Less than half of Americans are educated about birth control 67 years after Margaret Sanger’s contraceptive innovation, the birth control pill, was first introduced. Merely 38 states require sex education, and only 18 require it be medically accurate when taught. The do’s, don’ts, and side effects of contraceptives like the pill easily get lost without a formal sex education. For colleges, this is a latent opportunity to provide something national education is lacking. Health class should be a part of university core curriculums and on campus health centers should provide medically accurate and relevant information to students regarding contraceptives.
For college students, being healthy and aware of the extent of our choices is essential to doing well academically, socially, and mentally. Deciding where contraceptive options fit into our health should be easy, but the inconsistent information online and in state education turns the choice into something complicated and risky. Making resources readily available is essential to solving a problem that has been around since contraception was first invented.
In 2016, 96% of Americans viewed contraception as socially acceptable, and while the number could have fluctuated since, contraceptives have been broadly deemed an ethical, personal choice. Between 2015 and 2017, 12.6% of American women were using the pill – meaning over nine out of the roughly seventy two million women in the United States were using this form of birth control despite a lack of comprehensive education about it.
According to the FDA, the pill has four common side effects – headaches, nausea, spotting, and breast tenderness –whether it’s the progesterone or estrogen and progesterone model. But, when you are prescribed the pill, it comes with something a lot longer than a four point list – an unfolding double sided sheet full of instructions, side effects and unwelcome possibilities that stem from hormonal fluctuation. You will not find those instructions or the same disclosures on the FDA or the US Department of Health and Human Services websites when researching the pill. And, depending on the state you live in, you might not have received any education on hormonal supplements either.
The less common but riskier effects of the pill, high blood pressure and blood clots, are not symptoms to be ignored. In a society where a majority of people are comfortable with the idea of birth control, it is important to expand those conversations and begin bridging the gap in education that leaves people vulnerable to misinformation and unnecessary risks. The pill has been around for decades and with options like implants and IUDs, there is an increasing amount of side effects, information and need for people to understand what, exactly, they are choosing.
USF is in a unique position as a Jesuit-Catholic university as the Catholic church has historically opposed contraception in favor of abstinence. Despite the Catholic church’s official stance, USF does provide some educational resources on contraceptives via the Health Promotion Services website, with a disclaimer that states “As a catholic university, we provide the following information not to promote the use of contraception, but rather to help those who choose to be sexually active.” The University’s student health insurance plan does also offer some coverage of contraception.
Sexual health is essential to overall health. The opportunity to expand USF’s current resources into the school’s curriculum is one made more meaningful by the school’s religious affiliation. Contraceptive education is missing in America, and only an effort from today’s systems of education can change that.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
