It's never been a more important time to care about birth control.
The purpose of this nonfiction work is to elevate our collective consciousness about birth control–the silent workhorse that prevents pregnancy, cancer, STIs, and other diseases, as well as manages dozens of medical conditions. The book explores questions such as, how has birth control changed over the years? Will there ever be a birth control pill for men? Why is birth control so politically controversial? Why are Black women more likely to prefer methods they can start and stop without a visit to the doctor? Are hormones in birth control safe? What impact will the overturn of Roe v. Wade have on the ability to get birth control? What does religion really say about it? Are there better methods out there, either right now or coming in the future?
On an individual level, birth control changes lives. There are countless stories of what birth control has meant for people, personally. Maybe it meant they could finish school before starting a family. Maybe it meant they controlled a medical condition like anemia or excruciating period symptoms. The benefits accrued across the millions of individuals using birth control have added up to huge societal impacts. When societies have greater access to birth control, women obtain more education, have higher participation in the labor force including occupations that require advanced education like law and medicine, and earn higher wages. Greater economic mobility for women contributes to a more gender equal society. Societies need birth control. We need birth control.
This book is a call to action: to develop our own curiosity and understanding about birth control and become informed advocates who support access to birth control for everyone, everywhere. We don't need to all become politicians or go to marches to make a difference. The first step is to understand birth control's history, its backstory, and its impact on the world, all of which will elevate our collective consciousness, an essential step to help us effectively advocate for its protection.