Contraception
Choice USA believes that no one should have sex
before they are ready or when they do not want
to. We also know that many loving couples
choose to have sex for reasons other than
having a child, and we believe that this is also a
natural and positive choice. Choice USA
encourages people who are having sex to be
responsible.
Responsible sex means taking charge of your
and your partner's life and health. This includes
using contraception to prevent pregnancy and
the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Your Contraception Choices
There are many types of contraception. Some
methods prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and
other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in
addition to preventing an unwanted pregnancy.
You can get some types of contraception at the
drug store without a prescription. This includes
condoms and spermicides (foams, jellies, films,
and creams with a chemical, nonoxynol-9, that
kills sperm). Condoms protect against
HIV/AIDS and other STDs as well as unwanted
pregnancy. (Robert Hatcher, Contraceptive
Technology, 1994)
For other types of contraception you need to go
to a doctor or family planning clinic. Oral
contraception, also known as the Pill, is one of
the most popular contraceptives for women.
The Pill must be taken once every day. Some
other methods are longer-lasting and do not
require daily action by the woman using them,
such as Norplant, which is implanted under the
woman's arm and releases a hormone, or the
IUD, which is inserted in the woman's uterus.
These are only a few of the available
contraceptive methods. For online information
about all your contraceptive choices (including
their advantages, disadvantages, and how to
use them correctly) contact the Feminist
Women's Health Center at www.fwhc.org.
, 2003 | www.choiceusa.org | info@choiceusa.org | (202) 965-7700 | 1010 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 410 | Washington, DC 20007
Contraception Works
When used correctly, contraception almost
always works. If one hundred couples have sex
for a year using no form of contraception,
statistics show that 85 of the women will become
pregnant. By comparison, if the same 100
couples were to consistently and correctly use
the Pill or a condom with spermicide, only one of
the women would become pregnant. (Robert
Hatcher, Contraceptive Technology, 1994)
If you abstain from all sex all the time you have
no risk of becoming pregnant. But if you choose
to have sex, using birth control is the most
responsible choice you can make. If you are
sexually active you are much safer when using
contraception consistently and correctly.
Emergency Contraception
Emergency contraception, also called the
"morning after pill," is a combination of pills
that, if taken up to 72 hours after sex, can
prevent pregnancy by stopping the fertilization
of the egg and its implantation in the uterus.
This method is seventy-five percent effective.
("Emergency Postcoital Contraception," The
New England Journal of Medicine, October 9,
1997) New research shows emergency
contraception may still be effective up to 120
hours (5 days) after unprotected sex. However,
research also shows that emergency
contraception may be more effective the sooner
it is taken. You should not rely on it for your
regular birth control, but it is an option in case of
an emergency. For online information on
Emergency Contraception contact the Feminist
W o m e n ' s H e a l t h C e n t e r a t
www.fwhc.org/ecinfo.htm or the Emergency
C o n t r a c e p t i o n W e b s i t e a t
www.opr.princeton.edu/ec/. Or call the
Emergency Contraception Hotline operated by
the Reproductive Health Technologies Project at
1-800-584-9911.
Contraception,
page 2
The National Contraception Program
Many people get their contraception from clinics
that receive funds from the federal government
under a program known as Title X, which
supports reproductive health clinics across the
country. These clinics provide family planning
information and counseling, contraception,
screening for STDs, and other reproductive
health care to millions of people every year. If
you have gone to a family planning clinic,
chances are that you have gone to a clinic that
receives support from this program.
Title X clinics serve many individuals with limited
income who have no other way to get
reproductive health care. Unfortunately, Title X
funding has not kept pace with inflation and Title
X clinics cannot serve everyone in need.
Compared to funding in 1980, in dollars
adjusted for inflation, Title X funding has
dropped by about sixty percent.
Support for International Family Planning
Programs
Women and men worldwide want to control the
timing and spacing of their children. To help
people in poor countries get voluntary
contraceptive and other reproductive health
services, many countries, including the United
States, provide funds to international family
planning providers. Family planning and
reproductive health services are important to
improving the health of women and children
worldwide. They reduce deaths among women
from pregnancy-related complications
(currently well over half a million every year)
and improve children's health, as children born
too closely together are more likely to die.
Recent international agreements call on
countries to increase their support for
international family planning services.
However, in recent years, U.S. support for
international family planning programs has been
cut. (UNICEF, The Progress of Nations, 1996 and
The Alan Guttmacher Institute, "Family Planning
Improves Child Survival and Health," 1998)
, 2003 | www.choiceusa.org | info@choiceusa.org | (202) 965-7700 | 1010 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 410 | Washington, DC 20007
Anti-Choice Opposition to Contraception
The best way to reduce the number of abortions
is by making sure that everyone has the
information and contraception they need to
prevent unintended pregnancies. You may be
surprised to know that the organizations that
actively oppose your right to make your own
decisions about abortion are also attacking your
right to safe and effective birth control.
For example, anti-choice organizations are
fighting to keep information about
contraceptives out of sex education classes –
and they have succeeded in many places across
the country. They have pressured Congress to
reduce funding for family planning programs
and are fighting to require that responsible
teenagers get their parents' permission to get
contraception. They also oppose laws requiring
insurers to treat prescription contraception as
they would any other prescription. They
encourage their supporters to boycott
companies that research new contraceptive
methods and have lobbied the government to
keep new methods off the market.
Anti-choice health care providers are also
limiting access to contraception by refusing to
provide it. For instance, many anti-choice
pharmacists will not fill prescriptions for
emergency contraception or tell women where
to get it. Catholic hospitals and health providers
operate under religious directives that forbid
them from providing or making referrals for
contraception, even emergency contraception
for rape victims, regardless of religion or the
beliefs of the woman seeking services.