How to Support Birth Control When You’re Under 18

As teens, we often feel as though we’re powerless or have no tangible value in today’s current political landscape without the ability to vote. We read the headlines, we see the news notifications on our phones, yet we can’t really influence any issue that matters to us. Or so you would think.

#ThxBirthControl is a movement dedicated to spreading awareness about birth control and talking about all its amazing benefits. Birth control doesn’t need to be a taboo subject: it can actually help create more educational and economic opportunities for many, as well as more stable families. In fact, 76% of adults—including 93% of Black and 67% of Latino respondents—view contraception as a basic part of women’s health care. As a teen, having open conversations about birth control can help us to feel like there’s another level of trust with an adult. And these talks can ensure that when we do make the decision to have sex, we know we don’t have to worry about getting pregnant.

Here are a couple of ways you can show your support:

Take to Social Media

You have a voice: use it. Tweet, post, do whatever you can to spread the word about #ThxBirthControl. It might surprise you just how many people are listening to what you’re saying. The more you know, the better. Feel free to interact with your online community and allow others to ask you questions, while learning more yourself.

Things you can post:

• Content: https://powertodecide.org/thxbirthcontrol
• Images: https://giphy.com/bedsider
• Other content relating to birth control that has made a positive impact in your life or could in someone else’s, such as your own birth control story or news articles about contraception.

WRITE!

• To your representatives in Congress
  • If there’s a law being passed involving birth control that you either believe in or don’t support, shoot your representative an email telling them what change you want made. For example, many Title-X funded clinics served roughly 4 million people in 2018—the Trump administration’s “domestic gag rule” is putting those millions at risk. If you wish to show your support but don’t know where to start, click here to use a draft message we’ve come up with and find out who your representatives and senators are!  
• To us!
  • By sharing your story with Power to Decide, you’re adding your voice in support of expanding access to birth control to everyone across the nation. The more people that share, the harder it is to ignore. Everyone should have the power to decide if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child, and to pursue the future they want, on their own terms. Click here to inspire others.

What’s important to remember is to always keep advocating, no matter your age. Birth control is a right, not a privilege, and everyone should have easy access to it. #ThxBirthControl Day is every year on November 13, but don’t wait to show your support. Be loud and be proud. We want everyone to love their birth control so much they shout, “Thanks, Birth Control!”

Anna Labarca is a senior at Walt Whitman High School in Maryland. She writes for the student newspaper, The Black and White. She plans to study journalism in college and is interning at Power to Decide to learn more about the role communications has in campaigns.