Hey, Birth Control: Thanks a Bunch

Can you imagine life without birth control?  It’s a scary thought, especially since study after study has linked women’s ability to plan when (and if) they have children with their ability to finish their education and pursue their dreams.

Being able to space and plan pregnancies has had such a profound, positive impact on women's lives. So how about a little gratitude, huh?

#ThxBirthControl

If you feel lucky to have birth control in your life, join us in celebrating the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy's second annual "Thanks, Birth Control" Day! Just take a moment to say "Thanks, Birth Control" by tweeting with #ThxBirthControl. You can also post your story on Facebook and tell friends to learn about their birth control options. 

But first, watch this catchy musical number from Bedsider.org, a birth control support network for women 18-29 operated by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Birth control never looked so much fun!

Why Sharing About Birth Control Matters

Nearly all sexually active women in this country — 99 percent — have used birth control at some point in their lives. Despite how commonplace this basic form of preventive care for women is, it can still be a taboo topic. In fact, according to the National Campaign, more than half of sexually active college-age women say they would be more comfortable using contraception if more people talked about it in a positive way. That’s why it’s so important to share how birth control has helped you.

Why We’re Thankful for Birth Control

HEALTH BENEFITS: The majority of women who use the pill do it to prevent pregnancy, and over half of these women also use it for health benefits like treating endometriosis, ovarian cysts, menstrual pain, and menstrual regulation.

QUALITY OF LIFE BENEFITS: In addition to the many, many health benefits of birth control are the ways it enables women to achieve their full educational, professional, and economic potential. A Guttmacher Institute study found that contraception has a big impact on women’s lives: It has allowed a majority of women to take better care of themselves or their families (63 percent), support themselves financially (56 percent), complete their education (51 percent), or keep or get a job (50 percent).  

FINANCIAL BENEFITS: But wait, there’s more! When it comes to getting the benefits of birth control, it’s all about access and affordability. Birth control can cost up to $600 per year out-of-pocket (and even more for some of the most effective long-acting forms like IUDs), and thanks to Obamacare, millions of women are now getting their prescriptions without a copay — yep, that’s right: $0. The law’s no-copay birth control coverage is especially important for all the women who have struggled to afford birth control and used it inconsistently — or not at all — as a result. Access to no-copay birth control coverage enables women to better plan their families, and leads to better economic stability and better health outcomes for women and their children. 

Thanks, affordable birth control.

Birth Control Stories

See what just two of the many women who are thankful for affordable access to birth control have already told us: 

“I am a mom of three, working full time AND parenting full time.  It is exhausting and kids are EXPENSIVE!  I love my kids but I cannot have any more due to finances and the well-being of both my career and mental health!  Birth control is vital not only to younger women who want to get their careers in place before they start having kids but also to older women who really need to just take care of the kids they already have!”  —Kinsley B.,San Francisco, CA 

“As a woman in her early thirties in graduate school, I have gone on hormonal birth control for the first time with the [Affordable Care Act] ACA. An unintended pregnancy now would be devastating to me; I would have to choose between school or a child, and that is a choice that would undo me. I am so grateful that my birth control is affordable and accessible. I will be happy to have a professional degree and be employable when I start my family!” —Mollie F., Newmarket, NH

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