no co-pay contraceptives?  Young men.  These days, young men are bombarded by a culture that tells them they need to have sex with as many women as possible in order to be thought "manly."  While they are working through becoming mature enough to ignore these cultural messages, they surely aren't ready to become parents.   But, not just young men benefit from no co-pay contraceptives . . . so do full grown adult men, married and not.  And, looking around the news these days, it would appear that people who are screwing around outside their marriages, also benefit from no co-pay contraceptives.

Not just young men and women, and adult men share in this benefit.  But, also married couples.  Married couples who understand that planning their families will help give them opportunities to give their children the upbringing they want for their children.  Not having to pay that $30 - $50 a month for pills means more money to pay for your son's trumpet or fill up the mini-van for your daughter's ball team tournaments.  Additionally, women who have just given birth benefit from no co-pay contraceptives because they understand that spacing out their pregnancies is better for their health and the health of future babies.

So, Mr. Romney, lots and lots of people benefit from the "gift" of no co-pay contraceptives.  Which might explain why you lost more than just the young womens' vote.