With a new U.S President comes new laws. Under President Obama, the Affordable Care Act made most forms of birth control free. However, with President Trump eager to replace the ACA, many women are worried about how that will impact accessibility to contraception. Due to the myriad benefits birth control offers, it is important that we keep it available to all.
First and foremost birth control allows for precise family planning. With all the expenses child care brings, it is important to do so in a financially stable enviroment. Unfortunately in today’s economy that’s not always possible. Even in a financially stable enviroment many women have to plan their pregnancy around their career due to America’s lack of maternity benefits.
A recent study by the Guttmacher Institute also showed that nearly every state saw a decline in abortion. While they did not look into what factors caused this, the researchers and other experts believe this is due to accessible contraception and not a decline in sexual activity. Birth control allows women to choose exactly when the best time to have a baby is.
Birth control also provides plenty of benefits that aren’t even about sex. According to American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the hormones in birth control can alleviate menstrual symptoms including irregular, heavy and painful periods. Birth control can also ease the pain of endometriosis, a condition where the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside it. It also has lowered the rates of cervical and ovarian cancer, and anemia.
However, it’s not just American women that depend on accessible birth control. It is something that is needed in countries around the world. American organizations are some of many that help provide these services to underdeveloped countries. Unfortunately with President Trump’s stance on contraception, his desire to repeal affordable health care and restrict healthcare services overseas, there is no telling how this will impact women around the world.
Sources:
Agrawal, N. (2017, January 18). Abortion Rate Declines to Historic Low, with Obamacare a Likely Contributor, study says. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-us-abortion-rates-20170117-story.html
Noncontraceptive Benefits of Birth Control Pills. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12, 2017, from https://www.asrm.org/FACTSHEET_Noncontraceptive_Benefits_of_Birth_Control_Pills/