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Pros and cons of birth control in society
Birth control movement 1960s
The history of birth control essay
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During the early height of women’s rights in the 1960s “the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the marketing of the first birth control pill in the United States” (Jacoby). It wasn’t until 1994 when the first state (California) “forced insurance plans to cover contraceptives if they covered other kinds of prescription drugs” (Birth Control Funding). While people may disagree with the religious aspects and the medical risk of taking birth control, the benefits of birth control still span as far as family planning, medical benefits other than family planning, and fewer unintended pregnancies. One of the many benefits of birth control is the family planning aspect. The pill form of birth control when it is used correctly has a 99% success rate while a 92% success rate if it is used inaccurately. These odds are improved when a condom is used as well as the pill. When a condom is used correctly, there is a 98% success rate yet when a condom is not used accurately by itself there is only a 85% success rate. (Jacoby) According to Issues & Controversies, “The Pill, or oral contraceptive, contains hormones that inhibit ovulation, the release of an egg from a woman's ovaries” (Birth Control Funding). With the oral intake of the pill daily it can prevent pregnancy. Therefore many people take the pill for the family planning aspect of it. While most people associate birth control as a way to prevent pregnancy, there are also many other positive medical benefits of birth control that are used for comfort and for life threatening medical issues. In a recent study put out by The Washington Post reported that out of the 58% of women who take birth control for reasons other than just family planning 73% of those women go on birth contr... ... middle of paper ... ...birth control is due to the possible medical risks. One risk of birth control is that it can slightly increase a women’s blood pressure along with putting a woman at a higher risk for cervical and liver cancer. (Mayo Clinic Staff) While there are few medical risk that a women could endor while taking birth control there are many other positive medical benefits that birth control have. The positive benefits that taking birth control can have on a women’s health include benefiting a woman's overall blood lipid levels, and can decrease a woman's the risk of getting ovarian and endometrial cancers. (Mayo Clinic Staff Birth Control Pill FAQ) In Conclusion the benefits of birth control outweigh any of the risk that birth control may cause. This is because birth control can help with family planning, has many medical benefits, and results in fewer unintended pregnancies.
"A free race cannot be born" and no woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother"(Sanger A 35). Margaret Sanger (1870-1966)said this in one of her many controversial papers. The name of Margaret Sanger and the issue of birth control have virtually become synonymous. Birth control and the work of Sanger have done a great deal to change the role of woman in society, relationships between men and woman, and the family. The development and spread of knowledge of birth control gave women sexual freedom for the first time, gave them an individual identity in society and a chance to work without fearing they were contributing to the moral decline of society by leaving children at home. If birth control and Sanger did so much good to change the role of women in society why was birth control so controversial?
Subsequently, the provided documents on the birth control movement did show the push and pull factors of the complicated and multifaceted debate. Americas push towards industrial growth, and technology demanded that the subsequent progressive reforms were needed for a society ushering in a new era. At the same time, fear and reluctance to abandon tradition and religious custom acted as the pulling factor. The birth control debate was a complicated and heavily charged debate teemed in religious, social, political, and racial rhetoric. Historical documents help shed new light on the things taken for granted today, even the most seemingly innocuous things like birth control were fought for, so that men and women today could be in charge of their own destinies.
...ion. After 40 years since FDA approval, the Pill has been modified with a smaller dosage of hormones, which addressed the risks previously associated. The risks associated with the Pill have decreased. With the help of safety profiles, women are now screened for risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, history of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The Pill has since evolved into a safer oral contraceptive causing the focus from supposed health risks to real health benefits such as, protection against ovarian and endometrial cancers.
“When a motherhood becomes the fruit of a deep yearning, not the result of ignorance or accident, its children will become the foundation of a new race." (Margaret Sanger, 1) Margaret Sanger, known as the founder of birth control, declared this powerful statement. It is reality that the rights that are customary for women in the twentieth century have been the product of the arduous physical and mental work of many courageous women. These individuals fought for the right for women to be respected in both mind and body by bestowing on them the rights to protect their femininity and to gain the equivalent respect given to men. A remarkable woman named Margaret Sanger is the individual who incredibly contributed to the feministic revolution that took place in the 1920’s. Her legacy of making the right to use birth control legal for woman is a precedent in history for the foundation of the equal rights battle that is still being fought today. By giving control back to the women in their sexuality, Margaret Sanger also restored confidence in those women who felt that their lives revolved around pregnancy. She has become an influential icon to women all around the world who enjoy the security of birth control that gives them the freedom in their sexuality on a daily bases.
The topic of birth control in public schools has attracted much support from the American public from surveyed statistics. For example, a 2006 Associated Press-Ipsos survey discovered that 67% of Americans support the provision of contraceptives to students. This study also determined that, “About as many - 62 percent - said they believe providing birth control reduces the number of teenage pregnancies” (Associated Press). Such a huge percentage suggests that Americans are very concerned about the increasing cases of teen pregnancies and would eagerly adopt any method that has a possibility of reducing this problem. In addition, the subjects in the poll indicated that they believe that contraception usage in schools has the potential of reducing teenage pregnancies. Many American people support the view points, that schools should offer contraceptives to students in schools. This can really help minimize...
Birth control pills gave women the right to be in charge of their own conception or lack thereof.
The birth control pill was made to help women from having kids (while on the pill) because back in the 1960’s married women went through multiple pregnancies and this took quite a toll on their physical and mental health. It wasn’t just to control the births of American women, but also the women in foreign third world countries, seeing as they were already beginning to be overpopulated and living mostly in poverty. According to A Critique of the Sexual Revolution:
People buy health insurance to cover their medical expenses because accidents and health problems can arise at any time. Many health services are not reaching the medical needs of women and giving them exactly what they need and people don’t realize that there is more to birth control then what it seems. There are a lot of benefits from birth control and it is not just women trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Some examples of these benefits include; healthier skin, stopping menstrual flow, and preventing pelvic inflammatory disease. Society needs to be more aware of these benefits so that these women start getting the medical attention that they need. Therefore, birth control should be 100% covered by all insurance companies.
A thin, stretchy sheath about two inches in diameter and six to eight inches long, designed to be worn over penis during sex. Condoms form a physical barrier between penis and the vagina. After ejaculation the tip of the condom holds the semen and prevents it from traveling to woman's reproductive system to fertilize the egg.
Prevention isn’t the only reason for birth control techniques. Health is another major reason for the growing popularity of the birth control contraceptives. COCs or combined oral contraceptives help regulate a women’s menstrual cycle by suppressing ovulation. (Cornforth) The contraceptives also can reduce the severity of cra...
The most popular form of birth control is the pill. The reason for this is that it is said to be very effective against pregnancy if used correctly, it makes menstrual periods more regular and lighter, they decrease menstrual cramps and acne, makes you less likely to get ovarian and uterine cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cysts, and anemia, and last but not least, it doesn’t interrupt love making. Those are the good things about the pill. There are also a list of negative things: the pill doesn’t protect against S...
Birth control pills should be removed from general consumption because of physical changes, emotional changes, and synthetic hormones. Birth control pills are very dangerous it could come with a lot affects. The few effect that birth control pills come with is that is more serious, although rare woman that take the pill are in the risk of having a heart attacks, high blood pressure, blood clots, strokes, liver tumor, and gallstone. These effects are most likely not to happen to woman the chances are very low. A woman is more at risk if she is overweight and older than 35 years old of having a heart attack or stroke.
Furthermore, birth control has made a huge impact on society. Whether people view it as negative or positive it has allowed for change and sexual responsibility. Therefore, if eventually both male and female have the option to take or be injected with a form of birth control then who knows that revolutions that could bring forth.
While most birth control methods only offer an average of 70 percent effectiveness, oral contraceptives are 99 percent effective. Currently, “about 30% of American women using contraception choose the birth control pill over other methods” (National Women’s Health Information Center). The birth control pill has been recognized as one of the most effective contraceptive methods available for women in the 21st century. Being 99 percent effective, less than 1 out of 100 women using birth control pills will become pregnant. Another reason many women choose birth control pills over other methods is because of the reversible effect they have on the body. Birth Control pills allow women to become pregnant when they choose to do so by just stop taking the pills, unlike other methods with are
What exactly is birth control? Birth control means things that can be done to ensure that pregnancy only happens if and when wanted. Nowadays, there are a great variety of ways to ensure birth control. However, there is only one way that can be considered 100 percent secure. The more information is known about birth control options, the better chances of avoiding an unwanted pregnancy and reducing the risks of getting a sexually transmitted disease, including AIDS.