The biggest gift a person can have is knowledge because it gives a person the ability to make educated decisions and view the world with a critical eye. This is very important when it comes to understanding the rights afforded to specific groups and how to fight for greater representation. Many women in this country are taught to feel ashamed about their bodies and limited in the choices they have to make about their reproductive rights. This invigorates the widespread problem of a lack of reproductive resources and awareness about the choices that belong to all women.
The first area that requires improvement is the K-12 education system. As I reflect on my health education classes, I am horrified by the messages and themes that were presented to 12-year-olds. The most memorable experience I have was an activity labeled “Swapping Juices”. We were all given a cup of clear liquid and told that we could mix our liquid with others, but we did not have to. At the end of the activity, a chemical activator was placed in each of our cups, and if the liquid turned pink we were told we had an STD. This activity was meant to induce feelings of shame around having multiple sexual partners or having a sexually transmitted disease.
For health education to be beneficial and empowering, the stigma around sex needs to change. We need to cultivate spaces of acceptance where adolescents can learn about their bodies and feel comfortable making decisions that will align with their goals. One way to do this is to present students with all of the options, instead of skewing the options to a particular way of thinking. For example, the “Swapping Juices” activity accurately described how quickly STDs can spread, but failed to provide students with solutions. This activity should be followed up with a lesson about the importance of receiving STD testing between sexual partners and having meaningful conversations with a partner about any possible STDs they may possess.
I attended a public middle school, but the third-party organization they brought in to teach us sexual education was a Christian-based pregnancy center. Their mission statement is, “We value all human life beginning at conception with the specific charge to protect, nurture, and save the unborn, offering alternatives to abortion and giving support through birth and beyond” (Tender Care Pregnancy, n.d.).These are the messages that are being fed to young women in both public and private schools. Schools are meant to be a haven where information is presented and the recipient gets to use the information to foster their own opinion and view of the world. It is important to teach young girls that they have the freedom to choose how to handle a pregnancy and what options are available to them. This includes providing information about contraceptives, abortion services, parenting services, or adoption services. Our society can not be successful until we offer women support in whatever decision they choose to make.
The second inequity that perpetuates the issue of inaccessible family planning methods is the health coverage surrounding contraceptives and abortions. Currently, the Affordable Care Act requires health insurance plans to cover at least one form of preventative contraceptive. This breaks down socioeconomic barriers and allows all women access to some form of contraceptive option. While this piece of legislation is beneficial, it could be undone by the aftereffects of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The states now have the power to make decisions about abortion and may extend this right to other contraceptive methods. This would strip rights away from women who live in states with strict abortion laws.
Another type of contraceptive that is regulated is emergency contraceptives. These are not meant to be used regularly, but only after forgetting to take hormonal birth control or after unprotected sex. Currently, only 7 states allow emergency contraceptives to be provided by pharmacies without a prescription. This is another example of a barrier that is put in place to regulate the control women have over their bodies. These states are California, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Washington.
The wide variety of health care plans provides a complicated level of coverage for abortion procedures. This creates a socioeconomic barrier between women who can receive an abortion and those who can not. This issue has become even more complicated with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Women now have to evaluate the cost of the procedure and the legality of the procedure within their home state. There is currently no legislation that covers abortions that are classified as an elective procedure. This term is degrading to women who are victims of rape or sexual violence. It undermines women whose pregnancies could result in mental and physical damage. A majority of people source their insurance from their employer, which gives power to the employer to decide if abortions are included in the coverage. Small businesses are typically a part of fully insured plans which subjects customers to the laws of the individual states. Medication-based abortions and first-trimester in-clinic abortions can both cost up to $800. This number climbs to around $1750 for a second-trimester abortion. This makes the procedure unattainable for many women. These women may then resort to unsafe and unregulated pregnancy termination methods.
The stigmas in our country prevent women from accessing critical healthcare. These stigmas are taught to students before they are even aware of the options available to them. To make valuable change, we must arm young women with knowledge and inspire them to fight for the rights that should be unalienable.
Reference
Appleby, J. (2022, July 13). Three things to know about health insurance coverage for abortion. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/13/1111078951/health-insurance-abortion
Does health insurance cover sexual health services? (n.d.). Planned Parenthood. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/get-care/health-insurance/about-health-insurance/does-health-insurance-cover-sexual-health-services#abortion
State contraception policies. (2024, March 11). https://www.ncsl.org/health/state-contraception-policies
Tender Care Pregnancy. (n.d.). –. https://tendercare.org/
First, I definitely agree with your statement that “knowledge is power,” and especially in the terms of educating young girls and women about their bodies. The discourse surrounding childbirth often unfairly places the burden solely on women, neglecting the fact that the process involves both partners equally. Its definitely interesting to see how the conversations you had about this topic when you were younger significantly differed from mine. I went to a small-Catholic school from preschool-8th grade, then went to Catholic high school, and they ultimately they never educated us about any of this stuff— the most they did was make us sit in “chastity” talks that didn’t educate us, but rather make us scared and ashamed of our bodies. I don’t necessarily think there is any problem with “valuing human life beginning at contraception,” but where I disagree is where others try to shame others for believing that they have the right to choose over their bodies. If you truly value “human life.” you value ALL human life, which includes those who are living today. No women should be ever scrutinized when it comes to her making decisions, that she believes is best, over her body.
Ali, I agree with you completely, the K-12 education system needs such major improvement. Hearing about the activity that you had to do in your health education class is appalling. The stigma around sex does need to change, and it needs to become something that is not mortifying or shameful for people. When I was in middle school, this topic was something that we never discussed. It was something that my teachers avoided at all costs. Sex is not something that should be avoided like the plague or something that is deemed to be absolutely horrible. The education system needs to inform students about sex in a non-bias way that allows them to use the information how they choose to do. Both male and females need to be taught about safety and the options that are available to them. Also, the fact that there are laws against women’s bodies is absolutely absurd. There should never be anyone in Congress choosing what a woman can and cannot do with their body. The laws against abortion just put women at a greater risk if she were to have a baby and did not want to keep it. Knowledge is power, and the stigma that diminishes women’s rights needs to be eliminated completely.