In the twenty-first century, everyone wants what they want, when they want it. Our culture is obsessed with immediacy. Because of our human nature, we want to be able to choose everything, even our consequences, despite our action. Sometimes a person getting what they desire is a good thing, but it can also be bad. There are many choices on debate. and one of them is a mother’s choice to keep or kill her baby. Seemingly linked to that, is the choice to be pregnant at all.
Although the rampant use of birth control among young women has caused uproar in society because of its relation to abortion and religious and health reasons, it is important to know exactly what kind of birth control is being discussed, how it works, and why people are against it. Not all forms of birth control are abortion, but that does not mean all forms of birth control are healthy for one’s body or that they should be used regularly. There are many different forms of birth control. Any kind of contraceptive falls under the definition of birth control, which is the use of contraceptive devices and preparation.
This includes things like abstinence, condoms, and withdrawal. There is nothing harmful about any of those methods of birth control, and that is not what is usually referred to as birth control. The most popular form of birth control is the birth control pill. Other forms include: a birth control implant, birth control patch, birth control shot, and the famous morning-after pill. There are many different brands of the pill but they typically come in two different types: combination pills and progestin-only pills.
The combination pills are made of the hormones estrogen and progestin, both of which are hormones found in a woman’s body naturally. The hormones in the pill keep the eggs from leaving the ovaries and also thicken the cervical mucus to keep sperm from getting near the eggs. If a woman is taking the pill as directed, then there is only a one in one-hundred chance that she will become pregnant. If a woman is not taking the pill as directed there is a nine-in-one-hundred chance that she will still become pregnant. This means that the birth control pill is rather effective.
There are many risks and side effects that come with the pill, but many women are able to adjust with few or no problems. The more common side effects are bleeding between periods, breast tenderness, and nausea and vomiting. As with all unnatural birth control, there is a risk that a woman’s menstrual cycle will not re-regulate, or the risk of losing fertility. This happens to many women, especially when taking it for nonbirth-controlling purposes (“Birth Control”). Another common form of birth control is the implant. It is inserted into your arm and works similar to a birth control pill, but secretes only progestin.
It is more costly and has some more common side effects and some more serious side effects as well. Another form of birth control is the birth control patch. It is a sticker-like pad that is placed on specific parts on the body and secretes the hormones estrogen and progestin just like the pill. The directions must be followed strictly. There is more chance to get pregnant using the patch, because it is more likely to fall off or have other complications because it is on the outside, while the other two types have been in your system. It carries similar risk to the pill, and can be more expensive depending on the brand (“Birth Control”).
The birth control shot is similar to the implant, in that it uses solely the hormone progestin. It a small amount more effective than the pill because the hormones are secreted directly into the bloodstream. The morning-after pill can be used to prevent pregnancy up to five days after unprotected sex. There are two ways of using this emergency contraception: the levonorgestrel pills, “Next Choice One Dose” and “Plan B OneStep pills”; ulipristal acetate, known by the brand name “Ella”; and ParaGuard IUD insertion (“Birth Control”).
The most popularly used levonorgestrel pill is the over the ounter Plan B One-Step pill; there are many debates on how this pill actually works. Using the same hormones as normal birth control pills, the Plan B One-Step pill supposedly just prevents the implanting of a sperm into an egg. There is debate on how this is possible, because it contains the same hormones as normal birth control. It does not seem to be different from normal contraceptive pills, so it is uncertain why it works as an emergency pill after unprotected sex. There is argument that a fetus does not form during the time a morning after pill will work, and that a morning after pill will have no effect on a fetus (Stacey).
If one is taking a pro-life stance however, and believes that in the moment of conception there is a baby formed, then it is hard to accept the idea that the levonorgestrel pill has no effect on an unborn baby, because they have no proof when the hormones actually attack at the cells and whether or not the conception has occurred yet or not. There are many variables that go into it, and even the company itself is not very clear on it. The Next Choice pill is a more advanced version of the Plan B One-Step pill; it can only be purchased behind the counter, and one must be at least the age of seventeen to purchase it.
The way this pill works is even hazier. The idea is that the hormones found in the pill stop the egg from getting fertilized, but precisely how is not clear. The Next Choice pill takes more severe measures and is not approved as over the counter for a reason. This pill is more susceptible to suspicion. The creators do not specifically claim the pill could an embryo or fetus, but do not provide clear evidence that the pill does not. Because the pill is so similarly presented as the Plan B One-Step, it can claim to be as relatively harmless as any other birth control pill.
The other kind of morning-after pill is the ulipristal acetate, commonly found under the brand name “Ella. ” According to the manufacturer’s website: “Ella works by preventing ovulation, even during the time in your cycle when you’re most fertile, for five full days following unprotected sex. That’s important because sperm can live for five days in a woman’s reproductive tract, but most emergency contraceptives are only approved for three days use” (ellanow. com). The Ella birth control method seems just as harmless as all of the other methods. Maria Rodriguez, M. D. an obstetrician and gynecologist stated in her article about the myths of contraceptive pills, “Some people confuse Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECPs) with medication abortion pills, but they are not the same thing. (At all. ) Levonorgestrel, the progestin hormone in Plan B One-Step and Next Choice, has no effect on an established pregnancy. All ECPs prevent pregnancy by delaying ovulation, so the egg and sperm never meet up. ” According to certain studies, Emergency Contraceptive Pills cannot be effective if a woman has passed ovulation. After sex, sperm stay in the fallopian tubes for several days looking for an egg to appear.
If an egg does not show up before the sperm die, no conception happens. This is the reason that Emergency Contraceptive Pills only work for around five days after sex, and this is also why taking the pill sooner will make it more effective because it allows more time for the sperm to find an egg the longer one waits. People take birth control pills for many reasons. The primary reason being, to control not getting pregnant. Because of hormones found in birth control, many people often use birth control to control acne and regulate menstrual cycles.
There are three FDA-approved birth control pills for acne control. They are combination pills; pills with only progestin can cause more severe acne, so it is important to do research on what pills to take for acne control (WebMD). ““Women do not necessarily need to have their periods,” according to Alana Massey, writer for the Atlantic Monthly, “The pill is a helpful tool to women’s freedom to not have a menstrual cycle. ” Because of the hormones found in birth control pills many women are taking birth control pills to dispose of or lighten their menstrual cycle.
Depending on the type of contraceptive, this can be dangerous if one desires to be pregnant in any near future. After taking the birth control pill only 20% of women trying to get pregnant are not able to become pregnant (Asher). Some people choose not to take birth control because of religious beliefs. People take it to the extreme of no use of contraceptives to keep everything natural, while others take it to the extreme of believing in everyone’s freedom of choice even at the cost of a life. The decision on to use birth control or not is a personal preference.
When used in marriage, it is totally acceptable (Wilfred). Sex out of marriage is unacceptable in itself, but if one accepts that, then one opens oneself up to many other distorting possible views. Birth control is not a right; it is a progress we have made in medication. It can be used for good, and also be used for bad and abused. Even when using it properly, the body can be harmed. If one is knowingly harming his body, which is the temple of the Lord, then he sinning according to the Bible. Of course, something that is on demand and easy will be popular in this culture.
It is an easy fix for someone living in sin. Birth control is a way out of consequences, but birth control can be used to prevent having children before a couple is ready. The Lord did say to be fruitful and multiply, so there are some people who believe preventing multiplication is really preventing the Lord’s command to be followed out. Although it can harm one’s body, and there are personal preference views against it, birth control is not abortion, but should be used with great caution and doctor’s approval and assistance to keep oneself in good health.