Why should birth control be free? This has been a looming question for quite a while now and in this article, I’ll try to present information and let you know precisely why it should be free.
According to many studies about the use of birth control, the rate of unplanned pregnancies lowers, and so do abortion rates. A separate study also showed that women with access to family planning programs made their overall income rise and poverty level drop. Since the pill can be pricey, many women can’t afford it, which makes unplanned pregnancies more likely to happen within women, especially if part of low-income populations. In most states, birth control is not included in many insurance plans, which makes it hard for women to be able to afford them (depending on the type of birth control method).
Apart from the reasons cited above, why else should birth control be free?
Women have been trying to prove that they deserve a place in society and the same rights as men for a really long time. A woman’s place in society used to be determined by their status as a wife or mother. As society has witnessed significant changes in the past years, there are still so many factors that need to be taken into consideration and discussed. Sexual activity is natural and most of the times, pregnancies are unplanned, so why shouldn’t it be free?
Abortions are still not legal in every country. If a woman can’t afford birth control and needs to get an abortion, what if the national laws don't allow her to? What if she and her family can’t afford to travel somewhere else to get it done? Making birth control free would not only decrease abortion rates, but it would help women financially, it would lower teen pregnancies, and give women the power to decide for themselves what they want to do with their own bodies.
Why is it that women are the ones who have to take birth control, and not men? One of the many questions people pose in order to get something out of this discussion. It has been said that it is not because of lack of interest, but because of lack of funding for research. Men have a dominant perception that causes them to believe that they should not be responsible for contraception. Meaning women have to deal with health-related and financial burdens because of it, while most men think “it’s not their problem”. That is a blatantly sexist mindset that women still have to deal with to this day. A variety of birth control methods was created for women, while few are available to men. Among those, vasectomies, that have been proven to be able to be undone at times and, still, not have any side effects (only temporary pain).
In summary, birth control should be free. Women deserve to have this type of freedom. I can tie this topic in with feminism and sexism and how it is still very prevalent in our society. This topic is very important and should always be further discussed, since there is not one way or “right way” to go about it. As women fight for their equal rights and more scientific discoveries are made, I believe this matter will have more and more reason and evidence to be supported, making this on-going debate an (eventual) win for the ladies.