Why So Many Unintended Pregnancies?
In an article on AlterNet today, writer Vanessa Valenti asks a central question in the movement to improve access to contraceptives: “Why is it that in a country where 98 percent of sexually active women have used a form of contraception, nearly half will have an unintended pregnancy?”
Valenti points to several factors inhibiting women’s ability to prevent unwanted pregnancy. First, there is simply a lack of access to contraception—“economic gaps, racial disparities and insurance status all play a role in determining women’s access to birth control.” Although 7 million women rely on Medicaid for birth control, Myra Batchelder, Director of the Low-Income Access Program (LIAP) of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, says that each state throws up barriers that can slow down the availability of birth control through Medicaid. For instance, even though emergency contraception is available over the counter, women on Medicaid in most states are still required to obtain a prescription. “This can cause a large burden for women that depend on Medicaid. In order to obtain a prescription from their doctor, women may need to wait additional hours or even days, which can cause a major delay in accessing a drug that is most effective the sooner it is taken,” Batchelder said.
Anti-contraception activists and federal opposition to the availability of birth control also block access where it is needed most. From President Bush’s Deficit Reduction Act to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ opposition to the Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act to the American Life League’s “The Pill Kills!” campaign, various forces are united against women’s access to birth control. Valenti concludes,
So while organizations like [the Pro-Choice Education Project] and the National Institute for Reproductive Health are working hard to help women on the ground, it’s going to be a long road before contraception is available to everyone. [The Guttmacher Institute’s Kathleen] O’Connell said the internet allows women to inform themselves and become their own heath advocates, but a change in the presidential administration in November could play a significant role in improving women’s access to contraception.
And perhaps one day, birth control actually will be only a pharmacy away. “Before I retire, one of the goals that I hope for is that we’re going to see birth control over the counter,” O’Connell said. “I think that’s a step in the right direction.”
By Tara Sweeney