The Unwanted

        Most people will or have partaken the forbidden fruit, enjoying sexual
pleasure. Some do so safely and others don’t think to take precautions. As always,
bad choices lead to not so good consequences. There are various outcomes like
sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies. The latter would be
blamed upon the men and what they use to protect themselves from impregnating their
partner. But what if it weren’t just up to the men to be safe from accidents
happening. What if women could take matter into their own hands without depending
on men? The pill was the first form of birth control. Margaret Sanger and Katharine
McCormick, a wealthy woman’s rights activist founded the medication. It was
approved by the FDA in the 1960’s. Before this, it was even sold on the black
market. Birth contraceptives should be more obtainable in the United States for
women of all ages. It’s effective, beneficial, and best of all it makes us feel
more empowered in our own lives.
        Effective birth control methods reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies.
There are numerous forms of birth control that vary in potency. Abstinence is one-
hundred percent effective, but then again temptation plays the devil’s advocate in
this situation. The rest are less preventable from pregnancies but still offers
abundant amounts of protection. There’s the pill which is taken daily, the patch
which is applied weekly, the vaginal ring inserted monthly, the birth control shot
injecting hormones that is taken every three months, the IUD (small T shaped
plastic device)  inserted in the uterus about every ten years, withdrawal, and of
course the male condom. Man made birth contraceptives are made up of a lot of
estrogen. This causes the eggs from leaving the ovaries and makes cervical mucus
thicker to combat those little sperm from getting far. If they do happen to make it
past all that, the birth contraceptives also soften the uterine walls which averts
the fertilized egg from sticking on, thus avoids from forming a child. According to
the CDC’s official website, teen birth rates have even gone down for all races in
the U.S. thanks to birth control. “In 2012, a total of 305,388 babies were born to
women aged 15–19 years...a drop of 6% from 2011. Birth rates fell 8% for women aged
15–17 years, and 5% for women aged 18–19...” Either teens now are abstaining from
sex or most girls in this age range are taking birth control.
        Things weren’t always so simple. The pill wasn’t sold legally till approved
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on May 9, 1960. Before that period it was
sold on a sort of black market. If women couldn’t obtain them, they would also
“ingest all sorts of concoctions to try to prevent conception or to abort a fetus,”
(Watkins 8).  It didn’t take long for a large sum of women to flock to the newly
found drug. According to Tyler May, “with in two years of approval 1.2 million
American women were taking the pill every day,” (2). Some antifeminists worried
that women would lose their domesticity if they resort to using such medication.
Others wondered whether using the pill would make women more promiscuous now that
the risk of pregnancy was reduced greatly. By the nineteenth century in the United
States, contraceptive practices were highly effective and used across the country.
Birth contraceptives benefit all of us greatly, both men and women. Not only do
they reduce the risk of bringing unwanted children into this world, it’s also good
for our bodies in some ways. Some advantages of the patch and the pill are
protection against acne which is exceedingly common for teenage girls. Women are
prone to suffer iron deficiency anemia because of how much blood we lose thanks to
Mother Nature. That’s why it’s recommended we take iron filled supplements to
prevent such things. Fear not, because the pill is chock full of iron! Therefore we
are protected from iron deficiency. The patch and the pill also offer some
protection against bone thinning, pelvic inflammatory disease which over time can
cause infertility if it isn’t treated, and even ovarian cancer. Oral contraception
protects against ectopic pregnancies that develop outside the uterus in the
fallopian tubes and cysts developed in the breasts and ovaries. The most convenient
real time advantages would be the lighter periods and reduction of menstrual
cramps.
 Despite all the good things, some hindrances result in this medication. There’s
nausea, vomiting, possible weight gain, breast tenderness and spotting. That should
clear up after your body adjusts to the extra hormones in about two to three
months. More serious side effects of the pill include heart attacks, blood clots in
numerous places and developed high blood pressure. There’s also liver tumors and
gallstones that can occur as of a result to this medication. There is a higher risk
for these issues if you are over thirty-five years of age, are over the weight of
two-hundred pounds, and smoke. Other issues factor in whether or not the pill or
patch is right for you. If you have diabetes or high cholesterol birth
contraceptives are not for you.  All symptoms and side effects influence each woman
differently, not everyone experiences the same reaction.
        Overtime, women have been acknowledged as intellectually equal as men among
other things. Women love to feel empowered, and what better way than to take more
control of their sex lives. We get to decide when we are ready for having to commit
to sustaining another life. As always, great power comes with great
responsibilities. “Women did not find it easy to juggle the responsibilities of
work, home, and family,” (Watkins 10). We finally gained notoriety in the workplace
but we are still expected to maintain the home. Some found it difficult to raise a
child simultaneously. Birth control aided these proactive women to keep up with
their lifestyle without having to worry about pregnancies. Now, we don’t have to
solely depend on a man “pulling out” on time or a condom breaking, we can depend on
ourselves.
        We finally get a say on when we bear a child. The chances of falling
pregnant while on birth control are slim, and there are many advantages to taking
previously stated medications. All women in every state all over the United States
should be able to acquire birth contraceptives, no questions asked.