Post Script (P.S.) is a series of short letters written by supporters and volunteers throughout our affiliate commenting on local issues that affect reproductive health in their community.
Tuesday, Dec. 5, was the final day to submit public comments to the Department of Health and Human Services about the birth control mandate that Trump threatened to rescind in October. Below are a couple of PPSAT supporter’s public calls to action.
Women should be provided preventative care services regardless of their race, sexual orientation, or demographic background. Birth control serves multiple purposes to women (and their partners) as it can aid with: family planning, endometriosis, acne, PMS, irregular menstrual cycles, and so much more. So, why then, is there so much taboo around birth control and other preventative services? Women are constantly ostracized as they are forced to fight for their right to receive essential care.
The general public and government should not, or ever, be the determining factor of whether a woman receives care or not. Her medical concerns should be handled between herself and her doctor. This is 2017. We’re still treating birth control and other preventive care services as inessential care. This is not an argument to be made by our elected officials unless they are trying to end the madness and expand our access to care. So, in order to continue the progress that has been made, let’s allow women to make their own decisions regarding their medical and preventative care.
Brittany M.
Columbia, South Carolina
With the stroke of a pen, President Trump gave colleges and universities the power to impose their beliefs on their students and put their educational access at risk.
If Shepherd University decided to take away by basic health care, students like me with limited incomes could be blocked from accessing birth control. Before the Affordable Care Act's birth control provision went into effect, 57% of young women ages 18-34 struggles to afford prescription birth control.
Birth control is NOT controversial. It's basic healthcare that the vast majority of women will use in the course of their lifetime. A majority of Americans support access to birth control because they understand that the ability to access basic healthcare should not be up for debate.
Administrators at Shepherd University need to stand up for their students and pledge to protect their access to health care.
Sabrina S.
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
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