Americans have been fighting for decades over abortion, but a new battle has been raging lately — and it’s one with a distinctly retro feel. This time, the war is over birth control: whether insurance companies or government should have to pay for it — and yes, even whether it should be legal. It is 2012: Are we still fighting over condoms and the pill? In fact, we are. The score so far: both supporters and opponents of birth control can point to some significant wins, and neither side shows any sign of backing down. The right to use contraception seems so obvious that it is startling to realize that not that long ago even married couples could be arrested for using it. In 1965, the Supreme Court overturned a doctor’s conviction for helping married couples obtain birth control. It was not until 1972 that the Supreme Court struck down a Massachusetts law making it illegal to distribute birth control to single people. (MORE: Cohen: Should Paid Sick Days Be Required By Law?) Those two rulings, along with the sexual revolution of the 1960s, established the right to buy contraceptives. But there have always been groups — notably the Catholic Church and some evangelicals — who have not given up the fight. And the rhetoric can get downright apocalyptic. Last year, Representative Steve King, Republican of Iowa, warned that if birth control is too readily available it could destroy America. “If we let our birth rate get down below the replacement rate, we’re a dying civilization,” King said. Jeffrey Kuhner, a conservative columnist for the Washington Times, argued that the Obama Administration’s support for birth control is part of a “culture of death.” Opponents of birth control are putting most of their energy into trying to cut off government funding. The well-publicized conservative campaign to defund Planned Parenthood has been about birth control as well as abortion. As one New Hampshire lawmaker said of his vote to stop funding: “I am opposed to providing condoms to someone. If you want to have a … Continue reading Birth Control: Could It Be Illegal Again?