With the “Condom Games” at the University of Utah’s Heritage Center just wrapping up and World AIDS Day coming on Dec. 1, sex education has come to the forefront.
While safe sex and abstinence are often discussed in the media or in classrooms, methods of birth control remain a touchy issue for many religious, education and government institutions.
But despite the controversy surrounding the issue, many U students claim they understand and practice various methods.
“I’m married, so we’ve tried condoms, contraceptive gel, the pill and a diaphragm,” Matthew Riley, a sophomore in art, explained.
Riley said he learned about birth control in his high school in Rhode Island.
“It’s a pretty big thing in schools there,” he said.
Andrew Jackson, a senior in languages, said he learned about birth control from his friends.
“They’re comfortable talking about it,” he said. However, he admits that college-age students are a pretty educated group. “If you talked to other groups, the answer would probably be completely different.”
Katie Morgan, a nurse practitioner and associate medical director of the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, pointed out that young adults today are more careful and knowledgeable about using birth control than their counterparts in the ’30s and ’40s.
“Women [especially] are more comfortable negotiating that in their relationships,” she explained.
Morgan believes that there is a common mindset among major institutions that pregnancy is a disease or a punishment for women being promiscuous.
As part of Planned Parenthood, one of her goals is to educate the public about safe sex and provide a place for people to get condoms, Emergency Contraceptive Pills and other forms of birth control.
“One of the reasons that people come to us is because Utah allows adolescents to seek care for pregnancy and treatment without parental consent,” Morgan said.
In other words, because they are not funded by the state, they can ensure complete confidentiality.
Kelli Lund, a senior in biochemistry and a board member of Students for Choice, believes that confidentiality gives “a young woman a sense of independence. She can make the choice to be sexually active [and] have a child when she wants one, if she wants one.”
Lund noted that many people don’t utilize Planned Parenthood because they are unaware of their confidentiality policy. But the most common problem is that they’re “scared to go get birth control. Maybe people think that it’s not appropriate, but they are still sexually active,” she said.
Although Lund said she can’t argue with those who are against birth control for religious reasons because it’s a very subjective and personal topic, she does believe there is a solution.
“Having sex education in schools is the best way to go. The Catholic Church obviously doesn’t support it, but there are Catholic women getting pregnant?school is the best place because it transcends all religions,” Lund said.
For Morgan, another important place to talk about birth control is within relationships.
“I would hope that as [people] get together, as they move toward an intimate relationship, their conversation would include all kinds of [things]. What they are comfortable doing or not comfortable doing, [if] are they reading cues correctly, et cetera. Certainly, before intercourse, they should talk about how to prevent pregnancy,” she said.
“Prior to this century, women spent most of their lives pregnant or breast feeding,” Morgan continued.
She calls the technology to control fertilization, such as birth control, “one of the greatest changes in all human history.”
Working closely with Planned Parenthood, Students for Choice aims to educate students about their options so they can take advantage of this technology.
“We do advocate freedom of choice,” Lund said. “We want young women to know what options there are before abortion arises. [We believe it] wouldn’t be an issue if [young women] knew about safe sex.”
Morgan agreed, adding that “we live in a society that uses sex to sell so many things.” She argues that since so much emphasis is placed on sex, people should understand the consequences and options.
Morgan’s hope is that someday the barriers for getting birth control will be removed. She said that this will allow people to “make a conscious decision to want a child and go through a process.”
Types of Birth Control
Emergency Contraceptive Pill: Reduces the risk of pregnancy by 75 percent. Often called the “morning after” pill, it can prevent pregnancy after sexual intercourse. The dosage can either come in the form of increased amounts of oral contraceptives within 72 hours or the insertion of a copper intrauterine device (IUD) within five to seven days.
Spermicides: Failure rate of about 20 to 30 percent. They can come in many forms, including foams, jellies, gels and suppositories. They must be inserted into the vagina within an hour before intercourse and must be reapplied if intercourse is repeated. They work by killing sperm and are available without a prescription.
Condoms: Failure rate of about 15 percent. Male condoms are sheaths which cover the tip of the penis. Although they can be made of latex or sheep intestines, only latex has been proven to prevent STDs. Female condoms usually consist of a lubricated polyurethane sheath with a flexible ring on each end. One ring is inserted into the vagina, while the other remains outside, partially covering the labia. Female condoms have a failure rate of about 21 to 26 percent. Male and female condoms may not be used at the same time.
Diaphragm: Failure rate of about 6 to 18 percent. A flexible rubber disk with a rigid rim, a diaphragm must be fitted by a health professional. They are only effective when spermicides are placed inside and must be left intact for six hours after intercourse.
Sponge: Failure rate of about 18 to 28 percent. Made of white polyurethane foam containing spermicide, it is inserted into the vagina like a diaphragm but doesn’t need to be fitted by a professional. It is discarded after one use.
Cervical Cap: Failure rate of about 18 percent. It’s a dome-shaped rubber cap that comes in various sizes and must be fitted by a professional. Like a diaphragm, it must be used with spermicide, but it can be left in place for up to 48 hours.
Pills: Failure rate of about one to three percent. “Mini pills”?which only contain progestin?work by thickening mucus so that sperm can’t reach the egg and thinning uterine lining so that eggs can’t implant. “Combination pills”?which contain both estrogen and progestin?work by preventing ovulation.
Norplant: Failure rate of less than one percent. During a minor surgical procedure, six match-stick sized rubber capsules with progestin are inserted just below the skin of the arm. It is effective for up to five years.
Depo-Provera: Failure rate of about one percent. Given as an injection of progestin, this method is effective for up to 14 weeks.
Sterilization: Failure rate is less than one percent. For women, tubal ligation involves closing off the fallopian tubes in a major surgical procedure. For men, a vasectomy is a minor surgical procedure which closes off the vas deferens. While the procedures can be reversed in certain situations, they should be considered permanent.
Fertility Awareness: Failure rate of about 14 to 47 percent. Also called “natural planning,” the method requires abstinence during the 10 days of fertility in a woman’s menstrual cycle. This can be done by monitoring change in body temperature or cervical mucus. Those who choose not to use any method of birth control have a failure rate of about 85 percent.