Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Now You'll Be Able to Afford a Hot Meal AND Your Birth Control

Huzzah! Today the Affordable Birth Control Act passed! According to RH Reality Check this new bill "will make birth control more available and affordable for women who obtain contraceptives at community health centers and college clinics." I don't know about y'all, but I can clearly remember the day I went to the health center at my undergrad gripping the 20 bucks reserved especially for my BC only to be turned away when I couldn't afford the new 50 dollar price hike.

Bush & Co. forced those of us who had previously been taking a responsible role in their reproductive health to step back and make some hard decisions. Utilities or birth control? Groceries or birth control? Books for class or birth control? It was unfair of them to put us in that position and now we will finally be able to regain our financial footing when it comes to our health. As one of the women in the video below says BC isn't just about controlling reproduction. It is often used to help skin conditions, regulate unusual periods, and deescalate the pain that comes with severe cramping (among other things). Supporting BC is an important part of supporting women's health, a nonpartisan issue that should be supported by all.

6 comments:

Kristin said...

Interesting, since we at Planned Parenthood just raised our prices.

placenta sandwich said...

Right on! I am so relieved, and somehow *still* shocked that it was ever cut, and also- great post. I constantly hear stuff like "I couldn't make ends meet last month so I went off the pills just for the month...but i guess I shouldn't have taken that chance." People have tough lives and have to make tough choices -- it is not a made-up story that 'liberals' use just for fun! Gets my blood boiling, just like McCain's scare-quotes around "the 'health' of the woman". It says, "if I don't know of anyone going through that, it can't be real."

Lucé said...

I wonder how long it will take for this new bill to trickle down to agencies across the country. Kristin, you'll have to let me know when(if) you see a difference in the coming months.

Thanks placenta sandwich...it's so frustrating how the right continuously has to make this a liberal issue, when it is so clearly a world issue. Things can never be as black and white (live saving vs. baby killing) as they want it to be. To never see the gray in issues and situations is what is crippling the republicans, and you'd think they would have taken note of that thus far.

super des said...

I think Bush's plan in making us choose between BC and groceries was that if we didn't choose groceries, we wouldn't be healthy enough to conceive. Of course, that plan failed, like so many other things.

:P

Unknown said...

yes yes yes! I've saved a bundle since I stopped taking birth control (for health reasons, not because I'm trying to get preggers... don't go getting any crazy ideas). It's an extra $30-$40 per month I've got to spend on whatever I want! Though I was privileged enough to not have to choose between food and bc, I did hate having to choose between clothes, booze, and bc.

Anonymous said...

This is good news for sure.

My limited insurance covers 0% of my BC costs, and even with the generic brand, I was dropping $35 a month.

I actually think that it's really interesting that Walmart offers the generic that I am on for only $9 a month. It's not quite as affordable as their other generics ($4 for 30 days, or $10 for 90 days) but I've found it a lot easier to put aside $9, rather than a full $30.

It's so ridiculous that this has become a somewhat of a liberal vs. conservative issue. It's not!