Your health and your body are your own. Right?

Well, actually wrong. The 2012 presidential campaign has thrust Big Bird’s popularity light years ahead of Elmo’s, sent women screaming from bookstores lest they be caught in a binder and defined malarkey from start to finish. And somewhere along the way, politics have climbed into our medicine cabinets and between our bed sheets.

Still don’t think the election is boring? It’s time to pin your civic duty badge to the front of your shirt and get informed. Here’s a whistle-stop tour of the health and sex decisions President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney are making, and how they may affect you as an American citizen.

Health care

Obama: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is Obama’s favorite child: no offense to Sasha and Malia. Under the Affordable Care Act, broke college kids can stay on their mom and dad’s insurance until they’re 26. Previously, the cutoff was 19.

“The provision covering extended coverage has already affected 3.1 million young adults,” said Thomas Dennison, professor of practice in public administration and international affairs at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. “The extended coverage compensates for the potentially lengthy gap in health care coverage for recent graduates until they become employed.”

Romney: Romney likes “Obamacare” as much as Chick-fil-A supports gay marriage: not a lot. If Romney is elected president, he will most likely repeal the Affordable Care Act. He’s a fan of private health care providers, which would be regulated within states. Coverage could cross state lines, unless the coverage is through an employer, Dennison said. Romney also wants to reward those who maintain continuous coverage. But for a skimping graduate, who let his or her health care slide for a while, pre-existing conditions wouldn’t be covered.

Sex life

Before wading in, get acquainted with Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 Supreme Court ruling that struck down state laws banning abortion. The ruling meant women across America had rights to abortions in their first trimester. There are more than 1 million abortions every year in the United States, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Obama: Obama supports abortion rights and his health care plan ensures free contraception for women who have health care plans through work. When questioned in the vice presidential debate, Joe Biden said, “I do not believe that we have a right to tell other people that — women that they can’t control their body.”

Romney: Romney’s desire to overturn Roe v. Wade is stronger than an adolescent boy’s desire to have sex. But hold your horses, young men everywhere: Romney’s got a contraceptive agenda, too.

“Romney has been clear that he wants to overturn Roe versus Wade, severely limiting access to abortion,” Dennison said. “He has also been on record about de-funding Planned Parenthood and limiting Title XX funding, which also covers birth control.”

I had an enlightening conversation with a Republican friend of mine who compared women getting free contraception to him getting free hair plugs – because those are obviously the same thing.

Same-sex relationships

Gay rights have been wearing an invisibility cloak during the presidential debates, which is potentially better than hearing about Michele Bachmann’s desire to “heal homosexuals.” But there are obvious differences in the candidates’ sensibilities.

Obama: During his term, Obama got rid of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the military, allowing gay soldiers to openly serve. He officially supported same-sex marriage in May 2011, but has remained rather quiet on the topic in recent months.

Romney: Fancy that, old Mitt is anti-same-sex marriage and supports an amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman, period. He is also against same-sex adoption.

Your body is important, so think about it before voting. Now, go be a citizen.

Iona Holloway is a senior magazine journalism and psychology dual major. A small shout out to field hockey and men’s cross country: 2012 Big East Champions #LYGC. Email her at ijhollow@syr.edu or follow her on Twitter @ionaholloway.

Published on October 31, 2012 at 12:54 am