Running head: THE IMPORTANCE OF PREVENTING BIRTH CONTROL REGULATION

The Importance of Preventing Birth Control Regulation

Giselle Amador

Arizona State University

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Abstract

The following essay presents reasons as to why birth control shouldn’t be regulated and it should

be easily accessible to women. Birth control has a positive impact on the lives of women in many

ways. Regulating birth control would strip women from their natural reproductive rights.

Keywords: b​ irth control, regulation, women

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The Importance of Preventing Birth Control Regulation

For most women, pregnancy is considered one of the most important and special

moments of their life. During this time, women are more in touch with their body’s than ever and

experience many personal life changes during and after pregnancy. Every pregnancy is different

and every woman has a different experience. But one thing that every woman can agree on is the

higher level of complexity in an unplanned pregnancy compared to a planned pregnancy. An

unplanned pregnancy can alter the life of a woman drastically, especially if she isn’t ready to

handle the responsibility of bringing another life into this world. Because of this reason, many

women use birth control to decrease the possibility of becoming pregnant. Birth control is a

helpful resource in the reproductive lives of women. In recent discussions of birth control, a

controversial issue has been whether birth control should be regulated. On one hand, some argue

that the use of birth control is morally incorrect and harmful. On the other hand, however, others

argue that birth control has many benefits and has improved the lives of women. Still others

think that it should be regulated because it amounts to abortion. My own view is that birth

control shouldn’t be regulated and should be easily accessible for women.

The pro-life and pro-choice communinty have been on edge due to the recent push by

politicians to regulate contraceptives. The pro-life community believes that abortion and

contraception is wrong because everyone has a right to live. The pro-choice community believes

that women should have the right to have control of their reprodructive life. I believe in the

stance of the pro-choice community. Birth control can be used to aid in the health of women, not

only does it prevent pregnancy but it also reduces or helps prevent acne, bone thinning, cysts in

the breasts and ovaries, endometrial and ovarian cancers, infection in ovaries, fallopian tubes,
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and uterus, iron deficiency, and Premenstrual Syndrome (Planned Parenthood, pp3). It is

important to understand that birth control has more than one use, every woman has their own

reasons as to why they use it. Convenience is a big factor as to why many women use it, one

simple pill can provide all those benefits.

All medications have potential side effects, birth control is included. In some medications

the cons outweigh the pros, and in others the pros outweigh the cons. Although some people

might claim that birth control is unhealthy to the woman's body, due to side effects such as mood

changes, headaches/migraines, nausea, and weight gain (Medical News Today, pp6). The side

effects aren't as life altering as becoming pregnant, there is more at stake with a pregnancy and

overall birth control is proven to be safe. There is a misconception that birth control is unsafe,

but in reality there is no major harm associated with it. There is more risk of harm in an

unplanned pregnancy, because of health complications that could be potentially deadly if the

woman isn’t taking care of herself or the baby. Sometimes women aren’t taking the proper care

because they are unaware of their pregnancy in the early stages or they don’t have the desire to

have the baby. These are only some of the reasons as to why the proper care isn’t taken, there

could be many more but it all depends on the situation. Birth control helps avoid these types of

complications.

Birth control decreases the number of unplanned pregnancies, a pregnancy can be

considered unplanned if no children or no more children are expected, or if the child comes at

not the best timing. Unplanned pregnancies increase the risk of a complication happening to the

mom or the baby. According to the ​Centers of Disease Control and Prevention​, “​Family

planning efforts that can help reduce unintended pregnancy include increasing access to
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contraception​, particularly to the more effective and longer acting reversible forms of

contraception, and increasing correct and consistent use of contraceptive methods overall among

those who are sexually active but wish to delay or avoid pregnancy” (Unintended Pregnancy

Prevention, 2015). Everyone can agree that being informed and educated about safe sex is

important.

Some people believe that women that take birth control are more likely to participate in

risky sexual behavior. The truth is that women that take birth control are acually more educated

and take better precautions in terms of safe sex. Sexual education is a big miss in the U.S school

curriculums, this means that most people grow up with very little knowledge of preventative

measures to take when participating in sexual behavior. The very limited sexual education that is

given, if any, is to practice abstinence. Abstinence is a very effective way to prevent pregnancy

but it is important to educate on other options, such as contraception. According to a report by

the ​Brookings Institution,​ ​“there remains little compelling evidence to date that abstinence-only

programs can affect the sexual behavior of most teens or of young adults” (Thomas, 2012). More

education on contraceptives and birth control could potentially decrease unplanned pregnancies

even more.

Another benefit of birth control is that it helps decrease world population, it is important

for our population to increase at a stable pace. According to the ​National Public Radio,​ “​Rapid

population growth is bad news for the continent, as it will likely outstrip gains in economic

development. It's also a wake-up call: If the world doesn't begin investing far more seriously in

family planning, much of our progress fighting poverty in sub-Saharan Africa over the last

half-century could be lost” (Potts, Campbell, 2011). ​Without birth control or contraception, the
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population would increase to unhealthy levels which leads to a poorer quality of life, as it is seen

in countries that don’t have easy access to birth control. An overwhelming population can lead to

many problems in society, health, environmental, and economic issues would only be the start.

The problem with this is that the planet isn’t able to sustain and provide adequate resources for a

population that big. Foriegn policy experts, Potts and Cambell believe that, “​If we want to live in

an ecologically sustainable world, we'll have to meet the needs of the present without

compromising the natural resources​ ​and services our children and grandchildren will need”

(2011).

Some people believe that contraception is wrong because of religious beliefs and biblical

oppositions. According to a psychologist, “​Contraception was condemned by Christianity as a

barrier to God’s procreative purpose of marriage until the start of the 20th century” (Stacey,

2018). The main reason why it is condemned by the church is because birth control is believed to  

amount to abortion. Most religions still follow traditional beliefs but other religions have become

a little more accepting of contraceptive use. Traditionally, it was more common for families to be

large, now and days the average family size has decreased. This decrease in family size is due to

the increased use of contraception. The decrease in family size creates less financial

responsibilities which results in less families stuck in poverty.

​Birth control empowers women in many aspects of life and promotes gender equality.

According to a study that interviewed more than 2,000 women across the U.S, “​Most

participants said that contraception has allowed them to take better care of themselves or their

families (63%), support themselves financially (56%), complete their education (51%), or keep

or get a job (50%)” (Homeke, 2012). Thanks to birth control women are able to have more
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control of their personal lives. It allows women to have control over fertility, menstrual cycles,

education, and careers. With birth control, women have more opportunities to plan and go after

their goals, without having to carry the responsibility of a child or a family. In terms of careers

and the workforce, women have more of a leverage in going after a male dominant position. Not

only does it empower women to be on the same pedestal as men but also to strive for dominance.

Some people don’t realize that women still struggle with proclaiming their natural born

rights. If policy law-makers regulate birth control, the reproductive rights of women will be

taken away. According to a professor of political sciences ​“​The desire to enhance women’s

power has not been central to U.S. reproductive drug policy making." (Haussman, 2013). It is

obvious with regulations like these, that women still don’t have the power they rightfully fought

for centuries ago. For many years, women have battled and continue to protect their equal rights.

No woman should have to fight for the rights of their own body, especially not with men. Men

have no relationship with birth control so it is foolish for men to have a say in anything involving

birth control.

Birth control is a powerful tool for women, it has brought advancements to women's lives

in various aspects. Those aspects include aid in health, decrease in unplanned pregnancies,

decrease in world population, and women empowerment. Women and the pro-choice community

need to protest and fight againt birth control regulations because every person should have the

right to do as they desire with their own body. Birth control affects more than reproductive

rights, in the end picture it affects bigger world issues such as poverty, over-population, and the

health of all women. We cannot let this powerful tool be regulated, it is more than just a simple

pill. According to NARAL (Pro-Choice America), the correct actions to take would be to
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message state legislatures, volunteer, donate, and sign the petition to protect reproductive rights.

Women have been suppressed for long enough, it is time to stand up for what is rightfully theirs.
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References

Bartells, F. K. (2012). Teens Should Not Have Access to Emergency Contraception Without

Parental Consent. In M. Haerens & L. M. Zott (Eds.), ​Opposing Viewpoints.​ ​Birth

Control.​ Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press. (Reprinted from The New 'Emergency

Contraception': A Dark and Deadly Pill, 2010) Retrieved from

http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/apps/doc/EJ3010568257/OVIC?u=asuniv

&sid=OVIC&xid=12d7e7bf

Flavell-While, C. (2010). Engineering the sexual revolution. ​TCE: The Chemical Engineer​,

(828), 46–47. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=5

1888031&site=ehost-live

Haussman, Melissa. Reproductive Rights and the State : Getting the Birth Control, RU-486,

Morning-After Pills and the Gardasil Vaccine to the U.S. Market, ABC-CLIO, LLC,

2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,

http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/asulib-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1135400​.

Created from asulib-ebooks on 2019-02-27 20:17:20.

Parenthood, P. (n.d.). What Are the Benefits & Advantages of Birth Control Pills? Retrieved

from

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/birth-control-pill/what-are-the-be

nefits-of-the-birth-control-pill

Pietro, M. D. (n.d.). Long-term effects of birth control: Is it safe to use indefinitely? Retrieved

from ​https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322762.php
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Potts, M., & Campbell, M. (2011, May 11). Foreign Policy: Without Birth Control, Planet

Doomed. Retrieved from

https://www.npr.org/2011/05/11/136201025/foreign-policy-without-birth-control-planet-

doomed

Stacey, D. (n.d.). What Are Religious Views on Birth Control? Retrieved from

https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-religious-views-on-birth-control-906618

Take Action with NARAL! (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/take-action/

Thomas, A., & Thomas, A. (2016, July 29). Policy Solutions for Preventing Unplanned

Pregnancy. Retrieved from

https://www.brookings.edu/research/policy-solutions-for-preventing-unplanned-pregnanc

y/

Unintended Pregnancy Prevention. (2015, January 22). Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/unintendedpregnancy/index.htm

Why Does a Woman Use Contraception? For a Better Life. (2016, October 24). Retrieved from

https://www.intrahealth.org/vital/why-does-woman-use-contraception-better-life