Should Birth Control Be Over-The-Counter Analysis

Should Birth Control be Over-the-Counter?
There are many different views on if birth control should be over-the-counter or not. Some say they do not want it to be over-the-counter because it dishonors marriage, it would cause more abortions, and it would cause more health risks. On the other hand, others believe over-the-counter birth control would be beneficial; reasons being that it would be more affordable, it could help reduce HIV/AIDS, it would reduce the number of abortions, and the privacy of women would be protected. All of these reasons lead up to the question, should birth control be over-the-counter?
In John Shea’s article “Birth Control Results in More Abortions,” he argues that “contraception has not only led to a greater number of abortions, but has also resulted in an increase in sexually transmitted infections and promiscuity” (Shea, paragraph 1). He goes on to explain how more women who are on the pill have sex because they think it will 100% protect them from getting pregnant. A great number of women still get pregnant while on the pill, which results in more abortions. The author points out that, “Using the oral contraceptive before the first child is born causes a 40% increase in the risk of breast cancer. Taking it for four

or more years before the first child is born grows that risk to a 72% increase.” (Shea, paragraph 9). According to the author, the creation of a baby is the most intimate communion of love and we all need to preserve the attitude of the spouse by showing them that taking an oral contraception degrades this belief.
Morgan Greenwald mentions in her article “Over-the-Counter Birth Control Would Pose Risks” that if birth control became over-the-counter, women would not have to visit their doctor to get prescribed to it. This would pose many risks for women who are taking other medications. As stated in the article, “If a woman is taking rifampin and birth control at the same time, the contraceptive loses its ability to prevent pregnancies, and it’s recommended by doctors to use a second type of birth control when prescribed rifampin” (Greenwald, paragraph 4). If women do not visit their doctor before taking birth control they will be clueless to the side effects the pill may cause. The pill also puts women slightly more at risk for blood clots (Greenwald, paragraph 5).
Although over-the-counter birth control might increase health risks, there are many positive views on over-the-counter birth control.

One of them being, it would make being on the pill more affordable. Women would no longer have to pay those pesky doctor bills just for discussing the different types of pills and which one would suit them best. William Saletan shares his views on over-the-counter birth control in his article “Birth Control Results in Fewer Abortions”. He contends that medical technology has led to such improvements in contraception that fewer abortions are being performed. “Contraceptive use rose 11% from 1982 to 2002 and during this period the abortion rate dropped by about 30%” (Saletan, paragraph

15).
Another positive outlook on over-the-counter birth control would be the fact that it could help reduce the amount of people with HIV/AIDS. Tuala Williams states in her article “Teens Should Have Access to Birth Control” that there are 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in America (Williams, paragraph 5). Could greater sexual education have helped to reduce those numbers for what is known to be a preventable, primarily sexual disease (Williams, paragraph 6)? If we educate America’s children on the use of contraception, it would make the world a healthier place. Schools should help in this by teaching Sex Ed and handing out condoms to prevent these diseases (Williams, paragraphs 9 and 10). A group that is recognized by the name Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations acknowledges in the article “Birth Control is a Privacy Issue” that the government doesn’t have the right to tell women what they do in private. In the article, Weiner states that what women do in private “is up to the women themselves” (Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, paragraph 7). By having over-the-counter birth control it would protect the privacy of women.
In conclusion, if birth control does become over-the-counter in the future, there will be positive and negative affects. It may or may not cause more or less abortions. It would protect the privacy of women, but at what risk? In some ways, over-the-counter birth control could possibly lower the amount of HIV/AIDS in America. Should birth control be over-the-counter?