Effective birth control

I took “the pill” for 30 years due to endometriosis. I was unable to get pregnant. But I had severe pain, excessive menstruation two times per month. Bad news is that I gained a lot of weight on the pill. Good news is that menopause was not a factor in my life. I mean to say that I didn’t go through it. Nothing.

But I’m here to tell y’all that the pill is most definitely used for female conditions not related directly to preventing pregnancy. My problem was so extreme that I was completely unable to work or socialize without the pill. “They” wanted to treat me for depression. But a gynecologist said, “She’s losing too much blood.” He treated me with the pill, got me out of pain, and I became a happy camper. There are a lot of women out there who are being similarly medically treated. It’s hormone therapy. However, it isn’t just for other conditions. The pill is still the most effective form of birth control out there for most women.

Women must have access to safe, effective birth control. We must be in control of our reproduction. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, benefits from an unwanted pregnancy. Not the woman, not the man, not the child, and certainly not society. Both the man and the woman share equal responsibility in the creation of a new human life. Both should be fully prepared for parenthood—emotionally, physically, financially. Unwanted pregnancy results in abortion, which truly none of us want. It also results in young men and women being crippled in their efforts to continue their education. Unwanted children often end up in foster homes where they sometimes don’t fully develop emotionally.

Let’s keep pregnancy wanted. Women need the pill, and men need to do their fair share of pregnancy prevention. It takes two to create human life. MARIANNE BEASLEY Fayetteville