In our current climate, where access to reproductive health care is shrinking by the minute, it appears that birth control is one of the few options many have left. However, a recent Washington Post article unpacks how conservatives are weaponizing misconceptions about birth control. The article highlights how far-right representatives like Candace Owens and Ben Shapiro are spreading misinformation, pushing women to get off birth control as a part of an anti-birth control narrative. While this rhetoric is dangerous, it can also be dangerous to label potential side effects, like weight gain and depression, as misconceptions about the pill.
Many women have reported issues like weight gain and depression while being on birth control. However, because women’s health care is grossly underfunded, these experiences are not deemed “real” side effects. Furthermore, many women are not listened to by the healthcare providers. When reporting symptoms, women, especially women of color, are gaslit by their doctors, who dismiss their real and sometimes very painful symptoms by suggesting their issues could be resolved by reducing stress and increasing sleep and exercise.
In the latest federal survey about women’s contraception, 65% of, or 47 million, women reported using some form of contraception. In a survey conducted last year, 48% of the more than 5,000 respondents reported weight gain while on the pill, and 47% reported mood changes. 80% reported experiencing two or more symptoms. Another study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry followed more than 500k women over eight years. The researchers uncovered a positive association between hormonal contraception and suicidal ideation and attempts, which were highest in adolescent women.
There is no denying that women’s birth control is flawed. However, using these challenges as a means to restrict reproductive rights is a harmful and misguided approach that ultimately undermines women’s autonomy and access to necessary healthcare. It’s crucial to address the real issues women face with birth control while fiercely protecting their right to make informed choices about their bodies.
SOURCES
NowHer The Side Effects About Birth Control Aren’t Misinformation