We want far better reasons for having children than not knowing how to prevent them
— Dora Russell
It was thanks to Margaret Sanger that American women enjoyed for the first time the widespread availability of contraceptive methods[1]. The availability of these methods has enabled some women to further their education and careers and explore sexuality without recurrent fears of getting pregnant. The FDA approval of oral contraceptives provided many women the type of freedom Sanger passionately advocated for.
Nowadays the leading method of contraception in the United States is the oral contraceptive pill[2], in 2002 was used by 11.6 million women between the age of 15 and 44 years. Statistics are similar in other industrialized countries and the use of the pill is gaining popularity in countries like Mexico where more women now choose –or are told to use this method. However, while women are worry-free from unwanted pregnancies, women also face side effects of chemical methods and devices. Needless to say, women also have the full burden of birth control even when they are fertile only a few days per cycle and produce a single egg, whereas men produce millions of sperms and are fertile every single day.
The pill is currently considered a safe and simple method with many “medical benefits;” on the other hand you just need to read the small print to realize how harmful is to put synthetic hormones on charge. The use of oral contraceptives has been related to certain types of cancers, infertility, circulation problems and even low sex drive[3]. Not only women on the pill suffer side effects, the story is similar for women using other contraceptive methods and devices.
That some women have gained access to birth control doesn’t mean the fight it’s over. Women need to have knowledge about how to prevent pregnancies along with enough information on their method’s side effects and viable alternatives. Feminisms should question not only if women have access or information on birth control, but they also need to call into question the level of safety that women are guaranteed, push for comprehensive side effects trials and more research on safer methods. Natural birth control has been portrayed as inaccurate and is usually associated with conservative or Catholic women. However, these methods are virtually free and could be easily available to low-income women that may need to choose between paying oral contraceptives – which cost on average $300 per year[4]– or school supplies for their children. Natural birth control has been studied thoroughly and results show that some methods — such as the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), are as safe as condoms when used properly[5]. Nonetheless the effectiveness of FMA is virtually unknown even in medical environments and it’s often times confused with the outdated “rhythm method.” Information on natural birth control is almost absent from mainstream culture, while the pill has been portrayed as the contraceptive panacea relying on the assumption that female bodies are unpredictable and need to be tamed. One should not see natural birth control as abstinence-only education but as an alternative option for women with different life styles or beliefs.
Women should have the right to be acquainted with all their available options and decide which they want to use, since in the current state of affairs “we” are the ones that have to get used to the pill or diaphragm. Feminisms should open up space for and support all available birth control methods, carefully acknowledging benefits and contraindications. Since nowadays taking the pill, is considered the next thing to do when women become sexually active, many think it is safer and the only way to go, without fully understanding its implications.
Although according to Sanger[6], birth control is a woman’s problem– because females still carry the full responsibility of pregnancy, childbirth and childrearing. Feminisms should advocate and raise consciousness of the importance of including men on family planning. Improving men’s awareness on their partner’s contraceptive method could advance women’s overall health and access to reproductive health services. Men’s awareness of reproductive health is especially important in cultures where men tend to be decision-makers. Feminisms cannot underestimate the importance of giving men opportunities to get involved in what as of now has been considered a woman’s problem.
Feminisms still have a long way to go on issues related to reproductive health. A good way to keep these issues on track is supporting and promoting all kinds of contraception, including natural birth control, along with detailed information on pros and cons. Raising women’s partners awareness of reproductive health and giving them the share of the responsibility they rightfully own (but often times ignore) will move reproductive health forward especially for undeserved women.
[1] Rossi, Alice S. comp. 1973. The feminist papers: From Adams to de Beauvoir. New York: Columbia University Press.
[2] Center for Disease and Control Prevention. 2004. Use of Contraception and Use of Family Planning Services in the United States: 1982- 2002. Washington DC: CDC. retrieved on September 27, 2009 <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad350.pdf>
[3] Northrup, Christiane. 2006. Women’s bodies, women’s wisdom: Creating physical and emotional health and healing. Rev. and updated ed. New York: Bantam Books
[4] Weschler, Toni. 2006. Taking charge of your fertility : The definitive guide to natural birth control, pregnancy achievement, and reproductive health. Rev. ed. New York, NY: Collins
[5] Ibid
[6] Rossi, Alice S. comp. 1973. The feminist papers: From Adams to de Beauvoir. New York: Columbia University Press.
