“Use a condom,” is a common phrase that removes women from the discussion. What people fail to realize is that while there are contraceptives for women, they are not as readily or cheaply available as condoms,
For women there are a variety of options when it comes to obtaining contraceptives to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Options include birth control pills, an IUD, a shot, and a vaginal ring. The issue lies within the price range. Why is birth control so expensive?
According to Planned Parenthood the popular methods of birth control such as the pill, a patch, and the ring, “usually cost about $20-$50 per month,” while a shot ranges about“$30-$75 per shot,” for up to 12 weeks of protection. The medical staff at Single Care, an online medical based website said that “around 1 of 7 women can’t afford birth control at any price,” Planned Parenthood has also stated that this does not come as a surprise, because, “co-pays for birth control pills typically range between $15 and $50 per month. That adds up to over $600 per year. Other methods, such as IUDs, can cost several hundred dollars, even with health insurance.”
Men on the other hand, financially unstable or not, have the option to receive free condoms from any local health centers and doctors offices, according to Planned Parenthood.
At your local drugstore, such as Walgreens or CVS, over the counter emergency birth control — popularly known as the morning after pill — is regularly priced at $50 and up for on-brand pills.
What doesn’t make sense is why men can have inexpensive and sometimes free condoms at the drop of a hat,which have a 98 percent effectiveness if used correctly according to the U.K.’s National Health Service. but women have to pay an arm and a leg in some cases for contraceptives.
The benefit of having affordable birth control for women in all social classes will help decrease the amount of kids being put up for adoption. According to the National Center for Youth Law, a non-profit law firm, there are nearly 60,000 children in foster care within California.
Christian Science Monitor, an independent international news organization said in an article that “less than 2 percent of babies are put up for adoption each year out of 1.1 million teenage girls.” If we had birth control readily available we would see a drastic decline in numbers.
In refute to free and inexpensive condoms, it’s not wrong to help promote safe sex within the age ranges.
Where it begins to feel wrong is when promoting safe sex feels like a one sided argument in favor of men.
In the events of continuing an unwanted pregnancy it becomes expensive month after month expenses tend to rack up. Imagine not being able to afford a monthly birth control just to pay ten grand at the birth of your child WITHOUT COMPLICATIONS!
The cost today to raise a child for middle class parents by the time their child is 18 will be $284,570, recommended by North Western Mutual, an American financial services mutual organization based in Milwaukee, “ plan to have at least $20,000 in the bank,” prior to your pregnancy.
About 27.5 million Americans do not have an insurance plan to help pay any medical bills according to the U.S Census Bureau, so what sense does it make to not help young women retrieve quality inexpensive and or free birth control.
