There are many different options for birth control. For men, options are limited, and at this time, men have only two options, condoms and vasectomies. Scientists are currently working on new methods for men to use. Women, on the other hand, have a few more options. Women have the option to resort to birth control implants, IUDs, shots, vaginal rings, pills, patches, diaphragms, sponges, cervical caps, and spermicides.
According to statistics, condoms are the most commonly used form of birth control for men. This could be because teens are more “involved” in this category, needing cheap methods of birth control. Although condoms seem ideal, they are only eighty-four percent effective. Eighty-four percent may sound like a high percentage, but in the case of accidental pregnancy, it may be a choice you would want to go further in-depth with detail, so you have a lower chance of accidental pregnancy. In the case of condoms, they are great in decreasing the risk of transmitting infections such as HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea.
The world is constantly changing. People in the world, and the way we do everything are always being fixated. Luckily for men’s birth control options, scientists are currently working on a pill that would act as the woman pill does, but for men. The women’s pill is ninety-two to ninety-seven percent effective, whether or not the men’s pill will be higher, the same, or less is, for now, unknown.
Today women have many options regarding birth control. Options include birth control implants, IUDs, shots, vaginal rings, pills, patches, diaphragm, sponges, cervical caps, and spermicide. Depending on the person or one’s situation can help to decide what’s being used.
There are many options for birth control and out of all these options, women are the most responsible for having, or being on birth control. Men have the two options of vasectomies or wearing a condom other than that there is nothing.
There are many different options for birth control. For men, options are limited, and at this time, men have only two options, condoms and vasectomies. Scientists are currently working on new methods for men to use. Women, on the other hand, have a few more options. Women have the option to resort to birth control implants, IUDs, shots, vaginal rings, pills, patches, diaphragms, sponges, cervical caps, and spermicides.
With the help of Hormonal birth control, adds help not only to the user but also to society. As birth control helps to dampen the Female Reproductive System, it gives control to one of our country’s biggest problems which is Overpopulation. Not only does it help to lessen the Overpopulation problem here in the Philippines, but it also gives more advantages to the user as it may help relieve menstrual pain, and reduce acne, and it also is possible for birth control to help protect your body against Cancers.
On the contrary, there are lots of disadvantages to using birth control improperly such as lowering the risk of the user being impregnated, an increased risk of blood clotting, nausea, migraines, mood swings, and many more. But on the bright side, every woman can avoid the mentioned disadvantages by seeking help from a professional and to ask whether what type of Birth control are you going to use/take and when are you only available to use it.
Seeking Professional advice and properly applying their restricted procedures, will help you to maintain your healthy way of living and will reduce the risks of bad side effects of birth control. There are 6 types of birth control, pills (oral contraceptives), patches, rings, shots, IUDs, and implants. However, not every female is advised to use it as each female has different levels of sensitivity and body resistance to pills and medicines. Some may be allergic to pills but they still end up using them. Resulting in mental and physical effects that may be a real deal in future effects. However, the mentioned birth control isn’t able to protect you against STDs, therefore,
Condoms are still advised to be used by those who’ll take up sexual intercourse. Those things being said, if you still end up getting negative effects, you should further ask Professionals for help and try to reconsider other types of Birth control as they may not be compatible with your body’s resistance. Also, being truthful to your Professional is a must as it is their responsibility to correct whatever it is that is wrong with your Birth control. In conclusion, taking Hormonal Birth control has many pros and cons, but it depends on how and when you use it. Therefore everybody reading this essay be aware of everything regarding birth control.
Another reason LARCs should be offered in public schools is that it makes birth control more accessible and, as public schools are state-funded, it can make birth control easily affordable or even free to teens. One great contributor to teen pregnancy rates is income. The rate of unplanned pregnancy is disproportionally higher in economically disadvantaged communities, which may be due to a lack of access to affordable birth control. This is doubly a problem for teens who often do not have their disposable income for use outside of housing, food, and other necessities. The birth control pill, the most common method used by teens, can cost upwards of $50 per month for the uninsured or underinsured. The American Pregnancy Association notes that on top of the cost of one month of pills, the initial physician visit can cost up to $200 (2012). That means that only one year of birth control could end up costing $800. In contrast, LARCs can cost anywhere from $200 to $1500 but are effective for up to seven years. That would be the equivalent of paying $17 a year for birth control, which is much more cost-effective in the long run. Also, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, teens now have private and state insurance coverage that funds the complete cost of LARC placement and removal. One public school in Seattle, Washington sparked controversy by offering free placement of contraceptive devices in their high school health center. The program allows girls under 19 to get LARCs at no cost with full confidentiality, and no parental consent or insurance required. It is no surprise that, with the increase in access, Washington’s teen pregnancy rate is lower than the national average. In some counties, rates have even dropped as much as fifty percent.
The addition of LARCs as a contraceptive option in public schools can also decrease teen pregnancy rates overall. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in the Committee Opinion on Intrauterine Device and Adolescents, concluded:
“Because adolescents contribute disproportionately to the epidemic of unintended pregnancy in this country, top-tier methods of contraception, including IUDs and implants, should be considered as first-line choices for both nulliparous and parous adolescents. After thorough counseling regarding contraceptive options, health care providers should strongly encourage young women who are appropriate candidates to use this method”
Pediatricians are only now encouraged to counsel adolescent patients on all contraceptive methods, starting with LARC methods due to their ease of use and effectiveness. While still small, the proportion of teens using LARC methods is growing: Among women aged 15–19, usage of IUD and contraceptive implants increased between 2002 and 2009 from 1 percent to 4.5 percent. After the introduction of a program in Colorado offering free placement of birth control devices, both teen birth and abortion rates dropped 48 percent over five years. A similar program in St. resulted in a 25 percent decrease in birth and abortion among sexually active teens (McClain 2015). These numbers suggest a clear positive correlation between access to LARCs and teen pregnancy rates.
The decline in teen pregnancy rates nationwide is cause for celebration, but it’s still too early to believe there is no more to be done. Further progress can be made by bringing contraceptive care directly to teens and by adding LARCs as a birth control option in reproductive counseling. It is well understood that the more children a woman has during her teen years, the less likely she is to complete high school, obtain a college degree, or maintain employment. One action we can take to address this still very real social issue and improve outcomes would be to fund the creation of more public school-based family planning or contraceptive healthcare services. Such entities would offer shining examples of how access to all contraception, including LARCs, is critical to teen pregnancy rate reduction.
Birth control also known as contraceptives, has been used for thousands of years with varied results from all different crowds. During the Ancient Egypt era, a paste made of honey, sodium carbonate, and crocodile dung was a popular form of contraception. (Time Video and Gibson; 2015) Women found that in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was very hard to find effective contraception due to the strict laws implied that doctors were not allowed to spread information about birth control. Methods such as Lysol and Coca-Cola were used to kill the sperm, as a replacement for birth control.
Throughout this informative research paper, birth control will be discussed, more specifically the 2 most prominent forms; condoms and the contraceptive pill. The paper will reveal the many changes and developments that have severely affected the immense female community in our society, to help readers deeply understand the importance of contraceptives and the sexualization of such a unique technology within North America. The sexualization of Birth Control in Our Society To begin with, birth control plays a very important role in our society whether it be condoms or the contraceptive pill. It is made to prevent pregnancy, prevent sperm from getting to the eggs, and keep a woman’s ovaries from releasing eggs that could be fertilized. Condoms and hormonal pills are the most prominent forms of contraception that have been established for several years throughout history. The choice of birth control one chooses for themselves depends on the health of the user, frequency of sexual activity, number of sexual partners, and the desire to have children in the future.
The choice of birth control someone takes is one of the ways it is sexualized in our community. When teenagers speak about using birth control or buying condoms, it is automatically assumed that one is sexually active and is degraded sexually for doing so. This is seen highly when one purchases contraceptives, they are looked at weirdly and put in the category that is immensely sexualized. Sexual intercourse is seen as a sexualized action taken place for pleasure and is sometimes even seen as a “bad” thing in our society when spoken about in public. The media plays an immense role in these beliefs and portrayals. It is one of the most important factors in the initiation of sexual intercourse. The media that children and teenagers view today portray it as casual sex with absolutely no consequences whereas teenagers today NEED straightforward information about human sexuality and the importance of using contraceptives during intercourse. (Strasburger, 2010) The media such as television, films, music, and the internet are very sexually explicit and do not display information on abstinence, sexual responsibility, and birth control is rarely shown on American television. (Strasburger, 2010)
In the United States, people believe that giving teenagers access to birth control will make them sexually active at a younger age. Birth control is excessively sexualized in the public and given false accusations as stated above. There have been many clinical trials completed that prove giving teenagers access to condoms and other forms of birth control do not increase sexual activity or encourage sexual intercourse, but it helps teen pregnancy rates decrease as time goes on. Forms of Birth Control; Condoms One of the well-known birth control forms the public uses significantly is condoms. Condoms are known as one of the greatest inventions of the 19th century by the Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw. This form of contraceptive is a thin rubber that is worn by the male on the penis during sexual intercourse as a protection again sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. When the condom was established, many historians spoke about birth control as one of the most important parts of the history of sexuality, family, religion, social regulation, and private behavior. (Tone, 2002) Shaws’ invention of condoms was highly appreciated and a very respected technological change in society.
The ability of rubber skin, to prevent both the delivery of diseases and pregnancy was widely recognized in the world. Condoms had become a ‘commercial vitality technological change.’ (Tone, 2002) Condoms have dramatically changed and developed in the past decades and have become more safe, efficient and come in many different forms. When condoms were first invented, there was one form that everyone had used but now, there are many different brands and companies that one can choose from when purchasing the item. Other new condoms are being tested and designed as we speak today. This improved technology guarantees that the best condom manufacturers will be able to make the most uniform, strong, and elastic latex condoms for users to enjoy safely and efficiently. (Population records; Apr99)
Many of the changes made to condoms throughout the years are the materials, sizes, shapes, colors, textures, scents, and flavors, and also new kinds of lubricants for the users. There were many complaints of the older condoms being too tight and uncomfortable therefore manufacturers have produced many new models which are designed for each man’s needs and desires. Relating to sexuality, the designs of each condom are heavily sexualized as well because every user has different needs during sexual intercourse which is a highly sexualized act. One of the most dramatic changes in this specific technology is the innovation of female condoms. The female condom is a cotton panty that has a latex pouch that is built into its crotch. The panty covers the entire external female genital area and prevents any fluid from being exchanged or touching the genital areas between both partners. (Population records; Apr99) In many laboratory tests, female condoms have been proven to be the most safe and efficient when it comes to sperm and infectious sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. These tests are seen as equally comparable to male condoms if not safer and more efficient. The advantage of the female condom is that the women feel more superior and involved in the sexual experience rather than not being the dominant partner at all.
They feel empowered and safer when communicating during sexual intercourse making their sexual pleasure and experience more successful and protected. There are disadvantages to the female condom as well, that being the unattractiveness of the technology itself and some women may find it uncomfortable and painful when utilizing the technology. It may not appeal to some of the women because they might associate the condom with prostitution and infidelity. (Population records; Apr99) The idea of prostitution and infidelity brings back the discussion of how birth control/contraceptives are sexualized and are seen as ‘bad’ in society by many others. Forms of Birth Control; The Hormonal Pill The second well-known birth control form used significantly by many females in our society is The Pill. The Pill is a hormonal oral-contraceptive medication that is taken once daily to prevent pregnancy and protect the user from all sexually transmitted diseases. The Pill was developed in the 1950s by two scientists, George Pincus and his colleague Min Chueh Chang. (Ainsworth, 2011) The idea of the hormonal contraceptive was not invented by scientists but by a woman’s rights activist, Margaret Sanger. She was a nurse in America and was the person behind the launch of the first oral contraceptive. Sanger believed that “no woman can call herself free who doesn’t own and control her own body.” (Ainsworth, 2011) By this quote, she meant to say that men have been in control when it comes to sexuality for decades with condoms, now females can finally empower men and have a say in their sexuality.
Margaret had devoted her time and research to establishing the advanced technology and went against the authorities to get the awareness of such technology out to the public. She had gotten a millionaire biologist, Katherine McCormick to fund her project which then finally made the contraceptive pill official in 1959. It was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and in 1960 was launched worldwide. Within the manufacturing process of the Pill, they focused significantly on the medical technology to be modified and produced to meet social expectations and demands. The development of the pill changed the lives of many women worldwide, especially in the United States where the pregnancy rates were high. To relate to sexuality within birth control technology, the process of medicalization reveals immense sexualization. The research examined that the hormonal contraceptive pill was known as the ‘lifestyle pill’ rather than a medication to cure one. The ‘lifestyle pill’ is the medication that will improve one’s life and quality of life instead of treating an illness, as stated before. This has changed how we portray this technology in the public dramatically, meeting social expectations and including social, economic, and cultural changes that then relate to sexuality within the process. This has revealed long-term benefits, not only on fordividual users but also on forciety. (Nucci, 2012) Ever since the contraceptive pill was established in 1960, the specific technology has developed dramatically. As the number of users using the contraceptive pill increased, the various pharmaceutical companies developed new pills and new brands/companies for the technology. In each new development, they decreased hormonal dosages and made the pills have less significant side effects for the users.
The Pill today is 99.9% safe and efficient for users to resort to as a birth control form of protection against sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. This technology is designed to be used by healthy people, not to treat a disease and that is why it can be known as the ‘lifestyle pill.’ As Margaret stated in the research article, “a single pill, that is believed, would be able to make the lives of young and modern women better than well.” (Nucci, 2012) Conclusion Throughout the research, it is shown that the major technology that was developed/changed and modified over the years is birth control. The two significant forms of birth control included condoms and the very first oral hormonal contraceptive pill which has been modified immensely throughout the decades. This technology has affected not only the users of the contraceptives but the community altogether. The research helps the reader truly understand the importance of birth control, the revolutionary and ultimate technology in the sexualization of medication in North America. The condom and the Pill have advanced significantly for every user in the world and meet the social expectations and norms in our society today. There are many more advancements to be established within the sexualities of this specific technology. Recently, there has been an invention of male condoms which is being discussed and officialized by authorities soon. The new male condom will work similarly to the female contraception, producing hormones within the males and shining equality between both genders. The future is yet to come and there will be many more inventions and new successes to be established.
For the past two centuries, the form of oral contraception has seen a rise in popularity with the differing views on the pill’s significance. Whether it be said that the pill has shown many positive benefits, the dangers of this form of contraception must remain known. Birth control is a negatively viewed drug that does more damage than good to society as a whole. Birth control is an unnecessary medical practice that gives women a bad stigma, causes major side effects, counteracts religious beliefs, and poses a threat to the environment.
The stigma of birth control displays a negative image of women, making them a target for hateful words and phrases. “Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy” (Bannon). When women are seen to be taking birth control, society automatically assumes because the woman is seen taking “the pill” she is open to having sex with anyone and parades her body like a male peacock boasting his feathers. Many women have reached out about how being targeted feels and how equality in sex drive is not the same. “76% say that girls are judged harshly for sexual behavior that is seen as acceptable in boys.” (Hrreview.co.uk) When “Is birth control…” is typed into the search bar of Google, the top two results are “Is birth control bad for you/ is birth control bad?” This shows that a lot of people have some concerns when it comes to oral contraceptives. The main concern about birth control is the side effects.
It is common for many medications to have side effects, when it comes to birth control the side effects only grow larger and more severe. The most reported side effects affiliated with birth control are intermenstrual spotting, nausea, breast tenderness, headaches, migraines, weight gain, mood changes, missed periods, decreased sex drive, vaginal discharge, and changes to eyesight for women who wear glasses/contact lenses. Intermenstrual spotting is the process of when women are in between the time gap of two menstrual cycles and continue to lose blood although it is not a large amount of blood it is still present. This could be annoying and inconvenient when dealing with daily activities. Nausea is very abundant in many side effects, nausea can be described as a feeling of sickness with the inclination of vomiting. Breast tenderness is simply the situation in which the breasts are sensitive to the touch. Headaches and migraines follow along the same path as nausea, all are very common but may decrease the ability to think clearly and work efficiently. Weight gain as a symptom is not as drastic as it sounds, the hormones in birth control interfere with the natural hormones which therefore result in the cause of weight gain, this is also the reason why it is said to have mood changes. Missed periods and vaginal discharge vary between each woman but both should be taken very close attention to and with great caution. Birth control side effects may impair eyesight for women who use visionary helping tools such as glasses and contact lenses. As if these side effects are not enough to make you take a second look, your religion might.
The vision of the human body is sacred and often referred to as a temple, with this being said the things that take place and are inserted into the body should be looked at very carefully. Many religions are against birth control seeing as it is not a natural form of preventative childbirth. This is believed by those following the roman catholic church, protestant religions, and Islam. As many people are faithful to their religion, likely, the followers of this religion will likely not partake in the consumption of this oral contraceptive. In avoidance of being seen as impure and a sinner, most families do not support or condone the usage of birth control.
The environment human beings live in is often taken for granted. Women who participate in consuming oral contraceptives are taking part in destroying the environment. This in particular is affecting the lives of innocent fish and the water they swim in. “Starting a few years ago, in the Potomac River, male largemouth bass started popping up with eggs in their sex organs. The deformity usually makes reproduction impossible, ultimately hurting the fish population. Many scientists believe the problem could stem from hormones and other pollutants flushed into our nation’s waterways from sewage treatment plants.” (Lopez) When the human choice of preventing reproduction becomes selfish, it is a necessity for our environment that we put the use of these pills behind human culture and look for better alternatives for all ecosystems, not just humans.
Birth control has many more downfalls than it does with positive outcomes, such as targeting women with the negative stigma of consuming birth control, The inconvenient side effects it takes on the body of the consumer and the people around, challenging religions, and putting the lives of innocent fish in danger for reproducing and being responsible for feeding the population. Birth control is a medication that negatively affects the entire society making it impossible to have more benefits than downfalls.
Works Cited
Evon, Dan, and Dan Evon. “FACT CHECK: Steve Bannon’s Vulgar Quote About Birth Control?” Snopes.com, www.snopes.com/fact-check/birth-control-steve-bannon/.
Editor. “87% Of Young Girls Think Women Are Judged on Appearance, Not Ability.” HRreview, 3 Dec. 2013, www.hrreview.co.uk/hr-news/diversity-news/women-are-judged-on-appearance-not-ability/49773.
Lopez, Kathryn. ‘The Birth Control Pill Has Destructive Environmental Consequences.’ Birth Control, edited by Margaret Haerens and Lynn M. Zott, Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010568243/OVIC?u=j084906&sid=OVIC&xid=cf9637c8. Accessed 3 Mar. 2019. Originally published as ‘Birth Control: The New Pollutant,’.
Birth control or control of population growth has been a raging debate for centuries because it is a sexual issue that religion, traditions, politics, and the entire society has silenced and laden it with lots of taboos.
During the ancient times, sex and sexuality had been under immense silence as no one was supposed to talk about it in public places. According to Foucault, sex has been a secret affair because there has been so many forces that reduced it to silence, but has recently loosened up and allowed people to question the intricacies of sex (78).
Realizing that sex has been secret and silenced for centuries, modern society is struggling to unravel the mystery behind sex through various discourses. In the late 18th century and early 19th century, population growth rate of the world was growing exponentially. For instance, in the United States, women had an average of seven children, and thus, necessitated control of population.
Although governments saw the need to control population growth, various religions and cultures were against it, for they perceived reproduction as a natural process that needs no interference. Religions, cultures, and politics have been grappling with the issue of population growth because while some perceive it a societal issue, others perceive it as a reproductive issue of women.
Discourses in culture, religion, politics, education, health, feminism, sexuality, gender, race, and class show that birth control is an issue that touches on women’s health, and therefore, women have the right to control population growth.
Culture and Traditions
During ancient times, culture and traditions imposed many taboos on sex and sexuality in that societal values determined matters related to reproduction. Since men dominated society, they had powers to determine the number of children that their wives should have in marriage. Men had powers to decided ethics regarding sex as they imposed taboos to restrict how women perceive their sexuality and reproduction.
Foucault asserts that sex exists in a binary system of right and wrong, legal and illegal, permitted and forbidden, which shows that it is subject to law and power (83). The law and power associated with sex gave men powers to have control over women and decide their sexuality, gender and reproduction.
Cultures and traditions suppressed women, for they did not give them freedom to champion for their rights as members of the society with reproduction capacity (Berreman 400). Due to male chauvinism that dominated the society, issues involving sex and women were in deep silence and under the domain of men because taboos imposed many restrictions.
Evolution of cultures and traditions from ancient times to modern society has led to empowerment of women and diminishing of taboos, which restricted women from advocating for their rights. The adoption of various cultural and traditional practices, from various parts of the world, led to development of civilized culture and traditions that recognize exceptional needs of women and empower them.
Sex and sexuality transformed from silence state into public debates due to the emergence of many discourses. Discourses have significantly enhanced perception of gender, sexuality and humanity, which subsequently led to the emergence of the need to control population.
Luker argues that, counter normative approach to sexuality is an effective discourse that has empowered women by restructuring and configuring societal power (29). In spite of cultural taboos that restrict women from having power to control their sexuality and reproduction, modern society has made significant strides towards empowering women in matters of birth control.
Society has different members with different attributes that classify them into races and classes. Race and class influence how people perceive the essence of population control. In the society, race and class determine social status and power of an individual. Ability of women to control their sexuality and reproduction in spite of societal pressure depends on racial and class prejudices of the society.
Conventionally, whites are privileged race relative to blacks, hence making them to have a higher social class than blacks. Luker debates that, due to diversity of race and classes, people have used different contraception methods because of their unique beliefs, traditions, and cultures (54).
Since whites have a high social classes and race, their family lifestyles of having few children has formed the basis of civilization. Blacks are aping whites’ culture because they have empowered their women to have control over their reproduction and sexuality. Trends of population growth show that, blacks have high growth rate, yet they have lower social class because most are living below the poverty level.
Critical analysis of race and class shows that, white women have control over their sexuality and reproduction; thus, they have low reproductive rate. On the other hand, black women have limited control over their sexuality and reproduction, which explains why they have high reproductive rate. Therefore, it means that privileged race and high social class are factors that empower women to regulate the sexuality and reproduction.
Religion
Regions have played a critical role in restricting control of population through their teachings on morality and spiritual matters. Dominant religions of the world like Christianity, Islam and Hindu have been against control of population using contraceptives and abortion.
Religious leaders assert that, the use of contraceptives and abortions as means of controlling population is contrary to divine teachings, and thus an abomination to God. Nevertheless, diverse religions perceive control of population as a moral, as well as, a spiritual issue that an individual or political entity has no power to dictate.
Therefore, religions perceive that women have no right over their sexuality and reproduction because they fall under family, which is an integral unit of society. A moral society has responsibility of ensuring that every family adheres to religious principles that reflect divine values and virtues.
According to Teltsch, Pope Paul IV issued encyclical banning artificial birth control methods because there are against Christian teachings (17). The encyclical triggered mixed reactions not only among Catholics but also in healthcare systems across the world.
Many Catholics perceived banning of artificial methods of family planning as a bold move that deserves praise, while others perceived it as retrogressive move that would deprive women of their sexual rights. Mixed reactions among population showed that, birth control would continue to be a raging debate until women attain right to their sexuality.
Religions perceive procreation as a divine gift that God gave to humanity; thus, they have a responsibility of ensuring that families should comply with divine principles to respect marriage as a divine institution. According to Islam, use of contraceptives and legalization of abortion is an abomination and sin that God does not support.
Muslims believe that control of population using contraceptives is unspiritual because it promotes prostitution and promiscuous behavior in the society. Moreover, abortion is not only an immoral act but also a crime because it involves murdering of innocent fetus, which has no power to protect itself unless religion and society protect it.
Srikanthan and Reid explain that, Muslims believe that a family is a basic unit of society, which depends on sex for procreation purposes according to the will of God (132). They believe that use of artificial methods in control of the population is contrary to the will of God and detrimental to humanity due to loss of morals.
With time, religions have come to realize that population control is a critical issue in the society that is subject to many factors apart from religious teachings. Ancient religions depicted sexuality from divine perspective, but current religions have reduced it to moral levels where people can have their own opinions.
Thus, in modern society, there are no explicit religious principles that outline recommended contraceptive methods except abortion. Various religions agree that abortion is a crime unless done under a medical condition that threatens life of mother and baby. In response to economic, legal and social pressures, diverse religions have recommended different methods of population control.
According to Srikanthan and Reid, catholic recommends abstinence and rhythmic method, while Islam supports coitus interruptus and some contraception methods that are safe, legal and temporary (132). Hence, disparity in religious beliefs has led to diversification in contraceptive methods.
Trends of contraception methods among religions show that women have ultimate decision on the nature of contraceptives that they use in controlling population. Although religions can recommend kinds of contraceptives that women should take, they cannot force anyone, hence women have the power to decide their reproductive health.
Political Economy
Population control is a political issue since it relates to economic growth and welfare of population of a country. Demographic experts are warning that exponential growth of population signal impending disaster since economic resources are diminishing gradually.
Since population growth is going to strain diminishing resources, many countries are trying to use various means of contraception to slow down population growth and stabilize economic growth sustainably. Increase of population in one country threatens the sustainability of resources in other countries since resources flow according to factors of demands and supplies.
To achieve a stable political economy, politicians are formulating policies and regulations, which are essential in regulating population growth. A country with the capacity to regulate its population has assurance of better economic growth and improved welfare of the people because there is sustainable utilization of resources.
A country with uncontrolled population growth has no future prospects because it cannot sustain its own people with time. Michelle asserts that, empowering women to advocate for their rights, and have access to family planning methods are ethical and most effective means of controlling population growth (34).
Stable economy requires that every woman should have an average of two to three children to guarantee both sustainability of resources and maintain stable growth rate of population. From a perspective of political economy, control of the population is a matter that is in the sphere of women, and thus they deserve to have right to their sexuality and reproduction.
Countries with exponential growth of the population are now advocating for birth control by use of contraceptives and abortion to eliminate unwanted or unplanned pregnancies. Unplanned pregnancies are a serious burden to women because it affects their welfare state by restricting them to childbearing lives.
Siow argues that, availability of birth control pills and legalization of abortion has significantly improved welfare of women because they can postpone marriage, pursue their careers and accumulate wealth while indulging themselves in sexual activities (3). The importance of the contraceptive pill became evident in 1970s when number of women who join universities and colleges increased markedly.
Hence, use of contraception and legalization abortion is an effective way of not only regulating population growth but also empowering women to focus on their careers as their male counterparts.
For centuries, childbearing has been basic responsibility of a woman in the society because men dominated their sexuality. However, advent of contraception methods and legalization of abortion has enabled women to make an informed decision on when to have children without any undue pressure from men.
Gender and Sexuality
Realizing that men have been dominating society, as well as their sexuality, women began to advocate for their empowerment through ideology of feminism. Feminism is an ideology, which asserts that, men and women have equal capacities in the society for it seeks to dispel cultural and traditional beliefs that have led to marginalization of women.
The society had perceived women as weak and different from their men counterparts, hence weaker gender. Such perception led to the emergence of gendered roles in the society because women had limited roles of childbearing, but men had unlimited roles, which allowed them to pursue their careers and develop their human capital leaving women behind.
According to Seidman, Fischer and Meeks, feminists advocated for equal treatment before the law and socio-economic terms (44). Feminists argued that gendered roles emerged in the society because men correlated their sexuality with gender, yet they are quite different entities.
They claim that sex is biological condition while gender is a social construct that men created, so that they can determine their place and roles in society. Thus, if men perceive women as equal partners in the society, then they will not impose unnecessary restrictions on their sexuality and reproduction. Gender inequality is restricting women from advocating for their rights and accessing various family planning methods.
To emancipate themselves from dominance of men, feminists targeted political arena as means of fostering their feminism agenda. In 19th century, women in the United States did not have the right to vote; therefore, feminists struggled extremely hard to ensure that they obtained the right to vote. After attaining the right to vote, women continued advocating for their rights by competing for political positions.
With time, more women joined politics so that they could exercise their power effectively towards empowering themselves in the society that men have dominated. Political positions accorded powers to women, which significantly transformed the perception of women as mere weaker gender, since they demonstrated that they had equal capacity as men.
Seidman, Fischer and Meeks state that, women who entered politics made marked contribution to emancipation of women since they advocated for affirmative action (45).
Affirmative action enabled formulation of policies and laws that led to empowerment of women in the society, for it recognized their vulnerability to dominance of men. Thus, making women have reproductive rights by allowing them to have access to contraceptive methods and abortion is also going to support affirmative action.
Education has also empowered and liberated women in modern society. During ancient times, women have been groping in darkness because they had limited education regarding sexuality, reproduction and careers. Men dominated various fields of knowledge and restricted women to childbearing because culture and tradition dictated so.
However, as more women went to school, they started gaining knowledge concerning sexuality, reproduction and career development that emancipated them from cultural and traditional shackles that men had imposed on them. Luker contends that schooling of women was a significant step that enabled them to compete effectively in family, community, and political spheres of society (56).
Currently, it is quite evident that men and women have equal opportunities in the society because they perform similar duties, have same careers and equal rights. Given that birth control relates to women’s health, it is imperative that women should have reproductive rights of deciding types of birth control that they use.
Health Care
Improved health care services of reproduction have enabled women to make informed choices concerning methods of contraception. Healthcare system has provided numerous contraceptive methods that suit various needs of women, hence, allowing women to control conception and their sexual activity.
Prior to the emergence of numerous contraceptives in the market, women relied on their husbands to prevent them from conceiving. Then, common methods of preventing contraception were coitus interruptus, abstinence, and rhythmic method, which entirely depended on men; hence, women did not have the capacity to control of their sexuality and reproduction.
According to Srikanthan and Reid, emergence of contraceptives such as pills and intra uterine devices gave women power to control conception and their sexuality (134). In modern society, women can decide whether to conceive or not without necessarily consulting their partners. Therefore, since contraceptives are readily available as over the counter drugs, women should have right to control their sexuality and reproduction.
Additionally, healthcare system has provided an option of abortion following legalization of abortion. Legalization of abortion has considerably enhanced powers that women have in reproduction because statistics shows that out-of wedlock births have reduced significantly.
In the modern society, women cannot accept to give birth to a child out of wedlock because it is extremely expensive, and it is going to ruin their potential of getting another husband. The modern society has few single mothers, as compared to the recent past, because legalization of abortion has provided a means for women to terminate unwanted pregnancies.
Siow reasons that, the availability of legal abortion has reduced the bargaining power of women for marriage, since they can control their sexuality and reproduction, unlike earlier when fear of pregnancy compelled them to get married (2). Hence, legalization of abortion has demonstrated that women need power over their sexuality and reproduction for them to control population effectively.
Conclusion
Control of population growth elicits immense controversy in the society since it clashes with cultural, traditional and religious beliefs of the people. Matters of sexuality and reproduction date back to ancient times when society held firmly to the taboos, which restricted women from exercising full control of their bodies.
Religion strictly asserted that family is a basic unit of society with procreation powers bestowed on it; hence, control of population using contraceptives and abortion is detrimental to the society and family, as well. However, various governments across the world realized that control of the population has economic benefits for it promotes economic growth and sustainable utilization of resources.
Feminists then emerged and advocated for empowerment of women through affirmative action, which enabled women to obtain more powers to control their sexuality and reproduction.
Recently, improved healthcare system enhanced reproductive health by improving accessibility to various methods of contraception and abortion following legalization. In view of all these developments, it is quite evident that modern women have control over their sexuality and reproduction, thus have right to control population growth.
Works Cited
Berreman, Gerald. “Race, Caste, and Other Invidious Distinctions in Social Stratification.” Race Class 13.1 (1972): 385-414.
Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality, Volume 3. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1990.
Luker, Kristin. When Sex Goes to School: Warring Views on Sex and Sex Education Since the Sixties. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007.
Michelle, Goldberg. “Skirting the Issue; Debates about Population Growth are Missing the point: Women Need More Control over Their Fertility and Lives.” Los Angeles 17 May 2009: 34.
Seidman, Steven, Fischer, Nancy, and Meeks, Chet. Introducing the New Sexuality Studies. New York: Routledge, 2011.
Siow, Aloysius. “Do Innovations in Birth Control Technology Increase the Welfare of Women?” University of Toronto (2002): 1-46.
Srikanthan, Amirrtha, and Reid, Robert. “Women’s Health: Religious and Cultural Influences on Contraception.” Journal of Obstetrician and Gynaecology 30.2 (2008): 129-137.
Teltsch, Kathleen. “Rise in Birth-Curb Services Is Likely to Continue.” New York Times 31 July 1968: 17.
The problem of youth pregnancy has been bedevilling the American society for a long time. Official statistics reveal that the US has the highest number of teen pregnancies in the western industrialized world (Manlove, Ryan & Franzetta 246). Data received from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (NCPT) shows that 34 percent of young girls in the US are impregnated at least once before attaining the age of 20. Accordingly, around 79 percent of these pregnancies occur to unmarried teens (Family First Aid para. 2). Such revelations raise arguments on whether the contraceptive devices should be accessible to the teenagers. It is the purpose of this paper to underscore why teenagers should be given the opportunity to use contraceptives.
Some Americans argue that availing information regarding contraceptive devices to the youth encourages sexual activity. However, according to Kahn, Brindis, & Glei, “…contraceptive availability neither encourages the initiation of sexual activity nor increases the frequency of intercourse among teenagers” (29). Indeed, contraceptives have become more of a moderating influence on the occurrence of teenage pregnancies in the last few decades. Therefore, giving access to contraceptives is crucial for adolescents as many find themselves hard-pressed to make difficult decisions between parenthood, adoption or abortion in the absence of birth control devices.
According to NCPT, “the sons of teen mothers are 13 percent more likely to end up in prison while teen daughters are 22 percent more likely to become teen mothers themselves” (Family first Aid para 7). This is a dangerous precedence to set as it increases social vices and crime. Teenage parents may lack the resources needed in the upbringing of children. As such, they may end up raising the children in dysfunctional families and in situations that tolerates moral decadence. Such a situation can be prevented from happening through responsible use of the birth control devices.
The Results of a 2006 research conducted by Dr. John Santelli revealed that “…decline in US teen pregnancy rates has resulted from improved contraceptive use, while a small proportion can be attributed to teens waiting longer to start having sex” (Contraception more Effective para. 1). This particular research also revealed that promotion of abstinence as a way of curtailing teenage pregnancy is insufficient. These findings point to the importance of contraceptives in solving the problem of teenage pregnancy in the US. In this perspective, the solution to the problem of unwanted pregnancies can be achieved through educating the youth on the proper use of contraceptives rather than hiding under the cover of religious, ethical or cultural dogmas.
Thus, objective and accurate information on the contraceptives should be given to the teenagers if the objective is to prevent unwanted pregnancies and transmission of STD’s. According to Shoupe & Kjos, “adolescents choosing to begin or to continue engaging in sexual activity should be given up-to-date information regarding condom and other contraceptive choices” (238). If contraceptives are made available to the teenagers, this will hardly encourage their sexual activity much, but it will definitely reduce the number of instances of unwanted pregnancies.
Works Cited
Contraception more Effective than Abstinence. 2006. Web.
Family First Aid. Teen Pregnancy, Stats, Facts, and Prevention. 2004. Web.
Kahn, J.G., Brindis, C.D., & Glei, D.A. Pregnancies Averted among US Teenagers by the use of contraceptives. Family Planning Perspectives, 1999, 31(1): 21-34.
Manlove, J., Ryan, S., & Franzetta, K. Patterns of contraceptive use within Teenagers’ First Sexual Relationship. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2003, 35(6): 246-255.
Shoupe, D., & Kjos, S.L. The Handbook of Contraceptives: A Guide for Practical Management. Humana Press. 2006. ISBN: 9781588295996.
Recent years, population increase becomes the major problem for global community and states. It is known that over the last 200 years, world’s population has grown geometrically. 200 years ago there were about 1 billion human beings in the world in contrast to 6.4 billion at the beginning of the 21st century. Scientists single out different causes and factors which influence population increase and life span. They suppose that population increase is marked by economic and social changes, technological and medical innovations, etc (Crus and Meyer, p. 65).
Social developments led to increased possibilities of education and the opening up of a greater variety of life chances. Also, education and family planning reduced child mortality, increased family income and improved conditions of life. The process of globalization has had a crucial impact on information interchange and technology. Technology and medical innovations have become available for a wide target audience. The new methods of production gave less developed countries the opportunity “to jump” through the initial stages of development. Technological drivers include advances in transportation services and fast information exchange. The end of the 2oth century can be seen as a starting point to the global rivalry between nations, states and continents. This stage is connected with the increased volume of capital movements. Stratification systems and institutional structures ate the most vital underlying features of society over the last decades. Taking into account the population growth rates, it is evident that India has the highest rate – 1.606%. The place is occupied by the USA (0.894%) and the third one – Australia (0.824%). The negative population growth rates have Japan (-0.088%) and Germany (-0.033%) (Crus and Meyer, p. 22). Concerns about the relationship between population increase and environmental degradation are frequently focused rather narrowly on aggregate population levels. Yet, the global impact of humans on the environment is as much a function of per capita consumption as it is of overall population size. A century ago there was a great shift in production facilities and methods of agriculture. Increasing productivity through higher yield crops, and new geographical locations for crops allowed farmers to produce more food for the world’s population.
The current social-demographic situation suggests that birth control is the only possible measure to reduce the global population and stop its fast growth rates. Primarily, the birth control programs should cover less developed countries and nations. The population of Asian and African countries should be educated on how to use contraceptive methods and avoid undesired pregnancies. Developments in biotechnology and genetically modified food over the last decade have been accompanied by often exaggerated food supply (Crus and Meyer, p. 72). Development, suggesting as it did social aspects such as increasing welfare provision and decreased inequality, had a particular and positive impact on groups such as children, the aged and indigenous peoples. New sources of power and energy (oil and natural gas) have improved economic conditions of millions of people.
In sum, some prophets of the new technology have underestimated the pace of technical innovation and overstated the probable flow of useful end products to agriculture. In contrast to the 20th century, today many countries have significantly changed their economic structures where governmental responses have been particularly flexible. Industrialization process and international trade fastened exchange of goods. Improved productivity and high wages resulted in higher standards of living ‘achieved’ by different social classes.
Works Cited
Crus, M.C., Meyer, C.A. Population Growth, Poverty, and Environmental Stress. World Resources Institutem 2002.
For many years, the human population has skyrocketed to a high level and raised an alarm in all sectors of life like the economy, politics and society. However, research has been carried out to identify ways of regulating the soaring population that threatens the existence of human life. Due to this, controversies have emerged regarding the ways through which the increase of human beings should be regulated. Through extensive research, it has been noted that the human population growth rate can be controlled. This essay aims at outlining the human sexuality birth control methods and the necessary actions needed to be taken to upshot their use.
Essay Body
Researchers have noted that many hormonal birth control methods are effective in population regulation by introducing them to the human body. The hormonal contraceptives are taken orally just like any other drugs and include the daily pills taken by a sexually active lady and the emergency pills that are taken after every sexual encounter (Eldridge, p. 45). Some are injected directly into the bloodstream after every three months by a sexually active woman while others, like the implants, are inserted into the women through surgical means and may last several years depending on the wish of the user. It should be noted that all these methods are advisedly used after medical examination to determine their effectiveness to the user. They are all reversible and once stopped, the woman can conceive.
In other cases, people may decide to use surgical means of regulating the population growth rate. They include tubal ligation that involves the cutting of the fallopian tube which supplies ova to the uterus for fertilization it can also be done on men through vasectomy which involves the cutting of the vas deference that supplies sperms from the male reproductive system to the female reproductive system. Through vasectomy, there will be no fertilization since the sperm cells will be blocked from getting out of the male reproductive system. These methods are permanent and hence individuals need to think well before they opt to go for them (Tone 70). In addition, they are costly compared to other methods of birth control available.
Other methods of human population control include the use of insertable barrier contraceptives like the diaphragm, cervical cap, spermicides, contraceptive sponge, coils, copper-T, copper-7 and the loop. All these are individually inserted in the female reproductive system and block the entrance of male reproductive cells to the uterus hence inhibiting fertilization and are done by gynaecologists (Eldridge, p. 52). Their validity depends on the user’s preferred ‘infertility’ time frame before conception hence they are temporary means of population regulation.
The human population growth rate can also be regulated by the use of artificial means that do not require any gynaecologist’s analysis of the individuals involved. They are used just before and during sexual encounters and they are replaceable. They include the male and female condoms that are widely available at supermarkets, chemists and ordinary shops.
In addition, natural means have also been widely used as birth control tools that involve the safe day sexual encounters in which a fertile woman observes her ovulation patterns and indulges in sex only when she is in her safe days (Marks, p. 35). This means that there will be no ova to be fertilized in case of unprotected sex. It is very easy to determine the sexuality of the baby through careful examination of the ovulation calendar and conceiving when there is a high possibility of getting the preferred gender of the child. The withdrawal method involves the removal of the male reproductive organ from the female reproductive organ just before ejaculation takes place. This means that the male reproductive cells will be deposited outside the female reproductive organs hence no chance of fertilization taking place.
Abortion has also been widely used as a way of planning families throughout the world in instances where the sexual orientation of the child is not preferred by the woman and if the woman is a rape victim (Trussell, p. 45). In the United States, there is ‘The Planned Parenthood Federation of America’ that widely advocates for women rights to determine the fate of their pregnancies and proposes a comprehensive sex education that involves the use of various family planning methods.
However, the use of hormonal methods has severe effects for they are linked with breast or cervical cancer that is a great killer of women. They are known to boost blood pressure due to an increase in body weight. Furthermore, they expose women to sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis, gonorrhoea, and AIDS (Tone, p. 76). The insertable contraceptives make women uncomfortable walking or sitting during their initial days after insertions. The effectiveness of the use of condoms is highly dependent on how effective the partners use them in wearing, using and their removal since they tear while being used due to friction during intercourse (Trussell 13). The natural means of family planning are highly unreliable as not all people are keen on following and keeping records of their ovulation process. The withdrawal method is not reliable since controlling the deposition of sperm cells to the uterus is hard to achieve and both partners are exposed to sexually transmitted infections and diseases.
In addition, there are no specific guidelines and rules regarding who is supposed to be given the oral contraceptive pills and their availability in the market has caused teenagers to engage in premarital and unprotected sex. They are eventually exposed to risks like early pregnancy, marriage and contraction of sexually transmitted infections leading to their dropping out of school (Eldridge, p. 79). Extramarital affairs have also flourished based on contraceptives and broken marriages. Abortion has been abused by many unmarried people as they tend to take it as an escape route from parental responsibilities. It has also been criticized by many human rights and religious groups as it devalues the sanctity of life and is against religious teachings. Furthermore, backstreet abortions done by quack have turned futile as death and maternal complications become inevitable. Despite their faults, these methods have been successfully used to control the size of families. Apart from inhibiting fertilization, some methods protect people from contracting sexually transmitted infections (Marks, p. 91). They have saved couples time to attend to their career that would have stalled due to maternal and paternal leaves.
Conclusion
There is a high population growth rate that threatens the survival of people due to pressure on available limited resources. However, regardless of the evils and shortcomings that threaten the birth control measures outlined above, there is a need for public awareness through mass media on the use of these contraceptives. Further research needs to be done to improve on the weaknesses of the current methods used for population regulation and more men based population control methods should be devised to relieve women from being the most subjected to birth control methods.
Works Cited
Eldridge, Laura. In Our Control: The Complete Guide to Contraceptive Choices for Women. New Castle: Seven Stories Press, 2010.Print.
Marks, Lara. Sexual Chemistry: A History of the Contraceptive Pill. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010. Print.
Tone, Andrea. Devices and Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America. New York City: Hill and Wang, 2002. Print.
The speech on the morality of the birth control presented by Margaret Sanger in 1921 is interesting and important to be discussed in detail because of the variety of rhetoric devices used by the speaker in order to announce controversial ideas and persuade the audience.
In her speech, Sanger supports the argument that the American women should have the right to learn more about the birth control because of their responsibility for the personal health and happiness in contrast to the social and religious discussions of the issue.
While focusing on the examples of bias provided in the speech, it is necessary to mention that Sanger is rather radical in dividing the society into three groups and in discussing their particular features and differences. Thus, discussing the third category, Sanger not only describes the representatives of the group as ‘irresponsible’ and ‘reckless’, but she also declares that in the first place, these people should not be allowed to have children.
The fallacies in the speech are also observed, and they are associated with Sanger’s discussion of the role of Christianity in forming the people’s moral principles.
To evoke the audience’s emotions, the speaker chooses to discuss the Christian teaching as a failure and to blame the church for women’s moral dependence. From this point, the specific rhetorical devices used to support the ideas are parallelism to convey the message about the church’s role, personification to discuss the role of Nature, and hyperboles to emphasize the quality of the provided arguments.
Sanger’s main argument is that all the women have the right to decide about the birth control because only women can evaluate their life and health without the impact of moral norms or religion. Moreover, both adult men and women should be equal in discussing their family plans.
The speaker addresses arguments and counterarguments while presenting the provocative ideas as the solutions to cope with the audience’s problems and avoid the imposed opinions. Sanger chooses to contrast the previous social approaches and the modern opportunities while accentuating the absence of the results earlier and the modern great potential for happiness and prosperity.
Discussing the effectiveness of the arguments, it is necessary to note that Sanger uses ethos while stating her credibility as one of the researchers who were interested in conducting the survey on the morality of the birth control. In order to support her position, Sanger notes that even the known opponents of the idea participated in the research. While referring to logos, Sanger recalls the survey results and the scientists’ opinions on the problem.
However, Sanger most effectively uses the appeal to the audience’s emotions, while provoking the refusal of traditions and moral norms. Furthermore, Sanger stresses on the rights of children to be desired and on the contradictions between the persons’ rights for dignity and choice instead of being ignored and deprived of chances.
From this point, Sanger’s arguments can be discussed as effective because the speaker appropriately utilizes such rhetoric appeals as ethos, logos, and pathos.