The Benefits of Over The Counter Birth Control

Anti-conception medication pills are the second most generally used strategy for contraception in the United States. The Pill is as of now accessible by prescription only, and a debate has developed about whether birth control pills should be accessible over the counter. Requiring a prescription for the pill is a boundary for many women, including those without access to a medicinal services supplier, transportation, child care, or insurance. Birth control pills have many benefits and should be made available over the counter.

If birth control were to be available over the counter there would be a lower rate of unwanted pregnancies, which would in turn extremely benefit society. For instance, if this were to happen, it would lower taxes. In fact, unintended pregnancies cost the US federal and state governments $21 billion in 2010, with the average cost-per-birth being $12,770 for prenatal care, labor and delivery, postpartum care, and 12 months of infant care ($20,716 for 60 months). Making birth control available over the counter would also lower teen pregnancies. This is a result of teenagers being more likely to utilize over the counter birth control since taking the pill is an everyday routine and isn’t attached to the emotional weight of sex. According to Rebecca Hersher, between 2007 and 2013, the number of 15 to 19-year-olds giving birth dropped 36 percent due to teenagers using contraceptives more often. This movement would furthermore lower abortion rates. To illustrate, in a survey of women seeking abortions, 72% said they were pregnant because they could not get the contraception they needed, and 32% reported an institutional reason such as the prescription requirement.

In addition, birth control is safe, convenient, and has been proven to have long-term health benefits. Of course the pill carries no risk of overdose or addiction. Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health explains that pregnancy has a mortality rate about the same as car accidents, one in 8,300, while the risk of dying from birth control is about one in 1,667,000, about the same as dying from being struck by lightning. Nevertheless, symptoms aren’t always a bad thing, and anti-conception medication pills aren’t only for birth control. Both combination and progestin-only pills diminish menstrual cramps, lighten periods, and lower the risk of ectopic pregnancy. Birth control pills can also help prevent or decrease acne, bone thinning, cysts in your breasts and ovaries, endometrial and ovarian cancers, iron deficiency, PMS (premenstrual syndrome), and severe infections in your ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus.

To conclude, over the counter birth control would lower unwanted pregnancies, which would in turn lower taxes, teen pregnancy, and the abortion rate. Not only is birth control safe, but it has also proven to have long term health benefits. Given these points, it is apparent that making birth control an over the counter medication is the right decision.

Works Cited

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