ON THANKS BIRTH CONTROL DAY, NEW POLL SHOWS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS
(Washington, D.C.) — A new national poll released by Power to Decide shows that access to birth control continues to enjoy broad public support. The vast majority of survey respondents (86%) agree that everyone in the U.S. deserves access to the full range of birth control methods and nearly 8 in 10 or more than three-quarters (76%) of respondents view contraception as a basic part of women’s health care. These and other survey findings were released today from Power to Decide in honor of its 7th annual Thanks, Birth Control Day.
“While the political discourse would suggest that birth control is controversial, our polling data once again makes it crystal clear that the vast majority of people in the United States believe that birth control is simply a part of basic health care,” said Ginny Ehrlich, CEO, Power to Decide. “And as today is Thanks, Birth Control Day we encourage everyone to celebrate the game changing effects birth control makes possible for all.”
In 1972, the Supreme Court made birth control legal for all women and since then birth control has contributed to 30% of the wage gains made by women between the 1960s and the 1990s. Further, before 1972, there were no female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies while today there are more than 30. In addition, between 1970 and 2017, the proportion of women 25 and older with at least a high school diploma increased from 55% to 90%, and the proportion with at least a bachelor’s degree increased from 8% to 35%.
Power to Decide’s Thanks, Birth Control survey results are being released in conjunction with the 7th annual Thanks, Birth Control Day, taking place today, Wednesday, Nov. 13. Birth control is cited as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), because of its profoundly positive impact on women, families and society.
Additional survey results include:
- 76% of respondents overall—including 93% of Black and 67% of Latino respondents—view contraception as a basic part of women’s health care.
- Support for access to all methods of birth control stands at more than 70%—regardless of political affiliation, age, income, region of the country, race and ethnicity.
- 70% believe birth control allows them or their partner to decide if or when to have a child.
- 58% believe birth control allows them or their partner to pursue their life goals.
- 54% believe birth control allows them or their partner the ability to better support the children they have.
“Nearly all women use contraception at some point in their lives,” according to Ehrlich, “And today is a special day to recognize all that birth control makes possible, including helping ensure that everyone has the power to decide if, when and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child.”
When more people talk openly about why they use—and are grateful for—birth control, everybody wins. Here are four quick and easy ways to say, “Thanks, Birth Control” with us today:
- Take a selfie in our swag to say “Thanks, Birth Control,” and tag it on social media with #ThxBirthControl.
- Share your love for birth control through a graphic. Power to Decide’s Bedsider’s digital postcards are perfect for spreading birth control love on social!
- Lend a helping hand. Make a donation to Power to Decide’s BCBenefits and help a woman who can’t access birth control feel thankful that today she can.
- Last, but not least…show your love for birth control not just today, but every day of the year! Visit Bedsider.org and PowertoDecide.org for additional ideas and shareable content.
Our work would not be possible without the generous support from our partners. Power to Decide would like to thank the following for their support and commitment to women’s reproductive health. Thank you for helping us say, Thanks, Birth Control: Natural Cycles, Simple Health, The Female Health Company, HeyDoctor, Nurx, JPB Foundation, PRJKT Ruby, and Medicines360.
Power to Decide is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to ensure all people—no matter who they are, where they live or what their economic status might be—have the power to decide if, when and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child. Please visit us at www.PowerToDecide.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About the Survey: The telephone survey was conducted for Power to Decide by SSRS, an independent research company. Fully 1,004 interviews were conducted between September 17, 2019 and September 22, 2019, among the general population (age 18 and older). The margin of error for total respondents is +/-3.35% at the 95% confidence level.
