It's never just about your birth control
Imagine a world where patients walking into their providers’ offices are empowered with the information they need to make decisions about the birth control method that is right for them. Not only are they able to choose the method, but they are able to do so without worrying about financial or coverage barriers, logistical hurdles, discrimination, shame, or stigma. Or, imagine they can get it on the pharmacy shelf at no cost. While there has been progress towards this world, we are far from achieving this as a collective reality. That’s why it’s important to continue fighting for birth control access, even if it feels like the rest of the world is falling apart.
As someone who is in the federal policy fight for sexual and reproductive health every day, I find myself feeling burned out and wondering how to prioritize something that feels less urgent in the larger hostile climate in the United States. I continue to watch the current administration target and attempt to erase transgender people, work to erode abortion access further, brutalize and target immigrants, and blame any issue or lack of opportunity for others on DEI rather than the failed system in which we exist. This, while continuing to use rhetoric that further splits an already divided nation, makes it hard to walk into a meeting and say, “let’s talk about birth control.”
Then, I think back to my own experiences as a young Black woman from the South who worked throughout college and law school. I remember that being able to access birth control allowed me to continue through school and prevent pregnancy while experiencing intimate partner violence. I was able to access low-cost confidential contraceptive services at my local health department, funded in part through the Title X Family Planning Program.
Title X is the nation’s first and only federal program dedicated to providing family planning services, including birth control, to people who otherwise may not be able to afford them. Today, this same program, which was instrumental for me, has not only been chronically underfunded but also faces continued attacks and proposed elimination by the Trump-Vance Administration.
This is why even when some issue areas may seem minor, they matter. There will always be large issues at play, and depending on the person or situation, priorities change. But none of us live single-issue lives, and as advocates and stakeholders, it’s vital for us to connect those dots and center this nuance in our advocacy.
I think of the people in Gaza whose lives and families have been forever changed. Contraception may not be a top concern, but access to it is an important aspect of achieving true bodily autonomy, and one of many fundamental rights they’ve been denied for so long. I think of people all over the world who are depending on birth control that’s now threatened to be destroyed in a warehouse in Belgium. I think of the women and people of color in the US who have always had to fight for bodily autonomy in a country that continuously denies it.
Modern gynecology is rooted in anti-Blackness, and yet Black women today are still disproportionately likely to face barriers to accessing health care, including sexual and reproductive health care. That nuance is important and one we must hold and name while continuing to fight for contraceptive equity because yes, it matters.
As we mark the annual Thanks, Birth Control Day campaign today, I’m reminded of the positive impact access to contraception had on me. This day allows for storytelling and advocacy, and is a tool to fight some of the stigma and shame that many people navigate simply trying to get the sexual and reproductive care they need.
Equally as important as shouting out your birth control is remembering the larger context in which this day sits. There is likely someone at this very moment who is experiencing intimate partner violence while trying to navigate accessing birth control safely. All while the government’s lack of funding impacts shelters and organizations that support survivors. As this administration continues to target anyone who isn’t white, there are immigrants, those in mixed-status households, and citizens of color who are scared to even leave their communities, or are not sure if they can even access contraception.
Today, on Thanks, Birth Control Day, I am grateful for the progress we have made and urge you to join me to continue fighting for access to birth control and bodily autonomy for all.
