Why Do We Need Birth Control?

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Clarissa

March 2, 2012

I have to say, I’m getting a little fed up with the “women need birth control not because they want to have sex but because they might have health issues that are corrected with birth control and, in any case, being on birth control doesn’t mean you are having that much sex anyways.”

It’s all true but it’s also completely beside the point. It is the XXI century, folks. It is perfectly fine to need birth control because you are having sex and want to prevent pregnancy. It is perfectly fine to have tons of sex if that’s what you want. Let’s stop buying into this idea that there is something wrong with having sex.

Want birth control for your health issues? Good. Want it because you are having lots of sex? Also good. Neither of these reasons is more or less valid than the other. Let’s just stop being apologetic for what we are doing with our own bodies already.

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18 responses to “Why Do We Need Birth Control?”

scratchy888

March 2, 2012

Australia really is more advanced on this than the US. By the way, I had my first visit to a gynecologist this week. I thought they would be scary, but I was pleasantly relieved that this one was not.

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1. bloggerclarissa
  
  March 2, 2012
  
  “By the way, I had my first visit to a gynecologist this week.”
  
  – First ever??
  
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scratchy888

March 2, 2012

bloggerclarissa :
“By the way, I had my first visit to a gynecologist this week.”
– First ever??

Truly.

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el

March 2, 2012

It’s also a very bad tactic because (all/most?) health issues can be addressed with other medicine. F.e.
Iron Deficiency Anemia is is the most common form of anemia. About 20% of women, 50% of pregnant women, and 3% of men are iron deficient.
http://www.mamashealth.com/nutrition/anemia.asp

One of main causes of the condition is blood loss due to heavy period. However, if a woman isn’t sexually active, a doctor won’t prescribe BC. There are special pills against excessive bleeding, which have absolutely nothing to do with preventing ovulation.

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1. Anon1
  
  March 2, 2012
  
  It’s also a very bad tactic because (all/most?) health issues can be addressed with other medicine.
  Not really, for example, endometriosis, adenomyiosis, fibroids – for these the first step is hormonal treatment of one kind of the other as these and similar conditions depend on the level of estrogen/progesterone in your body, which can not be regulated by simply taking iron. If that doesn’t work, the next step is surgery.
  
  And, btw, I completely agree with Clarissa, why does have to be an issue at all?
  
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2. Tori
  
  March 2, 2012
  
  And some of us have tried those “special pills” and have continued to bleed excessively anyway. This is sort of why we don’t need people who are not the patient and the patient’s health care provider deciding what is or is not a “bad tactic” for their individual circumstances.
  
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  1. bloggerclarissa
    
    March 2, 2012
    
    “This is sort of why we don’t need people who are not the patient and the patient’s health care provider deciding what is or is not a “bad tactic” for their individual circumstances.”
    
    – Exactly. Why can’t a person and her doctor decide it among themselves? Where is the freedom of choice that our Libertarian friends talk so much about?
    
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Titfortat

March 2, 2012

Hear, hear. I keep mentioning it to my wife that it is OK for her to want sex, lots and lots of sex. 🙂

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anon

March 2, 2012

YES!

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nominatissima

March 2, 2012

Hear hear!
Sex is great, birth control is great, because you know what? Safe sex is AWESOME.

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Fie Upon This Quiet Life

March 2, 2012

Once the Catholic Church — and other religous entities — enter the 21st century, this will no longer be an issue. Until religion gets out of our bedrooms AND our politics, birth control will always be an issue. But really, birth control is also symbolic of women’s rights in general.

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1. bloggerclarissa
  
  March 2, 2012
  
  This is absolutely true. We are making a laughing stock of ourselves in the eyes of the entire civilized world by allowing this barbarity to happen.
  
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Wirbelwind

March 2, 2012

You can just, you know, buy birth control yourself.

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1. bloggerclarissa
  
  March 2, 2012
  
  Erm, I do, thank you. We are discussing the desire of some presidential candidates to ban birth control altogether. Or aren’t you aware?
  
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2. FD
  
  March 2, 2012
  
  Well, no, unfortunately, as I understand it, in many states it’s prescription only, which necessitates a Dr’s visit, which should be covered by insurance.
  
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  1. nominatissima
    
    March 2, 2012
    
    Plus, it’s expensive without insurance. Certain birth control can be more than $100 a month depending on where you live, even if you go to Planned Parenthood, which has a sliding pay scale, it can still be prohibitively expensive for many people.
    I was covered by my mother’s insurance while living in my home state, but ended up having to have her send me packs of the pills through the mail to me in university because my insurance didn’t cover me when I was living out of state.
    
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Vertigo

March 2, 2012

Awesome, simply awesome!

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adamsdaughter

March 2, 2012

It is really surprising how sex is still perceived with negative connotations of being wrong or inappropriate or dirty. Banning birth control would or allowing companies and affiliations to use their discretion whether to offer coverage for birth control would be absolutely insane, and definitely ten steps backward.

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