Benefits Of Contraceptives

Birth control and the cost of contraceptives has been an ongoing debate since the early 1900s with the birth control movement in the United States. Back then, women who used birth control were seen as scandalous and immoral. Now that birth control is more common – and since then new forms of birth control have been produced – not as many people criticize those who use contraceptives. Some might still not agree with women’s use of contraceptives and can argue against affordable birth control. Having affordable, accessible birth control means women can stay sexually active without having to worry as much about getting pregnant. And while birth control is available, it fails to be widely accessible to all for many reasons – one of those reasons

Nowadays, there are contraceptives like intrauterine devices (IUDs), patches, and shots. With an increase of “newer” contraceptives come the increase in cost. Most birth control pills cost from $0-$50 while IUDs’ price ranges from $0-$1,000. Compared to the availability and price of condoms, are women’s contraceptives really worth it? IUDs, for example, are promised to be safe, effective, and long lasting (for twelve years), but not all women have $1,000 readily available to pay for them. Right now, “under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans are only required to cover one form of birth control. Some of these forms include pills, patches and implants. In order for birth control to be free, it must be approved by the FDA” (McNew). This means if women have medical insurance, the price of birth control is significantly lower depending on whether it is the pill or an implant. Alarmingly, “twenty percent of U.S. women ages 19-64 were uninsured in 2010” (The Commonwealth Fund). That’s 18.7 million women who didn’t health insurance to cover their medical expenses, including the cost of birth