For many women in the United States, acquiring birth control or other contraceptives is no easy task. All females, regardless of age or experience with birth control, must go through a doctor to obtain a prescription for contraception. In a country where 51 percent of pregnancies are unintended and four out of 10 unintended pregnancies end in abortion, something undoubtedly needs to be changed about the structural framework of contraceptive availability.
While I don’t want to speak about the supposed morality or immorality of abortion, anyone on either side of the argument, pro-life or pro-choice, should acknowledge that at the end of the day, making birth control more accessible would increase health resources for women overall, whereas increasing the number of abortions in this country would simply leave fewer resources to go around.
California and Oregon are at the forefront of new legislation that will make it possible for pharmacists to provide birth control to women. This is an innovation that should be implemented across the country. Contraception should be accessible and affordable, which would permanently get rid of required physician-written prescriptions. It should not be a privilege only reserved for those who can afford it. Birth control affects the entire country and every single individual within it.
Studies show that unwanted pregnancies cause an increase in crime and a need for welfare, as well as a decrease in high school graduation and participation in the labor force. When a girl is a teenager, unmarried and from a low-income family, she is 60 percent more likely to become pregnant without the intention of doing so. By requiring that a doctor prescribes and administers the birth control patch, shot or pill, a huge sector of our community is cut off from the possibility of getting contraception. It should be the right of every woman to seek and easily find birth control should she want it.
There is no profitable corporation, government office or piece of legislation that should have any say or control over a woman’s reproductive rights. Treating birth control as a prized possession only some women get strips them of autonomy over their decision to enjoy a healthy sex life and subsequently choose whether or not to become pregnant. The fact that two states have adopted this new ruling is hopeful, but the fact remains that it is a very small piece of retribution for millions of American women who still have to fight for any freedom over their body and health choices.