Gaels, do you remember learning about the founding of the United States in elementary school?

 The good old days when teachers taught of Squanto the Native American who came to the aid of the struggling Pilgrims during their first winter in America, not like those cynical high school American history teachers who inform students that many of Squanto’s friends were probably subjected to peace offerings in the form of small pox blankets from their European “friends.”

Unlike the story of the pilgrims, whose plot changes as students progress in the years of education, there is at least one aspect of elementary school American history that remained constant through higher education- a catalyst behind the American Revolution: “No Taxation Without Representation!”

The Patriots did not take kindly to the idea of those blasted Britons imposing taxes on everyday goods such as tea- much of which ended up in the Boston Harbor- without having representation, a voice, in the British Parliament. Ultimately, the lack of representation in the Parliament, amongst other factors culminating in the overall desire for independence spurred the American Revolution and, almost 236 years later, here we are.

Just like the celebrated American rebels angry over the lack of representation in Parliament, American women have the right to be angry over their lack of representation in the continuing policy debate regarding women’s health.

Last Thursday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing titled “Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State. Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience,” following the recent controversy surrounding the Obama administration’s policy requiring insurance companies to provide contraception coverage.

As the hearing commenced, a photo began circulating around the social media sphere. The photo was of the first panel of the hearing and asked, “Where are the women?”

The hash tag echoed the words of Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) who remarked at the top of the hearing before walking out, “What I want to know is: Where are the women? When I look at this panel, I don’t see one single woman representing the tens of millions of women across the country who want and need insurance coverage for basic, preventative health care services, including family planning, Where are the women?”

Commenting on the panel of five men, consisting mainly of professors and religious leaders, Maloney directed her disdain to Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) who refused to allow Sandra Fluke, a law student from Georgetown University “to testify about the impact of the new requirement that most health plans offer contraceptive coverage with no co-pay,” Politico reported on Friday.

Issa rejected the Democrat’s request, however, citing that it was religious liberty, not women’s health that was the subject of the committee’s hearing, thus making Fluke an unqualified witness on the subject manner.

Sure, the title of the hearing frames the discussion around the question of religious liberty, but the hearing touched upon the Obama administration’s policy requiring insurers to provide coverage for contraception. Nice try, Mr. Issa, but you’re not fooling anyone.

The question of Freedom of Conscience is as much linked to religious freedom as it is to the issue of women’s health. Where the GOP calls the Obama administration’s contraception mandate an attack on religious freedom, the Democrats call the Oversight committee’s hearing an attack on women’s health.

There is no middle ground in this debate, Gaels, how could there be? There is no middle ground on an issue that some consider to be one involving moral conscience.

Yet, that is not what irks many of the Democrats chastising the committee hearing. No, what is more aggravating is the fact that a committee hearing that touches on women’s health- even while under the umbrella of religious freedom- did not have female representation on the first panel.

Representation- doesn’t that sound familiar? Oh, yes, that is exactly what the Patriots wanted from the British government. That is what the country was founded on: a voice for the people.

Although women didn’t officially earn their voice until the early twentieth century, we have it now. Yet, it seems that on this particular issue- the issue of women’s health- women’s voices are being silenced.

Having a hearing about women’s health without women on the panel? That’s like guaranteeing four year housing without having the housing; it just doesn’t make any sense.

So, friends in Washington, let’s not forget about the women and remember, No Conversation Without Representation.

To contact The Ionian’s Amanda Kelly, e-mail her at [email protected]