Some people oppose birth control. Their ideology equates all contraception with abortion. They refute the facts of mainstream medicine, claim that serious female health problems can be cured by having children, and see sexually transmitted diseases as just punishment. They want to make birth control illegal. The problem is some of them actually could.

Contraception is basic, essential healthcare. 88% of Americans support access to birth control, and 99% of sexually active American women have used some form of birth control during their lives. In fact, leading medical groups in the United States, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, support access to reliable contraception as part of basic healthcare.
 
Access to these options and the medical facts to help decide which type of contraception is right for you is a natural right. Women need to be given the most accurate information so that they can make informed decisions about their health. Any legislation that interferes with the relationship between physicians, nurses, clinicians and their patients is a restriction of rights that is unacceptable.

Such legislative efforts may include:

• • Imposing reporting requirements on physicians, nurses and clinicians which could remove the basic right of privacy when dealing with medical records.
• • Conscience clauses, which could create roadblocks to women trying to access birth control and other reproductive health services;
• • Mandates which could impose requirements upon women seeking reproductive health services.
•   

We support legislation and state appropriations that advance family planning, contraception and reproductive health education in schools, communities, and clinics.

Some people oppose birth control. Their ideology equates all contraception with abortion. They refute the facts of mainstream medicine, claim that serious female health problems can be cured by having children, and see sexually transmitted diseases as just punishment. They want to make birth control illegal. The problem is some of them actually could.

Birth control, or contraception, covers any and all products used to prevent pregnancy. There are a variety of products and options that can be used to practice safe sexual habits and all are best discussed with your doctor.

Contraception is basic, essential healthcare. Eighty-eight percent of Americans support access to birth control, and 99 percent of sexually active American women have used some form of birth control during their lives1. In fact, leading medical groups in the United States, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, support access to reliable contraception as part of basic healthcare.

Access to these options and the medical facts to help decide which type of contraception is right for you is a natural right. Women need to be given the most accurate information so that they can make informed decisions about their health. Any legislation that interferes with the relationship between physicians, nurses, clinicians and their patients is a restriction of rights that is unacceptable.

Be a Voice of Reason: Sign the Bill of Rights

Dr. Debbie Billings, Assistant Professor in the Arnold School of Public Health and Professor in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of South Carolina, spoke about the Tell Them campaign to increase accessbility of reproductive health education and services to all citizens in South Carolina.

Click here to listen to Debbie’s fantastic interview.

Pregnant teens throughout the United States experience stigma and judgment each day.  Those teens that decide to continue with the pregnancy face the challenges of motherhood at very young ages.  And their own children are likely to become parents as teens.  Each year in the US, more than 400,000 teens aged 15-19 give birth each year.  This represents about 10% of all births each year in this country.  Among countries of similar economic standing, the United States has one of the highest birth rates.

Hispanic/Latina and African American teen girls are two to three times more likely to give birth than White teens and use of contraceptive methods is lower among Latinas and African Americans than among White teens.   Our state of South Carolina is part of the southern belt where teen birth rates are highest in the United States.   Clearly, as a state and as a country, we are not addressing this issue with the strategies that are needed.  In particular, we are failing to meet the needs that Latina and African American sexually active teens have for information and contraceptive services.

Solutions require collaborative efforts among government, educators, health care providers, parents and caregivers, community members and teens themselves.   We must open more spaces for dialogue about sex and sexuality among teens, including the use of social media.  We also need to work with parents and caregivers so that they feel comfortable engaging talking with their sons and daughters about these important life issues.  As long as these discussions remain hidden, secretive and even embarrassing, teens will enter sexual relationships without the confidence, information and resources that they need to be healthy and to make decisions that make sense for their own lives.

Teen pregnancy rates are higher among minority women in South Carolina compared than White young women. Teenage pregnancy rates have increased continuously from 1997 to 2007 among African Americans. South Carolina ranks 27 out of 47 states for African American teen birth rates, and 44 out of 47 for Latina birth rates.

These same racial disparities exist in terms of Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV rates. Latina teens account for 15% of newly diagnosed HIV cases among women, while African Americans made up 61% in 2007. Latina teens make up 18% of youth ages 13-19, but account for 19% of AIDS cases in South Carolina? Or US?. At the same time, female African American teens are 68% of AIDS cases while only accounting for 15% of teens in the US.

These are just a few of the sobering statistics that demonstrate the work that needs to be done to ensure that preventive health care is available and access to all South Carolinians, regardless of age, race or ethnicity.  Voters must demand health policies that meet the real needs of our residents.

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Tell Them is extremely proud to introduce Deborah Billings. Dr. Billings holds a Ph. D in Sociology, and is currently an Assistant Professor of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior in at the Arnold School of Public Health, as well as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies in Columbia, South Carolina. She is also the Chair of the South Carolina Hispanic and Latino Health Coalition.

Watch Deborah above as she speaks to the reproductive needs of the Latino community in South Carolina. Below, watch as she invites all South Carolinians to join the Virtual March!