**Disclaimer:We are not medical practitioners and this website is not a certified medical website; if you have a medical question, you should consult a medical practitioner, not a website. We hope that this websites brings up questions and thoughts about yourself/others and we hope you have more confidence on who/what to contact when thinking about your own reproductive justice.
Why is contraception and access to contraception important? A common debate within high school questions whether providing free condoms to students encourages students to have sex or encourages students to engage in safe sex when the time comes. Humans have the right to enjoy sex without having a baby or contracting a STI. Contraception is about encouraging humans to protect themselves physically and emotionally -- to protect them from STI's and from conceiving a baby at an unwanted time. Contraception is a human's right to privacy in their intimate lives; every person deserves to have unhindered affordable access to contraception. Unintended pregnancy rates are higher in the United States than in most other developed countries. Although everyone has a right to contraception, not everyone has fair access to it and this lack of access often highly affects low-income people. For instance, employers can exclude contraceptive care from worker's insurance benefits based on a company's religious beliefs. Cost is also a huge factor in excluding some from access to contraceptives. The average application fee for an IUD is $150-200, if you want to have sex with a condom 25 times with a partner, that would cost around $37 (an average box of 10 condoms costs $15).
Forms of Contraception YOU should know about -- there's more than just condoms and the pill! Oral Pill Male Female / Female Condom
Diaphragm
Cervical Cap
Intrauterine Device (IUD)
Contraceptive Implant
Contraceptive Sponge
Spermicide
Contraceptive Injections
Vaginal Ring
Contraceptive Patch
Plan B
Vasectomy & Tube Tying
**Remember!! Condoms are the only form of contraception that protect against STI's, but there is never 100% protection from STI's from wearing a condom. In order to be sure to not contract an STI, you and your sexual partner should both be tested.
Top 3 Forms of Contraception with the Highest Rates of Effectiveness 1) Contraceptive Implant (.05 pregnancies per 100 women in a year) 2) Male Sterilization (.15 pregnancies per 100 women in a year) 3) Hormonal IUD (.2 pregnancies per 100 women in a year)
Access to Contraception at Bates and off campus --> Health Services has free condoms, free pregnancy testing, and offers STI testing (you don't even need to call ahead and make an appointment) --> If you want to start a form of birth control but don't know where to start you can talk to a trained nurse practitioner at Health Services and they will talk through options with you --> Closest Planned Parenthood is 33 minutes from Bates campus -- offers birth control education and different contraceptives (including emergency contraceptives), abortion referrals. STI testing and treatment
More Resources?! If you want more to read about contraception, click below!!