I’m mad. My friend Shannon can attest to this because every couple of weeks I whip out my soapbox and rant until my face turns blue or my fingers cramp. I figured it’s about time for me to give her a break from my bitching and just make a blog post about this.
First off, a warning. This post is going to talk about birth control and because of that the word “period” will be mentioned. If that word inherently offends you or makes to vomit uncontrollably please click the little red fuckity-bye button to get off this page. Also if you haven’t already noticed, there’s swearing…gobs of it.
Alright, yes. I’m mad. I’m pissed as fuck. The reason? Birth control, or rather the lack of birth control and the idiocy of drug coverage. First off, birth control for women, and no I’m not talking about condoms. Female birth control (oral, injection, intra-uterine) are all not free unless you have a drug plan, hell you want female condoms? Pray your bank account isn’t empty because that’s coming out of your pocket. Have an allergy or sensitivity to latex? Enjoy the chaffing and irritation because you are shit out of luck my friend! I find it so completely backwards that the person responsible for actually growing a human being has to go broke trying to prevent that situation while everyone thinks sticking a balloon on the end of the watering can solves everything.
Honestly, people wonder why pregnancy rates among young people are not going down by leaps and bounds. It’s not rocket science, when you make the most effective means of stopping pregnancy unavailable to anyone who doesn’t have a full-time permanent job with drug coverage, you are going to have unwanted pregnancies. When someone goes into their local health unit they’re immediately slammed with condoms, which seem to be handed out like bloody candy. No, I don’t want your latex fun bags, I want an affordable option for birth control that doesn’t involve the significant others baby-making anatomy, thank you very much.
I’m a recent University graduate. I have a mountain of student debt and because I’m a recent graduate I have a job that doesn’t allow me to spend money whenever I feel like it. I’m broke, basically. So taking into account a very tight budget, there is no room for the cost of birth control. When it was brought up to my doctor at a recent visit I was giving these as options: suck it up (basically) because you can’t afford it, find some way to come up with $300.00 up front for an IUD that may or may not work or go to the health unit for their cheaper birth control option. The cheaper birth control option being one that, having already tried it, doesn’t work at all – and they are almost always too busy pitching condoms at you really sit down and go over your options.
What I want to know is that if we have the money to bulk purchase latex condoms, which, if we’re being serious, are not all being used as they’re intended , why can’t we have proper female birth control options as well. We are not all successfully 30-somethings who have been working for years and have health plans – a lot of are just attempting to really start our lives.
Don’t be silly, wrap your willy? Let’s try, don’t be an asshole, offer female contraceptives as readily as male contraceptives.
