With Obama care being repealed, many women and men alike are concerned on how birth control will be acquired for those who can't afford it.
Upon scrolling down my Facebook and seeing different responses to this, I noticed a large group of people misunderstood what birth control is actually used for, so I'm here to put some of the misunderstandings and false information to rest.
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Statement #1: If you do not want to get pregnant, use condoms or abstain from sex.
This is a statement someone would hear in a poorly taught high school sex ed class, and is simply not realistic. Condoms are less reliable than hormonal birth control. Some women simply do not want children. Some women fear high risk pregnancies and are more likely to miscarry and want to prevent that. Basically using the blanket solution of abstaining is telling those women that they should not be intimate with their partners, a huge component of a relationship, without worrying about becoming pregnant. Women should not live in fear that they will become pregnant if there are means to prevent it.
Statement #2 Birth control is only used to prevent pregnancies and I don't agree with that.
While a primary use of birth control is to prevent pregnancies, it it prescribed for far more reasons. Birth control is prescribed for:
Endometriosis, a condition where the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus, and can result in damage to organs and loss of parts of the colon. This is extremely painful.
PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome. This is a hormonal imbalance where women can have severe acne, issues with weight, extra hair growth, and irregular periods.
PMDD, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a condition that is a more severe form pf PMS, where the symptoms of PMS are so severe leading up to a period that they adversely affect the quality of life.
Birth control is prescribed for a multitude of reasons that have nothing to do with pregnancy.
Statement #3 I shouldn't pay for someone else's medication.
This medication affects half of the population, and also has a massive effect on society both in the long, and short run. This is a statement that I will explain in great detail next week when I write about the foster system and how it affects the crime and homelessness rate.
