What Women Troops Really Need in Care Packages: Plan B

I'm taking a break from my busy day of contemptuous outrage (really, I have it penciled in for the week) to give some advice.

I read recently at Broadsheet that the USO sent out care packages, carefully packed by Nancy Pelosi and Jill Biden (*swoon*), specifically with women servicemembers in mind. That's a great thing! Yay!

But wait! Sending servicewomen, who are at high risk for sexual assault, copies of Cosmo, infamous for its "gray rape" article? And little pink camo bags full of makeup that may or may not be uniform regulation for the variety of skin tones found among our women in uniform? There might have been some better ways to pack a woman-centered care package while still being practical and fulfilling the female veterans' wishes for something more specific for women. But it's the thought that counts, right?

Makeup is great ... for some women. Especially if you remember that there is no color you can send that is "neutral" to every woman's skin tone. Not in an organization as racially diverse as the military. Troops on duty often have to bathe with diaper wipes for a week or longer, so I'd send four-ounce bottles of a yummy smelling shower gel.

And, if I could get enough of it, I would put over-the-counter Plan B in every care package I ever sent.

I can waltz into my pharmacy and get Plan B anytime I want to, and most middle and upper class people can do the same. I can't say the same for my sister veterans in combat zones and in harm's way, who are more likely to be sexually assaulted than killed by enemy fire. Whose Generals don't know the difference between Emergency Contraceptive and abortion, and aren't willing to fight for better access for either. Who are only able to get abortions for pregnancies resulting from rape if they are willing to pay out of their own pockets.

That is what I would include in a women's care package. Every woman should have a way to back up her birth control, women in uniform should be no different.

That is the advice I would give to anyone asking me about how to better serve women in uniform.

Not that anyone did.

If you want to send a care package to a random troop, I recommend Any Soldier, where you can choose a service member, see a list of needs, and request an address.

Photo: U.S. Army