Free Contraception in the United States
The subject of contraception is a controversial one. Some people praise its function and some people fail to see the benefits. For women that are currently using contraception to prevent an unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection, the benefits are obvious. The Guttmacher Institute reported that the use of no less than one birth control method by women is more than 99%. (Guttmacher Institute, 2014). Women are aware of the benefits of contraception, however access is limited and currently many pro-life activists are making it impossible for women to practice their reproductive rights.
Not everyone is so keen on the idea of contraception. Two examples of groups that are against the distribution
…show more content…
They believe that abortion is the act of killing a living human being. What they fail to realize is that the rate of unwanted pregnancies in the United States continues to rise. The solution to eliminating unwanted pregnancies and lowering the number of abortions in the United States is by providing contraception to women. This form of prevention should be readily available to all women, but not only is this becoming hard to obtain, it’s also quite expensive. Even if your current employer offers you medical insurance, the out of pocket expense is still your responsibility. In an article published by Center for American Progress, purchasing contraception cost women approximately $180-$960 annually, depending on the form of birth control purchased. The typical consumers of contraception are women 18-34 whose average annual income is $27,458. (Center for American Progress, 2012) If women are given the choice to spend up to $960 on birth control yearly or using that money towards household necessities, the majority of women would pick the latter. Taking into account women without health insurance, most of them come from low-income households and can’t afford to purchase contraception. (Timmeh, 2012) We are aware that contraception has its benefits, such as helping eliminate the spread of sexually transmitted infections, lowering the risk of unwanted pregnancies, and giving women the control to decide when to begin a family. For this reason, contraception should be considered part of a Women’s preventative care. Consequently, in order to give women back their reproductive rights and contribute to healthcare that promotes healthy living for women, we need to provide free contraception to all women living in the United