OK, everyone. Its time to talk about birth control. Everyone remembers the stories of condoms made out of sheeps skin, but after rubber condoms were patented in 1844, there were little advances in birth control until the 1900s.

Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in 1916, and after being prosecuted for being a public nuisance, she went to jail for 30 years. When she was released, she reopened the clinic that later became known as Planned Parenthood. Through more arrests and prosecutions, her clinic stayed open. In 1950, when Sanger was in her 80s, she underwrote the research to create the first birth control pill.

In 1965, the Supreme Court ruled that married couples have the right to use birth control, but millions of unmarried women in more than 26 states were still denied birth control, and it was not until 1972 that the Supreme Court ruled that everyone now had the right to birth control.

Since then, women have had to fight tooth and nail to make sure that this right is reserved for all women, even those who dont want it, and that those who do are able to access contraceptives without judgment.

The importance of this cause making sure that every woman has the right to control her body cannot be overstated. It is a right that deserves to be protected with everything weve got.

But what about the horrible side effects that are associated with hormonal birth control? It has been proven that taking hormonal birth control pills can lead to increased risk of depression, and many women have come forward about how they believe their birth control has led to increased anxiety, and even panic attacks.

Its not an uncommon occurrence. Over 30 percent of women have quit taking birth control pills due to these side effects.

But what is the alternative? Condoms are not completely reliable, intrauterine devices (IUDs) still contain hormones and can get embedded in the walls of your uterus, which can cause severe infections or can even cause uterine rupture. Depo-Provera (a hormone shot received from your doctor every three months) has led to severe weight gain in one out of four women.

And yet it is still up to women to suffer through these horrible side effects and keep up a strict birth control regime in order to maintain the life they want for as long as they choose.

But has anyone ever thought about why this job has even been put on women? Why are we trying to disarm a bullet after being shot, rather than just shoot a blank to begin with? Why are we fighting to maintain this form of birth control?

Women deserve better. They deserve more than going through pill after pill hopelessly searching for the one that causes the least amount of panic attacks or makes them feel less depressed. They deserve more than the horrible pain that comes with an IUD that has been embedded in their uterus. They deserve more than giving up their body in exchange for one 60 pounds heavier. They deserve more than broken condoms and morning after pills.

These forms of birth control that we have relied on for so long are simply not good enough but if a woman chooses not to subject her body to these side effects, she is deemed irresponsible or just asking to get pregnant."

So, the question remains are women even really in control of their bodies? Or are they just at the mercy of their birth control?

See more here:
Negative side effects of contraception must be addressed - Virginia Tech Collegiate Times

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