Birth Control Pill
Since the creation of the Birth Control Pill in the early 1960s, women have been given the freedom of being in control of their sex lives. At first, the idea of using a contraceptive was very controversial and it took years for all fifty states to legalize it, especially to married women. Once “The Pill” was legalized, it became very popular among women of all ages, all around the world. Women now had the ability to be more careful about their family planning, making the percentage of unwanted pregnancies decrease. Although this method of family planning was so popular, there were still women that didn’t have access to it for various reasons, most commonly being the lack of funds to purchase it. Birth control should be provided to women for free from clinics such as Planned Parenthood because it will reduce unwanted pregnancies, cut down on abortions, save tax payers money and will make it so everyone, regardless of financial standing, has the option of family planning. Providing free birth control to anyone who wants it or needs it will be very beneficial for both individuals and society as a whole. The free distribution of birth control will reduce unwanted pregnancies. Many women become pregnant without planning it. This happens to both teens and adults. “More than half the 6 million pregnancies that occur in the United States are unintended. . . By the time they reach menopause, two-thirds of American women have had at least one unintended pregnancy(Winikoff 197).” Because of the large number of unwanted pregnancies, state and federal governments are beginning to take some action. Alabama is one of those states. In one year, it’s waiver program averted more than 3,000 unwanted pregnancies. A federal program, Family PACT, was evaluated to have averted more than 205,000 pregnancies in 2002. Most of the time that teens become pregnant, it is unplanned. A large majority of teens can’t provide for themselves let alone a baby if they were to become pregnant.