Question

I need a reply to the discussion below.

The ability to choose whether or not you would like to get pregnant is an important decision that should lie solely with the person or people being affected by the pregnancy. Considering this, I do believe that oral contraceptives should be available over the counter for women to purchase whenever they please or deem necessary for their lives. This is an empowering decision process for women and allows them the freedom to decide what makes the most sense for their lives at the moment and in the long term. We are now in a space and time where women have the opportunity to inform themselves through many forums on what contraceptives are available to them and how they all work, therefore allowing them to make an educated decision on what would be best for themselves. Encouraging the access and sale of these oral contraceptives would also allow women of different socio-economic backgrounds to have access to the same products, in turn allowing everyone to have the same ability to make these decisions for themselves.

As I previously mentioned, allowing oral contraceptives to be available over the counter would encourage women to have more control over themselves, their bodies and their lives overall. In a USA Today articles on oral contraceptives being made available over the counter and regardless of age, Rebecca H. Allen from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology states:  “Over-the-counter hormonal birth control would be a step toward greater access to an essential component of women’s health care and give adolescents and women more options to manage their reproductive health.” (Allen, Rebecca H., USA Today, Sep 2019). I would agree with Dr.Allen on that statement, as it stands for the idea that women should be able to make the full decision on what direction they would like their lives to go as well as how they would like to go about managing their own reproductive health. Some women are open to birth control for a few years while they are in their early 20's or 30's and would like to focus more on school and their careers, while others are okay with staying on contraceptives for entire decades at a time. Regardless of the reason, a woman should be able to make the decision on her own and not have to obtain a prescription to back her thinking on that matter.

Additionally, in trying to create a more broad sense of equality among all women, regardless of ethnicity or socio-economic background, this would be a huge stepping stone in fulfilling that action. Women of all backgrounds would be able to make the same decisions for themselves by using the same products regardless of their background, therefore not just limiting the access to the wealthy or upper class. Overall, the idea of making oral contraceptives available over the counter for women is an ideal one and one that should be considered to be liberating and empowering for women altogether. If we are concerned about where our society is headed with regards to maintaining and adding on to women's rights, this would be a great start!

(PLEASE TYPE YOUR RESPONSE) THANK YOU!

Answer 1

Oral contraceptives can be a great relief for a women who desires for her higher education or to make her career strong enough without being interrupted by the pregnancy if she has an active sexual life and posing a risk for pregnancy. This will be helpful to prevent unnecessary conception, improper planning, etc., The availability can make the women string enough to make a clear decision by self and seek non fir her decision but it is equally important to know that these contraceptives can cause adverse effects in the long run. So it should be always taken under guidance or supervision to have a quality life in the future even when it is available because of women's rights.