If you log on to any social media platform right now, chances are you are going to read something about President Trump. And you will more than likely read an opinionated comment or two. This past week, I have read many comments and posts about why birth control is "bad" and why it needs to be "banned". Here is why you are wrong.
This past September, Trump said that he is "not in favor of requiring a prescription to purchase birth control".
Typically when people think of birth control, you think of the most popular reason, avoiding a pregnancy. However, you don't think of the thousands of women that have to take oral birth control for other health conditions. For example, oral birth control is used to help Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Endometriosis patients. In Endometriosis patients oral contraceptive is used to help ease the symptoms (severe abdomen pain, irregular periods/extremely painful periods, even infertility). In Polycystic Ovary Syndrome patients, such as myself, it is used for lowering some irregular hormone levels that can cause problems (such as irregular periods, painful periods, hair loss, irregular hair growth, weight gain, acne, infertility, depression, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia). Without oral contraceptives, we would be living in severe pain, we would have more infertility problems, irregular periods, and so much more. It is just simply not an option for us to go without it, and it shouldn't be.
Throughout his campaign, Trump has promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which mandates that insurers in the health insurance market provide coverage for all FDA-approved birth control methods, including IUD's, with no co-payment or coinsurance when provided in-network. In other words, if the Affordable Care Act was repealed, millions of women could lose access to oral and IUD birth control.
Thousands of women rely on IUD's to prevent pregnancy. It has become very popular because not only does it last for a long time without having to remember to take a pill, but it is also a wonderful emergency contraceptive. Which if you ask me, I have no idea why the conservative party has such a problem with IUD's because in theory, they do cut down abortion rates...
What about the young woman that has an IUD because she is a full time student and can't afford to have a child? What about the woman in an abusive relationship that doesn't want to get pregnant? What about the woman that just simply doesn't want children? The point is, we all need and we all deserve the option to have birth control, and not worry about how we are going to pay for it or how we are going to get it.
Oral contraceptive can also prevent some types of cancer.
If we aren't going to be allowed to have access to birth control of any kind, then men shouldn't be allowed to have access to Viagra (which is government funded).
Information on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome:
http://www.webmd.com/women/tc/polycystic-ovary-syn...
Information on Endometriosis:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/endo...
Information on IUD's:
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-cont...
Other information on birth control:
http://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/features/ot...
