The Debate Over Birth Control

Today, the availability of birth control is taken for granted. There was a time, not long passed, during which the subject was illegal (“Margaret Sanger,” 2013, p.1). That did not stop the resilient leader of the birth control movement. Margaret Sanger was a nurse and women’s activist. While working as a nurse, Sanger treated many women who had suffered from unsafe abortions or tried to self-induce abortion (p.1). Seeing this devastation and noting that it was mainly low income women suffering from these problems, she was inspired to dedicate her life to educating women on family planning—even though the discussion of which was highly illegal at the time (p.1). She was often in trouble with

Women have been using birth control methods for over thousands of years. Today, we have various effective birth control methods available to woman. Such as the pill, patch, shot, or IUD. Birth control is a safe way to prevent pregnancy. You can purchase birth control at your doctor’s office, planned parenthood, a clinic, or a public health care provider. They will first discuss your medical history with you, then check your blood pressure and finally you will discuss which birth control method is right for you, and they will send you on your way with your prescription. Birth control can be purchased at your local drugstore and costs up to 50 dollars. In a lot of cases though, young girls and even older women cannot afford or access these types of birth control. There are concerns about being unemployed which results in no income coming in for birth control, lack of health insurance the woman may have and whether or not the woman can afford having a child, even more during an economic crisis. By having women’s birth control free it will not only decrease the chances of abortion, help women financially , help with women’s menstrual cycle, and also by lowering the teen pregnancy rate, and having them have the power to decide when they want to have children. Many people can argue that the government shouldn’t have to provide another free service and that the cost

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

“One of my favorite moments is when a guy, at a certain point in a relationship says something desperately hopeful like, ‘Are you on the pill? ‘ I simply say, ‘No are you?” (Roxane Gay). Back in 1967 trying to terminate a baby was illegal. The only thing they were able to use was condoms to prevent catching any diseases. If anyone were to try and find a way of a form of birth control you would be prosecuted. In 1972 is when they legalized birth control for citizens in the country. Ater legalizing birth control, in the 1990s along came the Depo shot, female condom, Plan B, and more. In 2013 Plan B was a emergency contraceptive that you can get over the counter and no longer needed a doctor's prescription. Birth control is the practice of preventing

In the article “On Capitol Hill, a Push to Make the Pill Over the Counter” by Kimberly Leonard addresses one of the main topics being discussed in congress for the past year. That topic is whether or not oral contraceptives should be readily available to women in stores without a prescription. In June of 2015, the Affordability of Access Act was introduced to the House. This act would require that all health insurance companies cover all forms of birth control pills without the user needing a prescription from their doctor. Kimberly Leonard, the article’s author, uses a logical argument to not only backup the opinions of the congress member’s that want to see this happen but also uses arguments that help to back up the member’s that do not

Another benefit of free birth control is it can reduce poverty as well as decrease abortion rates. According to the Guttmacher Institute, around 75% of abortion patients in the United States are poor or low-income (“Abortion Patients More”). From experience, being a low-income family means focusing on essential items. Most likely, these women are not saving monthly for contraceptives

As a woman my body is always up for debate, therefore it is important for me to keep track of what new laws are being discussed. Not too long ago, there were debates on whether employers should cover birth control in their health coverage. Through personal experience I know that birth control is not just used as a contraceptive but also as medicine. If my employer did not cover my birth control, then I would have unbalanced hormones. This could lead to infertility and cancer. It is important for me to be conscious of what is going on politically so that I can speak up when necessary. This way lawmakers can consider all views and circumstances.

Without birth control coverage, the cost of coverage would have increasingly grown at a much higher rate until eventually there will be more teen pregnancies. In 2006, 71.5% of pregnancies in teens ages (15-19) were unintended. After the affordable care act was enforced by Obama in 2009, that rate reached an all time low for the century of 39.1% unintended pregnancies (Bridges.) Obama has saved many teens futures by providing birth control to that area of the population. Although providing this many americans with birth control and the affordable care act may cost America a lot of money, it has kept us from overpopulation and economic poverty. Free birth control prevents a lot of possible future problems and there is no need for it to be taken away from the citizens as a whole.

     Philosopher Bertrand Russell once said, “Those who in principle oppose birth control are either incapable of arithmetic or else in favour of war, pestilence, and famine as permanent features of human life.” This quote foreshadows the effects of passing a bill to leave birth control coverage up to employers.  If birth control isn’t covered by insurance companies it will lead to more teenage pregnancies,  a higher dropout rate, abortion rates rising,  resulting in a lesser educated and more overpopulated country.  According to Planned Parenthood (2017), ninety-nine percent of all sexually active women have used birth control at some point, meaning it is a serious issue.

America has been up in arms of late. Family members turn against each other, neighbors argue, and social media fills with article upon article all discussing one issue: whether or not health insurance should be required to cover the cost of birth control. More than 99% of sexually active women between the ages of 15 and 44 use at least one form of contraceptive (Contraceptive Use United). Consequently, when Republicans voted down the GOP bill in January, panic ensued (Adamczyk). Birth control varies in importance to women everywhere, and critics attack its right to be covered by health insurance every chance they get. However, when you remove opinion from the equation, all of the facts point to a single conclusion: birth control should be covered by health insurance.

In recent years, healthcare has become a common topic of debate with numerous aspects and concerns as well as multiple proposed solutions and opposing viewpoints. A common facet of health care that is notorious for causing controversy is contraceptives, particularly the question of whether or not birth control should be provided free of cost. Many believe that if birth control were more readily available, there would not only be a decrease in unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, but more women would have access to the benefits birth control can offer outside of pregnancy prevention. On the other hand, others believe that birth control is not a viable health concern and should not be mandatory to provide free of cost as it is a personal matter

Fifty-six percent say they can support themselves better financially. Fifty-one percent of women say that they can finally finish their education. Fifty percent of the women surveyed said they keep or get a good, supporting job. The issue of birth control is not only a health issue it is also an economic issue. The female population have struggled to pay for the prescription birth control at some point in their life. The co-pays for birth control usually range between $15 to $50 per month (The Facts on Birth Control coverage For Women). At no cost of birth control the national abortion rate would decline. The effect of the free birth control on the teen pregnancies decreased from about 34 births per 1,000 teen births per year to now (in 2010) 6 births per 1,000 teen births per year(

We are in a world where there are many teens getting pregnant. Over the years many teenage girls have gotten pregnant, mainly because they didn’t use protection. The Colorado Health Department of Public Health and Environment had released an announcement that the state's teen birth rate had dropped 40 percent between 2009 and 2013, probably because birth control was made cheaper. This is good news because the world's population has been getting bigger and bigger, and with the economy it may not be a good thing. That is why making birth control pills legal without a prescription can drop teenage pregnancies and lessen the world’s population.

Not only will birth control decrease risk for disease and teen pregnancy, it will increase the rate of teens receiving a high school diploma. Teenage girls are more at risk of dropping out if they become pregnant; however, if they had birth control, a higher quantity would not get pregnant and drop out. Saras Chung, author of “New Study Links Teen Pregnancy and Dropout, Spotlight Solutions,” asserts, “Teen pregnancy and high school dropouts are linked.” This expert opinion displays that vital consequences are linked to teen pregnancy. Chung also listed some statistics in the same article. She affirms, “One in three teen mothers earned neither a diploma nor a GED” (Chung). Some teenage mothers do not go on

Birth control. Most of the women in America have tried some type of birth control during their lifetime. Currently, we are having debates to see if birth control should be free or at a lower cost to citizens. Why do we need birth control if we already have condoms? Do we really have affordable birth control? Can we get it easily? Does it do more than just prevent pregnancies? If birth control really helping women and the economy? In this research paper, I will be going over these questions. Birth control is a benefit to modern society and we have benefited from it greatly.