Healthcare is a mess in this country. I believe that this is something that we can all agree on, regardless of your views on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or the American Health Care Act (AHCA). There is no one simple fix to this dilemma. One thing healthcare related that I do feel that we should be able to have unrestricted access to birth control. Donald Trump's recent attempts to modify our current health insurance situation will now eliminate the mandate for employers to have birth control covered by their health insurance plans if it conflicts with their religious or moral beliefs.

I almost envy these mostly male politicians for having such a skewed image of what birth control is. It feels as if they only view birth control as something women take so they can sleep around as much as they please. They have the "privilege" of not having to endure a monthly menstrual cycle, and it's many debilitating symptoms for 20 to 30 plus consecutive years. Hell, I would love not to have to deal with it myself, but it's not like a uterus comes with an on and off switch. There are so many reasons why birth control is needed, and simply preventing pregnancy is just a small piece of the pie.

Contrary to what some may believe (or choose to accept), birth control is utilized for so much more than to prevent an unplanned pregnancy. I was even on birth control for about a year when I was 24 to manage my increasingly heavy and painful menstrual cycles after losing about 50 pounds. I had no plans to engage in any sexual activity, and even if I did, no politician has any jurisdiction over my body and my health care. The only people with that kind of authority are my health care providers and me. We do not put all of these regulations on men's drugs such as Viagra and Cialis because if we did then maybe they would understand how truly ridiculous this all is.

There are several other uses for birth control medications including endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, premenstrual syndrome, menstrual cramps, heavy periods, acne, primary ovarian deficiency, amenorrhea. I did not know that a bunch of stuffy white politicians could decide what was wrong with my health and my life.

Let me just entertain their logic for one second. If I wanted to use birth control for the sole purpose of sleeping around every night, that would be my decision and my choice to do so without the government wanting to get involved. It is just like how the government associates planned parenthood with only abortions when they do so much more for women on a daily basis. If we could stop associating women's issues with the one "problem", or concern that people have about it and look at the big picture, I think things would change a whole lot faster.