On May 9, 2010, the birth control pill, commonly known as a contraceptive turned 50 years old, marked by its approval by the FDA. The pill has changed the way women live, and most of all how women are viewed.
Woman is such a beautiful word, and a beautiful creature. Women are viewed as fragile, delicate and in need of protection. This has long been the argument for the history of America, and as a woman I am here to say, no more. We have been strapped into corsets, forced into the motherly role on classical television and now are unfairly being forced to speak to a health professional regarding a necessity of everyday life for most women: birth control.
Is the fear that making birth control accessible will somehow promote sexual activity in today’s youth?
Birth control is not only an effective form of contraceptive, but it is also a treatment for a common ovarian disease afflicting the lives of women between 1 in 10 and 1 in 20 women of childbearing age: Polycystic Ovarian Disease, or PCOS.
There are a couple of benefits of keeping birth control from becoming an over-the-counter drug. Although it is necessary to obtain a doctor’s prescription, birth control remains covered by insurance. This allows contraceptives to remain inexpensive under insurance plans. When drugs such as Claritin became accessible to the public, the price of the pills soared!
Another benefit arises by the necessary yearly appointment to the gynecologist in which full exams are performed; however, organizations such as womenshealth.gov now agree that women over 21 only need to get the life saving, cancer detecting Pap Smear every other year if the history of such tests are clean.
As an accounting major it has been drilled into me to recognize whether the benefits are greater than the cost. The benefit of a publicly accessible birth control pill does outweigh the cost to the consumer when insurance no longer partially pays. The cost to the consumer has yet to be seen as a long term cost, something that we have a hard time thinking about in our fast paced society.
The future costs of preventable unwanted pregnancies are so great that even thinking about the reduction of OTC birth control is unfathomable. Despite arguments against the pill, isn’t it time that women have control over their lives in a greater way? Isn’t it time to break out of one more binding chain of oppression? Birth control regulation is outdated, and it is time that we move into a future where a woman, at any age, for any reason, can decide to take control of her ovaries.
Krissy Martinez is an Accounting junior and can be reached at [email protected]
There are plenty of over-the-counter contraceptive options for women, and some go beyond the birth control pill by providing protection from sexually transmitted diseases.
Also, There are better reasons to keep oral contraceptives off the counter than the ones listed in this column.
Oral contraceptives contain hormones that “trick” a woman’s body into thinking it is pregnant so that an egg is not released during her ovulation. That is a very powerful thing, which is best left administered by a healthcare provider that can perform a physical and medical history to find out what pill is right for her. Every woman’s biological needs are different, and there are different hormonal combinations available in each type of pill. Some women have to return to the provider to get a prescription for a different pill because the hormones were wrong for their body type.
Also, moving oral contraceptives OTC removes the responsibility from women to see thier ObGyn for regular cervical check ups. Abnormal tissue in the cervix can lead to High Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions of the Cervix (HGSIL). These lesions grow into Cervical Cancer, a leading cause of death in women due to those females in third world countries who do not have access to an ObGyn.
It should also be noted here that HGSIL is caused by the STD Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which has already infected 20 million Americans and is estimated to grow by 6 million people yearly, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC also said that 50% of sexually active men carry HPV and women get it sometime in thier life. Women can learn more about HPV and other STDs as well as prevention and possible vaccinations from their healthcare provider during that visit to get the oral contraceptive.
It is no secret that young adults live fast and often want to cut corners, especially when it comes to having sex. However, cutting the ObGyn out of the equation so that you can grab your birth control pills and a Diet Coke while waiting for the pictures from last night’s keg party to develop develop is a folly.
I for one believe that birth control should be considered to becoming an over he counter drug. Don’t get me wrong this isn’t just and ordinary drug such as advil or midol, but with the big issues that were facing today it should be taken into consideration.
With teen pregnancies skyrocketing, birth control should be easier for young teen girls to access if they would like it. They’re is nothing wrong with a young lady wanted to be catious and protect herself of getting pregnant. Sure we all know that birth control is not 100% effective but neither are condoms. To be honest NOTHING is 100% safe when it comes to sex besides just not having it. Parents, teachers and doctors can do all the “preachin” about not having sex but the reality is that its going to happen.
Why not send the message to young adults to be safe than sorry rather than telling them not to do something and them going behind the backs of their parents and doing it anyways? Kids having sex is inevitable. Lets just make sure the go about it in the right way. If that means making birth control available over the counter then so be it.