Even though the United States is
one of the most developed countries in the world, it has a gender inequality
score higher than every European country and Canada[1].
Part of this high level of gender inequality has been due to the United States’
handling of reproductive rights. Currently, women have to get a prescription
from a doctor in order to take birth control pills. However, for the sake of
safety and equality, birth control pills should be available for sale without a
prescription.
One of the major concerns regarding
over-the-counter drugs is the safety regarding health. Unlike other
over-the-counter drugs such as Benadryl and cough syrup, birth control pills
can’t be abused in order to obtain a high. And, even if someone were to
overdose on birth-control pills, a birth control pill overdose is highly
unlikely to be life threatening, and rarely requires a visit to the emergency
room[2]. If
drugs such as cough syrup, which are easily abused, are sold over-the-counter,
there’s no health-related reason to restrict birth control pill sale to
prescriptions. Although there is the tiny risk of side effects, as there is for
every drug ever made, “the absolute
risk of taking the pill is far less than the risks incurred in pregnancy”[3]. On
the other hand, there are plenty of health benefits associated with birth-control
pills. Besides the common use of preventing pregnancy, birth control pills also
lower the risk of cancer, help clear skin, make periods less painful, relieve
PMS, and help women with hormone imbalances[4]. While
a doctor will prescribe birth control pills to young women suffering from
hormone deficiencies or excessively painful periods, it is much more
embarrassing to explain to a doctor why birth control pills are necessary than
to simply purchase them as an over-the-counter drug.
Besides numerous health benefits, accessibility
to birth control pills are really important as a reproductive right. Anyone can
walk into a convenience store and buy condoms, and yet women have to jump
through legal and medical hoops to get access to birth control pills. Is that
not a double standard? The sale of morning-after pills as an over-the counter
drug has been legalized, but that’s only a last resort to preventing unplanned
births. Birth control pills are well known as highly effective contraception,
and can prevent the need for morning-after pills, or even abortions. In fact,
birth control pills are more effective than condoms, even if misused. When
taken every day, birth control pills are 99% effective, and proper use of
condoms is 98% effective in preventing pregnancy. However, misuse of birth
control pills is still 91% effective, while improper condom use is only 82%
effective in preventing pregnancy[5].
Whether or not a woman is in favor of abortions or morning-after pills, most
will agree that it’s better to not need these last resorts.
Access to birth control pills is
also important to the emotional health of young women who are sexually active.
Knowing that they have the extra protection of birth control pills allows young
women to be more confident and less anxious about the risk of pregnancy.
Additionally, having the option of birth control pills means that teenage girls
don’t need to rely on their partner to properly use contraception; it means
that they won’t feel dependent, which is crucial in empowering girls and
allowing them to make their own decisions.
You may be wondering, if
birth-control pills are so amazing, why can’t teenage girls simply get a prescription?
The answer is simple: parents. Even though almost 50% of high school students
in a recent US survey reported having had sex at some point in their life, many
parents resist the idea of their child being sexually active[6]. As
may be expected, it is much easier for a teenage girl to convince her parents
to let her get a prescription for birth-control pills if they are comfortable
with the implications. But should a teenage girl be denied access to birth
control pills and face increased risk of pregnancy just because her parents
aren’t willing to accept her sexual activity? If so, then they might as well
require a prescription for condoms.
[1] "Gender Inequality
Index." United Nations Development Programme. United Nations,
2013.
Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/
table-4-gender-inequality-index>.
National
Library of Medicine, 12 Feb. 2015. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002599.htm>.
New
York Times. NYT, 20 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/sunday-review/
is-it-time-for-off-the-shelf-birth-control-pills.html?_r=0>.
16
Feb. 2015. <http://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/features/
other-reasons-to-take-the-pill>.
[5] "Birth Control
Methods." Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood, 2014. Web. 16
Feb.
2015. <http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-info/
birth-control>.
2014.
Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/
sexualbehaviors/>.
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