Eli Rallo, a writer, podcast host and content creator, is my TikTok god, my Carrie Bradshaw if you will. If she writes a book, I will read it. If she publishes a video, I will watch it. This article is not about Eli Rallo; rather, it is about the subject of a series of videos she published, which is of extreme importance.
Rallo posted a video discussing her promotion of an over-the-counter birth control pill. In the original advert, she mentioned her love for birth control. The top comment on the video expressed the user’s opinion that “loving” birth control was weird — a response that encapsulates a deeply problematic trend in conversations around reproductive healthcare for people with uteruses.
The openness with which Rallo speaks about birth control is refreshing in a time where rising conservatism continues to demonize the medication, with social media platforms flooded with false narratives claiming that birth control is harmful to health. For example, in the aftermath of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision reversal, Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly called for overturning the constitutional right to birth control, which made attacks on contraception not just theoretical but increasingly real. Additionally, since Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, another Supreme Court decision that overturned the constitutional right to abortion, anti-reproductive health activists and policymakers adopted less visible tactics to restrict contraception after facing backlash to obvious efforts. This hesitation is not paranoia — it is strategic.
Today, the media is inundated with countless birth control horror stories, to the point that many forget that it can be a lifesaving medication for the chronically ill. Research from the University of Pennsylvania demonstrates that 74% of YouTube influencers who spoke about birth control encouraged discontinuation of contraception, and nearly 50% of TikTok posts promoted the same idea, with creators identifying a litany of alleged negative side effects based purely on personal anecdotes rather than scientific evidence.
While not every medication works for everyone, demonizing one because of proximity bias is categorically harmful for an entire group of people with uteruses. Birth control is prescribed for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, irregular or absent menstrual periods, menstrual cramps, acne and premenstrual syndrome. For many, the aim of hormonal contraceptive use is to provide effective fertility control and alleviate associated pain and progression of disease.
I do not care that your mother’s sister’s friend’s daughter’s boyfriend’s sister gained weight while on the pill. All medication carries side effects, and it is OK if a medication is not meant for you. However, as Rallo points out, in an era where Roe v. Wade has been overturned and everyone is stepping into their divine feminine, which is just a neatly packaged way to say “women belong in the kitchen,” women are falling for the right-wing propaganda that they are selling.
And for single-issue voters focused on “the economy” (which often equates to a conservative ballot), birth control decreases poverty among women and children, improves access to higher education and the likelihood of degree completion and contributes to more women entering the workforce. If I need to spell it out: birth control increases the purchasing power of women, one of the single most important drivers of economic growth.
The data is irrefutable. Early legal access to contraceptives has been shown to reduce female poverty, and by the 1990s, contraception alone was responsible for nearly one-third of the reduction of the gender wage gap. Women with access to contraception in their early twenties earned $2,200 more per year by their early forties than women who did not, and by age 50, women who had early access to contraceptives earned 8% more per hour. The educational benefits are equally profound. College enrollment is 20% higher for individuals who have legal access to birth control early in life than for those who do not, and completion rates are higher for those with access to contraception. These are not just numbers on a page — they represent real lives, real opportunities and real economic mobility.
As Rallo states, “You do not have to love birth control for yourself or your body, but as a woman, not loving birth control is f—ing asinine.”
She is right.
This discourse matters. The language we use around birth control and contraceptives writ large shapes policy, access and the lived experience and opportunities of millions. In the post-Roe landscape, where reproductive rights are being systematically dismantled, birth control advocacy is not just reasonable, it is radical, necessary resistance. That is why I say I love birth control, and you should too.  Â