Nearly one in four teenage girls in the United States will become pregnant at least once by the time they are twenty, according to the CDC.About 52% of female teenagers who are sexually active have used the pill, 18% have used any type of shot, and 19% have used long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), such as implants or IUDs. Birth control is approximately 91% effective when used normally. Teenagers can also protect themselves with different types of birth control that track your period and will let you know when ovulation starts, as well as other effective methods. Providing teenagers with access to birth control permits them to take control of their reproductive health, reduce unintended pregnancies, and make educated decisions about their bodies. Providing teenagers with access to birth control permits them to reduce unintended and/or unwanted pregnancies. According to the CDC, “the percentage of US pregnancies that were unintended declined from 43.3% in 2010 to 41.6% in 2019. Rates of unintended pregnancies declined by 15%, from 42.1 per 1,000 females aged 15–44 in 2010 to 35.7 in 2019.” This quote refers to unintended teen pregnancy in the United States, which has decreased over time, more specifically from 2010 to 2019. Secondly, teenagers with birth control access can make educated decisions for their own health and bodies. To know what is good for their body and to see which birth control fits their body as well. In the film “The Business of Birth Control,” they talked about a variety of birth control methods and their side effects. This connects to the thesis because it explains other methods that you can do to be on birth control and doesn’t necessarily have to be pills, injections, and/or LARC. Lastly, providing teenagers with access to birth control that permits them to take control of their reproductive health. This leads teenagers to improve their health outcomes, better their self-direction, help them make well-informed decisions, and reduce unintended pregnancies. A study published in Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology explains that “over the past 25 years, the proportion of adolescent girls whose needs for family planning were satisfied by modern methods increased from 36% to 60% between 1995 and 2020. However, one in four adolescent girls aged 15–19 who want to avoid pregnancy are currently not using a modern method, indicating a need for continued efforts to improve access and education. This shows that more teenagers have access to birth control than before and that 1 in 4 teenagers who want to avoid unintended pregnancies still can’t get the birth control that they need, which is important to enlarge access and education to be necessary and to help them. In conclusion, providing teenagers with access to birth control permits them to take control of their reproductive health, reduce unintended pregnancies, and make educated decisions about their bodies. There are many clinics that are willing to help teenagers out for free and keep your information confidential. For example, Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit clinic that provides reproductive and sexual healthcare and sex education. They have STD testing, a variety of birth control methods, and Plan B pills; they also offer abortion and do pregnancy testing. Teenagers should inform themselves before taking the step of being sexually active not only to avoid teen pregnancy but also to prevent STDs, which can result in a bigger and more serious problem.
