Birth Control: Mini Pill

plays an important role in providing woman with an affordable birth control.(overview pg.2) We depend on our insurance to pay for our health necessities. As a result unplanned pregnancy cost the american public roughly $9 billion each year.(pg.9 should teens have access to BC) Although many forms of birth control are available, such as condoms which are easily to attain. Statistics show that many teens who are sexually active do not use contraceptives of any kind.(pg.9 should teens have access to BC) Among these are the incidence of miscarriages, and abortions.(pg.8 should teens have access to BC) Preventing pregnancy is affordable, but is also a

Birth control pills are an important resource for people who are sexually active or have hormonal imbalances. Birth control pills are highly effective when used correctly. The Centers for Disease Control claims “the best way to reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy… is to use effective birth control correctly and consistently” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Contraception). Birth control, if it were more available, could drastically reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancies. Even though teenage abortion rates have been swiftly declining, about “64 percent between 1990 and 2010” (Child Trends Databank, Teen Abortions), a majority of teen

However, people fail, and not only because of lack of education or responsibility, but also because of simple contraceptives unavailability. At this stage, a woman face a perspective of bearing and having an unplanned and consequently, unwanted child.

A total of 730,322 abortions were reported from the Centers for Disease Control in 2011. This could easily be resolved with proper usage of birth control. But the fact of the matter is that only 62% of women are actually using proper birth control, now this may seem like a lot of women, but there is 158.6 million women in the United States alone so 58.5 million are currently not on any birth control which is a huge amount of women. Birth control needs to be free and accessible, because the benefits of having women on birth control easily outweigh any of the cons that may come. My goal for this paper is to talk about the pros of having free and accessible birth control, which would be lower abortion rate, lower teenage pregnancy rate, and the many health benefits. I will also touch on the opposing side of this argument, which will be that, it will be too expensive, that abstinence is key, and that if birth control became free and accessible women would no longer go the doctor.

Birth control has prevented many unwanted teen pregnancies, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen births in the United States reached a historic low in 2015, which can be explained in large part by an increased use of contraception among young people” (Gebelhoff, Robert). As of right now, women have to get a prescription to get oral contraceptives from their doctor. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, this movement to make access to these contraceptives is supported by them. Although, teenagers are more likely to use birth control pills compared to using condoms, they are not being influenced by their sexual or emotional pressures. This article also says, the public-health benefits from

In contemporary American society, birth control has become more readily accessible to women, which is indicated by the increased usage of contraception in society. The number of birth

More than half of all women of reproductive age in the United States use some form of contraceptive (Daniels, Daugherty, and Jones, 2014). Of those, most are on the oral-contraceptive pill. Even with new regulations in place to supposedly increase access to preventive services, there is still an issue of women who are sexually active, do not wish to become pregnant within the next year, and who are not using a form of contraception. Clinician and facility based barriers are the largest deterrent for these women. By removing the barriers to contraceptive counseling and services, women will have greater access to their health.

Almost 90% of the unwanted pregnancies are because the availability for the birth controls prescription only. If birth control were non-prescription/OTC, then there would be more access to those that are homeless or need the medication discreetly. Abortion is a choice that women have, and getting free birth control without a prescription should be a choice too. “Providing free, reliable birth control to women could prevent between 41 percent and 71 percent of abortions in the United States” (Pappas “Free Birth” 1). If birth control were not sold OTC/non-prescription then the abortion rate would go up and be more costly on the U.S. A study was shown by a college student and his friends when he rounded up 9,256 women of the ages 14-45 in the St. Louisiana area with flyers, doctors and by just talking about it in normal conversation was given the choice of any reversible birth control methods from the pill, patch, a long-lasting intrauterine device or known as IUDs or the hormonal implants about more than half of the women chose the IUDs, 17% of the women chose the hormonal implants and the remaining chose the pill and other various methods which made the abortion rate drop (Pappas “Free Birth”). With all of the women within the free contraceptive program, the birth rate among the teens was 6.3 per 1000th women, which was a dramatic change from the overall

But they get the message that sex is risky.” They begin to see sex as a sensitive issue that should be taken very seriously because it involves life-changing consequences. Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that teaching about contraception and making them available to teenagers was not associated with increased risk of sexual activity as many abstinence-only supporters have insisted. Therefore, the availability of birth control along with education about it does not increase sexual activity but informs teenagers to practice good decision-making for their bodies and their future.

Unintended pregnancies occur in the United States because of lack of accessible prevention methods. To end unwanted pregnancies and abortions, a change needs to occur. Currently, an oral birth control is in deliberation by healthcare professionals to potentially switch availability for women to buy over-the-counter (OTC). Because no prescription would be necessary, this would make obtaining oral contraceptives easier. The drug would be progestin-only, a female hormone otherwise called progesterone, which is not available in the United States in an oral drug formulation. This birth control is objectively safer than common oral birth control pills that are typically estrogen-progestin combinations. Plan B, (levonorgestrel), an oral emergency contraceptive, was recently legalized to purchase OTC without any

Prescription birth control pills are the most popular form of contraceptive in the United States. The pill is a medication that women can take daily to prevent pregnancy. They are made up of hormones; some are made up of two hormones, estrogen and progestin, while others only contain progestin. The hormones prevent the ovaries from releasing eggs, and make the woman’s cervical mucus thicker, making it more difficult for the sperm to reach the eggs. According to Planned Parenthood, less than 1 in 100 women will get pregnant in each year if they always take the pill each day as directed, and approximately 9 out of 100 women will get pregnant each year if they don’t always take the pill as directed. Some additional benefits of taking birth control are reduced menstrual cramps, lighter periods, protection against pelvic inflammatory disease, reduced acne, and protection against bone thinning, heavy and/or irregular cramps, serious infections in the ovaries, tubes, and uterus, and more. A few common side effects are

One of the many purposes of birth control is to avoid unwanted pregnancies. In this day and age the decision to take birth control should be a mere right and not a debate, but society has still not fully accepted the use of birth control even though “ninety-eight percent of women use birth control at some point in their lives” (Milligan, 2014, p. 3). Birth control has unfortunately earned a negative stigma because it allows women to have sex without getting pregnant and that is frowned upon throughout parts of society. Some members of society have even compared the use of birth control to abortion. Women who choose to take birth control should not be judged and the use of birth control amongst women should no longer be considered disgraceful. The reliable access to birth control should be made available to all women no matter their race, age, and class.

Birth Control is a global contraceptive that has been in use for more than 50 years. When Birth Control first came about in 1960 it was approved for married couples only, now over 10 million women married or single use this method. Most women complain about the harsh side effects of birth control but they rather put up with them before they risk having an unplanned pregnancy. Side effects such as weight gain and mood changes play a major role in the decision of birth control use. There is a saying that says, “If you knew better you would do better” most women do not even know better so they

Nemours, a children’s health organization, created pamphlet for doctors’ offices geared towards parents and teens who have questions about common issues in the realm of sexual health. They define “the pill” as an oral contraceptive, “a daily pill that usually contains the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and is taken to prevent pregnancy.” Other points discussed in the pamphlet include the safety of

A group known as FP2020 has been working to make family planning services available throughout the world. Through their efforts, they have avoided 77 million unplanned pregnancies in just three years. In the United States, a similar problem needs to be addressed. Although the costs and expenses associated with contraception is more accessible for the population, the locations are not. Having access to family planning services ensures that women can get the prenatal care they need for healthy pregnancies.