Tomorrow, Nov. 10th, is “Thanks, Birth Control” (#ThxBirthControl) Day, dedicated to turning up the volume and turning down the controversy around birth control. Here at Feronia, we love to celebrate and thank birth control every day – but on this special day we want to recognize what birth control has meant to Americans: the ability to plan, prevent, and space pregnancies, more educational and economic opportunities, healthier babies, more stable families, and a reduced taxpayer burden.
There’s a lot to celebrate around birth control: The ability to plan, prevent, and space pregnancies is directly linked to benefits to women, men, children, and society, including more educational and economic opportunities, healthier babies, more stable families, and a reduced taxpayer burden.
- Planning our families and using birth control can help women pursue their goals. The number of women in the workforce since 1965 has nearly tripled. And by 2013, more than six times as many women were completing four or more years of college than in 1960.
- Many of the gains women have made since 1965 — in timing and spacing our children, in obtaining education, entering the workforce, and moving closer to pay equity — are the direct result of access to birth control.
- Birth control was named one of the 10 great public health achievements in the 20th century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ninety-nine percent of sexually active American women have used birth control! It’s a normal part of women’s lives and should not be a taboo topic or the subject of political posturing.
Birth control is basic health care for women: The average woman will spend about 30 years of her life trying to avoid pregnancy. No single birth control method is right for all women at all times. Women’s reproductive needs change throughout their lives, and their birth control should match those needs.
For women who want to know about their birth control options, PlannedParenthood.org is a good place to start.
Want to join us tomorrow in saying thank you to birth control?! Here’s what you can do:
- Use the hashtag #ThxBirthControl on your social media platforms and share these great graphics from Bedsider
- Shout out your story — why you use birth control and how it’s helped you
- Share this infographic on birth control with your followers
- Keep the conversation going past the 10th with the hashtag #BirthControlHelpedMe
