To the 241 Congressmen (and women) who voted to defund Planned Parenthood,

So here we are. I'm sure you're all sitting comfortably in your homes with some variation of an ear-to-ear grin right now, blissfully unaware of the war you have just waged on women. Or maybe you are aware, and are blissful nonetheless.

I guess the first order of business is to thank you. I want to thank you for underscoring the patriarchal, partisan and religiously-fueled politics our country has been subject to for so long. Many argue that religion and state are separate in this country, but you have made it crystal clear that they are not.

Now, as I sit here on a Friday night listening to laughter and music and the shrieks of alcohol-induced conversations on a college campus rife with rape culture and socioeconomic divides, this is all far too real to me. It is far too real to me that women on this campus are not protected by you. In fact, they feel as if you have a personal vendetta against them. And you know what? They're not wrong.

So, what does the United States look like without Planned Parenthood?

A woman needs STI testing and can't afford to go to the doctor. "Too bad," you tell her.

A teenager was raped by her close friend; she doesn't want to carry the burden of her assault for the rest of her life. "Too bad," you tell her.

A college student is sexually active and in need of both education and access to contraceptives. "Too bad," you tell her.

A mother of three can't afford to go to an OGBYN for a breast exam. "Too bad," you tell her.

And the list goes on. By defunding Planned Parenthood, you're not getting rid of abortion in America. In fact, you're getting rid of crucial access to women's healthcare. In this nation, healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. But I guess you see it differently.

So call me a baby-killer, a bad Christian, a radical feminist and a batshit crazy liberal. It's nothing I haven't heard before. But I must ask you, since when did pro-choice become anti-life?

I am asking you to consider the implications of your actions. Access to health care and sex-ed will be determined by class, not citizenship. Women will once again be denied ownership over their bodies. Politics will trump personal freedoms. You want to talk about an invasion of privacy? Stop trying to control and limit female reproductive rights.

Careful, Congress, your out-of-touch privilege is showing.

Sincerely,

A woman who wants her body back