Taking control of birth control

Sex on college campuses has always been a given. For many college students, it is the first time in their life that they are independent, and with independence comes the opportunity to explore themselves, sex included. However, a decent education on birth control is not something that every person is guaranteed to obtain throughout their adolescence or young adulthood. High school sex-ed varies from school to school, and while some students may receive an extensive lesson on sex, contraception, and birth control, other students may learn little to nothing about any of these topics. Other than abstinence, birth control is the only way to prevent unwanted pregnancy, which is why it is dire for college students to open up the conversation about a subject that has often been taboo.

One young woman, a freshman as the University of Pennsylvania, has a typical background in contraception knowledge: she learned about sex and STDs in school, but birth control was typically left out.

“I live in a town where there was always at least one pregnant girl in our class ever since sixth grade. Maybe if my school talked about birth control from an earlier age, there would be less teen pregnancies.”

In college, meeting other people her age that were willing to discuss the subject made it easier to be more comfortable with not only talking about birth control but also using it.

“I could never talk to my parents about birth control. I have strict Indian parents who never even talked to me about sex, so it never was something I felt I could talk to them about.”

Like her, Emily O’Hara is a freshman at UPenn exploring the different routes of contraception out there.

“It’s better to be overprotected,” she said. “As my mother always says, don’t forget a raincoat!”

Unlike the other Penn freshman, Emily had no formal sexual education in school at all because she went to Catholic school. She was taught that abstinence was always the answer, so all of her knowledge comes from her parents. Whereas our other young woman can’t ever see herself talking to her parent about contraception, Emily’s parents hammered the subject into her brain: “Nothing is off limits when it comes to them.”

The uses of birth control all depend on the person. While Emily takes the pill mostly as a reason to limit the severe cramps she gets when she has her period, Emma Lipschutz uses it in the more traditional sense: “I use birth control as actual birth control. I use condoms as well, but I feel like birth control is just another way to make sure nothing happens.”

Emma went to a school that thoroughly educated her on all things sex. Some people believe that condoms are just a way to keep a woman from getting pregnant, but Emma’s middle and high schools specified the importance of using condoms to protect against STDs as well. “Having went to a public high school in an urban area, I knew about sex from a young age but I also learned about contraception as well, which I think is extremely important for young kids to know.”

Whereas talking about sex years ago wasn’t something women did publicly, today they have the opportunity to express themselves as they feel. With the conversation about sex comes the topic of birth control. College women come from all different backgrounds, but it is up to them to find the education they need. By this age, STDs and unwanted pregnancies are not just something they are warned about, but are a reality. Through discussion and knowledge, any woman can save herself the issue of figuring out what to do after the fact and put her future in her own hands.