For over 60 years, medical birth control has been available and approved for public use in the United States. For an even longer stretch of time, female contraception has been a heavily controversial concept, sparking debate in all kinds of ethical, religious and political discourse throughout the 20th century.
Birth control has revolutionized sexual autonomy for women and those with female reproductive anatomy and is a highlight of modern medicine. Its countless uses beyond contraception have solidified its various incarnations as integral pillars of healthcare — but following a rise in U.S. conservatism, its legal availability has been seriously called into question. This reality is a disgusting affront to the health of millions and cannot be entertained any further.
On May 20, months before the fateful officialization of the U.S.’s 60th presidential election results, a ghastly sliver of light was shed on then former President Donald Trump’s stance on contraception access.
In an interview with KDKA News from Pittsburgh, Trump was asked if he supported restrictions on personal contraception rights. In response, the would-be 2024 presidential elect said, “We’re looking at that and we’re going to have policy on that very shortly.”
Trump proved through his push to overturn Roe v. Wade during his first term that he was a serious threat to women’s reproductive rights. Back then, restricting a tool as vital as birth control still seemed unthinkable, even under a Trump administration. Though vague and avoidant, like most of the president’s public statements, this response made one thing crystal clear: even contraception rights are not safe.
Personal contraception access has been advocated for in the U.S. since the early 20th century. In 1960, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first official oral contraceptive, more commonly known as the Pill — one of many developments that heralded the Sexual Revolution of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Commercially accessible birth control provided not only women with sexual freedom, but people everywhere with the opportunity to family-plan without compromising their sex lives.
The right to choose how often and whom one engages with in sexual activity is absolutely inalienable. Contraception provides the security people need to navigate this right safely — an assurance more mandatory now than ever with the rising development of state abortion bans. Legal restrictions on birth control are a direct threat to sexual autonomy — especially for women.
While the most commonly understood purpose of birth control involves its contraceptive properties, its existence is far more integral to personal well-being than many realize. Initially intended as a pregnancy prevention device, birth control has evolved as a practical medicine for all kinds of common women’s health issues due to its hormone content.
Birth control is used in modern clinical practice as a treatment for endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, irregular menstrual cycles, anemia and more. These conditions can have a profound, negative effect on those who experience them. For these people, personal contraception is unquestionably crucial. Federal restrictions on this treatment would be detrimental to the well-being of those who rely on it like any other prescribed medicine.
Even more at risk of regulation than standard methods of hormonal contraception like pills or implants, however, is emergency contraception. Emergency contraception, or, the morning-after pill, seems to be the next particular target of far-right policymakers in their ceaseless quest to snuff out women’s sexual liberty.
Emergency contraception is a preventative treatment one can take shortly after engaging in unprotected sex. It is the final resort in preventing an unwanted pregnancy from developing and therefore undeniably important, especially for those subjected to sexual violence.
The infamous, right-wing “Project 2025: A Presidential Transition Project” paints an alarmingly concise picture of what contraception access might look like, should proponents of the Make America Great Again movement unleash their darkest political fantasies upon the U.S. population. The extremist agenda explicitly calls for the abolition of no-cost coverage for emergency contraception products.
Though Trump has not publicly affirmed personal affiliation with Project 2025, if he were to enforce this deplorable mandate, a reported 63% of the 47.8 million reproductive-age women in the U.S. would lose financial coverage for contraceptives like Plan B One-Step, according to the Center for American Progress. They would lose that final chance in preventing pregnancy when birth control, or humanity, fails — which they sometimes do.
In a country where conservative men have the power to outlaw abortion rights, it’s beneath comprehension why they’d also dare to destroy that last inkling of hope someone might have before their life is turned upside down — before less-safe measures become more compelling.
A woman can’t be expected to feel acknowledged as an autonomous human in the U.S. when the dominant political culture is so fervently opposed to her innate, personal rights. An attack on the reproductive rights of anyone is an attack on the sexual freedom of everyone.
There is no place for conservative morals in the dictation of a woman’s bodily agency, especially when health is at stake.
