Dear Future President,

The government should be more accepting of birth control, increase programs like planned parenthood,and increase education about sexual activity.“Studies show the oral contraceptives have been used by about 80% of women in the U.S, at some point in their lives and it's a huge expense particularly without health insurance,” according to Tracey Egan Morrisey from jezebel.com. This number is staggering, and goes to show the overall importance of urging our government to take more initiative to support women's needs when it comes to birth control and contraceptives.

According to ourbodiesourselves.org and article on family.findlaw.com, “In 1912, Margaret Sanger started the modern birth control movement by writing a newspaper column about the subject. Ms. Sanger was a public health nurse concerned about women affected by frequent childbirth, miscarriages, and unsafe abortions. In 1916, she opened the first birth control clinic. Ms. Sanger is a controversial figure who’s been accused of being racist primarily by those opposed to abortion.While in her 80’s sanger underwrote the necessary to create the first human birth control pill. She raised $150,000 for the project and in 1960 the first oral contraceptive enovid was approved by the FDA ( Food and Drug Administration) as a contraceptive.” This proves that in the early stages of creating a meaningful drug that was effective and easily accessible to all women was not only an expensive endeavor during this time, but also highly criticized, especially by males. Sanger understood that without proper care, a women could become pregnant, and quite possibly may not want a child. She also understood that there was not much a woman could do to protect herself against getting pregnant if the male did not wear a condom. Although she lead a movement for women during the 60’s, there are still firm believers today, that feel birth control is not a positive attribute of society. Currently, you cannot buy birth control without healthcare. The government is making it harder for women to obtain the contraceptive, however Planned Parenthood is a organization that is trying to break this cycle. They are a non profit organization that provides reproductive health services for women at a low cost, even for those who do not have insurance.

The issue of not having birth control readily available for women, some of which who would not be able to purchase the drug on their own, or are without health insurance, affects many people. For one, the women who are engaged in sexual activity, even at a young age are sometimes not knowledgeable of the diseases or repercussions that could come from intercourse, like child birth. These women are often not aware of the possibility of obtaining an STD, or becoming pregnant, resulting in a lifelong struggle. In addition to this, rape victims, who don’t have any other option, may be faced with the issue of becoming pregnant. Children who are conceived unknowingly, or unplanned may also be affected by this. If parents are simply not ready to foster a growing child, financially or mentally, then how are they to provide for he/she in the best way possible? Because of this, many children are given up for adoption or placed in foster homes. According to fosterclub.com, 402,378 children currently live in the foster care system, which breaks down to 1 in about 184 children within the United States. These numbers are not surprising, considering the amount of information given, especially to high school teens about the contraceptive options, and it is becoming more and more unrealistic to simply teach abstinence.

Of course, there are always going to be opposing viewpoints to every issue, especially this one. According to an article by Doug Brunk, titled Bills Emerge to Increase Birth Control Access,” it states, “Not everyone favors moving contraceptives over the counter. Dr. W. David Hager, who practices at Baptist Health Medical Group Women's Care in Lexington, Ky., expressed concern that providing OTC access to contraceptives would hinder the physician-patient relationship and impact screening efforts.” This is showing that doctors are concerned that providing birth control in an over the counter manner would not allow them to discuss the issue or options with the patient. However, it would be more accessible for patients. Another viewpoint stems from those who have the belief that women should not take birth control at all. They often focus on a religious stance, and debate that if you're not ready to take on a child, then you simply should not engage in sexual activity, or wait until marriage. However, in this day and age, teens as young at 12 are simply not taking the route of abstinence, and are in need of access to birth control methods.

One solution that could be done to help incorporate better access to birth control, is to be more open about the issues at hand. I often feel that teens are afraid to talk about their questions when it comes to their sexual health. It should not be an issue that is swept under the rug, and there should be a bigger push through government funding to get the word out about birth control options for both young men and women. We often talk about abstinence as if teenagers are going to follow it. According to http://www.greatschools.org, 96% of teens feel like they often are not comfortable talking about sexual activity. This is showing that most teens feel like they cannot talk about sex when in reality, it's a natural thing. We need to teach teens how to have safe sex or how to protect themselves not to have sex. We are teenagers, we try new things and we often are hard headed and don't want to listen to anyone else but ourselves. Another solution to this issue would be to publicize birth control options on television networks most watched by that demographic (viewers ranging in age of 12-18). This could help them become more aware and more comfortable with the options that could be provided to them. Lastly, schools across the nation should have nurses on staff to provide answers and guidance for teens in need. Sometimes these kids do not have parents who are willing or present to talk to about sexual issue or birth control options. This could quite possibly be the key to helping those who have questions but perhaps are too afraid to ask.

In conclusion, this is why I think the government should be more accepting of birth control. Government officials tend to side with their own religious morals, and typically not with the good of the order. Since you have a hand in mandatory sexual education, it would be most beneficial to force schools across the nation to incorporate meaningful programs into daily curriculum to help provide females, and males alike answers to questions,advice and tools.We the people are putting our trust in you to help. Control sexual activity and spread awareness of health and prevention.Please consider my solution to these pressing issue.

-Sincerely Averyanna Morrison Clarkston Michigan