Starr 1

Jourdyn Starr

Ms. Layson

English 11B

4 Dec. 2019

Her Body, Her Choice

“We need to treat her like a mother and allow her to be as responsible for herself as we

demand she be for her child.”(Wilkinson) Birth control has given women the opportunity to

choose when they would like to start a family. Throughout the decade, however, heated debates

regarding reproductive rights have led some to believe that this choice should be taken away.

Women should be the only ones making the decision of whether or not to use birth control

because it’s not the parents’ choice, it will lead to fewer unintentional pregnancies, and women

will receive more prenatal care.

The rights of individuals to decide if and when they want to have children refer to

reproductive rights. These rights also refer to an individual’s right to access information and

services related to reproductive health. When the topic of reproductive rights comes up in

politics, the debate between the two major political parties only references a woman’s access to a

safe and legal abortion when there is more to the issue. What is often not discussed is that access

to birth control and women’s health care are also affected by the restriction of these rights.

Reproductive rights advocates have tried to assert these rights through legislation and public

outreach, but the effort has faced backlash from organizations that oppose family planning

largely due to religious beliefs. Pro-choice individuals believe providing access to information

about sexual health and contraceptives to young people is a fundamental right. Certain groups
 Starr 2

have opposed this belief by claiming that teaching sexual education to young people will

encourage promiscuity. Reproductive rights have been a hot topic in recent years and the

outcomes of these debates will affect more than just abortions.

To start, it is not a parent’s decision to whether or not a woman can be put on birth

control. This right should be specifically given to women, even teenage girls. Some parents may

turn away from putting their daughter on birth control because they are against planned

parenthood. They try to teach their children about sex by providing the abstinence-only view

which is not the best type of sexual education. Teens will ultimately want to learn from

experience, and without the proper knowledge on contraception, an accidental pregnancy can

occur. After the baby is delivered, the new mother is offered a long-acting contraceptive that can

be inserted during the hospital stay. It is by far the most effective form of birth control, and it

will prevent a general trend happening across America. What is recurring in the country is that

about 44% of teen mothers will become pregnant again within the next year after giving birth

which is also dangerous (Wilkinson). Without birth control, this percentage will only increase.

“This is a remarkably effective intervention, and it’s no surprise that all major medical

organizations (including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of

Obstetrics and Gynecology) now recommend it as a first-line form of birth control for

adolescents. It should be up to a young mother to decide whether she wants it”(Wilkinson). This

example only references one particular form of birth control, but the same reasons apply to all

forms. Even teenage girls should be able to decide how they want to take care of their

reproductive health. Only they know what is best for them, and it should not be their parent’s

decision to determine that.

 Starr 3

Secondly, women need to be able to choose when and if they want to start birth control

because it will result in fewer unintentional pregnancies. New babies are a joy, but they are also

expensive. Constantly buying diapers, formula, and clothes can add up, and most women would

prefer to be prepared for the cost and occasional stress of having a baby. In the article

“Contraception, With Teenagers in Mind,” writer Jane E. Brody gives an alarming statistic. “I

say challenging because 82 percent of teen pregnancies and births are unplanned and nearly

always unwanted. They often disrupt a girl’s education and life goals and sometimes result in

shotgun marriages with poor long-term survival”(Brody). While most of the debate about

accidental pregnancies involves teenagers becoming pregnant, they are not the only demographic

with this issue. For example, the author of “Childbirth and Reproduction are Both Reproductive

Rights Issues”, Erin Sagen, had an abortion at 25 because of fear and self-doubt. Finding out a

new life will be entering the world should be an extremely exciting moment, but that feeling

could be the complete opposite if the pregnancy was not planned. Women being able to choose

when they want to have children will lead to a better quality of life not only for themselves but

for their future children as well.

The final reason women should be able to decide whether or not they want to use birth

control is that women will receive more prenatal care. Prenatal care is when a pregnant woman

gets checkups from a doctor, midwife, or nurse throughout her pregnancy. It helps keep the mom

and baby healthy.When women find themselves unexpectedly pregnant, the chances of their

doing what is best for them and the baby are slim. They were most likely not informed of the

recommended ways to stay healthy and the multiple doctor appointments. As Jessica Kiley

states in “Let’s Take a Moment to Talk About the Good Side Effects of Birth Control”, “Women
 Starr 4

who have planned pregnancies receive more prenatal care, and they have healthier pregnancies

and healthier babies”(Kiley). Women who have planned pregnancies are usually more educated

on the recommended foods to avoid, exercising while pregnant, and regular visits to the doctor.

While all of these things are important for the health of the mother and the baby, many women

who become pregnant unintentionally do not have the knowledge or possibly the resources to

receive prenatal care. Birth control allows women to learn about their reproductive health

through research rather than unexpected experience.

Some pro-life activist groups have argued that the use of contraception leads to more

abortions. A Spanish study in 2011 found that as contraception use increased in a sample of more

than 2,000 Spanish women, the abortion rate in the group doubled(Balinski). This study was

conducted 8 years ago, and there are multiple studies that have been performed in recent years

that counter the 2011 study. The founder and executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition

of Canada, Joyce Arther, claimed that “Most abortions result from failed

contraception”(Balinski). This conclusion does not take into account the women who were not

informed of how to properly use contraception, so they ended up in an unfortunate situation. It

also leaves out the people who simply decided to take a risk. Joyce Arthur’s words imply that she

is assuming the people who do not use contraception are either deciding to continue with a

pregnancy or not being sexually active. While this argument does have some support, it does not

overshadow the fact that contraception has given women the opportunity to achieve their goals

and support themselves the way men have always been able to.

The use of contraception should not be anyone else's concern. A woman has the right to

live her life the way she sees fit, and if that means choosing the perfect time to have children,
 Starr 5

then nothing should stand in her way. As a society, we need to understand the importance of

reproductive health and how birth control can ensure the well-being of women. Providing a

young girl with information about her reproductive health is sending her into the world with the

most important tool. She will know to only do what is best for her. Who else could possibly

know how to do that?

 Starr 6

Works Cited

Baklinski, Peter. "Birth Control Leads to More Abortions." ​Birth Control,​ edited by Jack Lasky,

Greenhaven Press, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints. ​Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,​

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010568283/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=

6bc6b1b2. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019. Originally published as "Why the Fight Against Abortion

Begins with Contraception," ​lifesitenews.com​, 23 Apr. 2013.

Brody, Jane E. "Contraception, With Teenagers in Mind." ​New York Times​, 20 Feb. 2018, p.

D5(L). ​Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,​

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A528156627/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=26

5d8ebb. Accessed 8 Dec. 2019.

Kiley, Jessica. "Let's Take a Moment to Talk About the Good Side Effects of Birth Control."

Birth Control,​ edited by Jack Lasky, Greenhaven Press, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints. ​Gale

In Context: Opposing Viewpoints​,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010568279/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=

e5964fb6. Accessed 8 Dec. 2019. Originally published in ​Pacific Standard​, 28 Feb. 2014.

"Reproductive Rights." ​Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection,​ Gale, 2018. ​Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints,​

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999318/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=

d0538a2d. Accessed 8 Dec. 2019.

 Starr 7

Sagen, Erin. "Childbirth and Abortion Are Both Reproductive Rights Issues." ​Gale Opposing

Viewpoints Online Collection​, Gale, 2019. ​Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,​

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/UYLFVO230490243/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC

&xid=51df21eb. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019. Originally published as "Why Childbirth and

Abortion Are Not Separate Issues," ​Yes! Magazine​, 29 Aug. 2018.

Wilkinson, Tracey A., et al. "Treat Teenage Moms Like Moms." ​New York Times,​ 14 Feb. 2018,

p. A23(L). ​Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,​

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A527447360/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVIC&xid=e3

d2c441. Accessed 8 Dec. 2019.