I was surprised to hear Rep. Kyrsten Sinema all over the news yesterday defending motherhood. Rep. Sinema was attempting to exploit for political purposes a comment made by Sen. Jon Kyl in a recent committee hearing. Sen. Kyl was making the point that health insurance coverage should be tailored to the individual, and that people should not be required to pay for coverage they did not need — using as an example the fact that he, as a man, did not need to pay for maternity coverage. Allowing people to pay only for coverage they need will help reduce costs.
Somehow, proponents of government-run health care have tried to portray this as an attack on motherhood. I just thought Rep. Sinema was an odd choice for a spokesperson, given that in 2006 she told 944 magazine that “women and moms who stay at home and don’t work are dependent on men and leeching off their husbands.”
