Birth Control Methods:
Knowing Your Choice
BY MAISIE HEINE
When choosing the best birth control method for you, it is important to be aware of all of your options. Wash. U. students are fortunate to be part of an institution that understands the importance of this decision. The Contraceptive Choice Center (CCC), run by Wash. U.’s medical school, seeks to inform people of their options and provide the best reproductive and sexual health care possible. They also conduct the Contraceptive Choice Project, a study that looks to demonstrate how informing more people about their contraceptive options, and providing access to the most effective options, leads to less unplanned pregnancies. While most women know about the pill, less know about Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive methods (LARC) including the IUD and the implant, which, as illustrated above, have proven to be the best methods for preventing unplanned pregnancies. The CCC caters to all of the methods shown above. As of last year, Student Health Services (SHS) on campus offers two different IUDs: Mirena (hormonal) and Paraguard (non-hormonal/copper). Both the CCC and SHS also provide a number of emergency contraception options, including Plan B, copper IUDs, and Ella. Here in Missouri, access to birth control isn’t always simple. In 2014, Missouri took the spotlight in the battle over sexual health care when the supreme court ruled that the owners of Hobby Lobby were allowed to eliminate birth control coverage from their employees’ insurance benefits in the name of “religious freedom". This ruling resulted in employees basing their birth control decisions on what they could afford, rather than what is best for their health. Fortunately, a workaround was devised so that employees could still access contraception - for no additional cost, even if their employers do not provide it. However, the issue is still fought over in state government. Just this past October, an anti-abortion bill - known as Missouri’s Senate Bill 5 - was enacted. One of the law’s controversial provisions states that the doctor who performs the abortion must be the same person who informs the patient of the medical risks involved in the procedure. Plaintiffs from Planned Parenthood attempted to block the bill in court, arguing that this “same physician” provision forces scheduling conflicts and travel expenses on to out-of-state or remotely located patients which could cause delays in providing care. The court still allowed the bill to pass. We are privileged to attend a school that believes all students should have easy access to and knowledge of a variety of contraception options, however, many legislators in our state do not share the same commitment to freedom of choice. Outside of the Wash. U. bubble, birth control is an entirely different story. |