Posted: November 22, 2016 Contributor: administrator

Three Birth Control Buzzwords

With a new U.S. President on the horizon, many are wondering what is next. There are plenty of important issues up for speculation, and the media has been buzzing about potential changes. We’ve compiled the top three buzzwords (or buzzphrases) around birth control uncertainty, to help you better understand the dialogue going on.

Affordable Care Act

This statute, also known by its full title, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and commonly referred to as Obamacare, was passed by President Barak Obama on March 23, 2010. It is a federal statute, meaning it was enacted by Congress with his approval. This law opened the door for private health insurance companies to offer birth control with no out-of-pocket costs to the insured. Birth control methods that were guaranteed free were any approved by the FDA, such as the pill, the patch, the NuvaRing, and IUDs. The catch? Certain religious institutions with employees are not required to cover birth control costs. It is possible that the Affordable Care Act will be repealed or altered. This is still all up in the air.

Planned Parenthood

There has been fluctuating controversy around Planned Parenthood the past few years, and it has become a hot topic again under the light of the new Presidential term. Planned Parenthood offers a variety of health care services that educate and treat individuals seeking help with sexual health, pregnancy, STDs, body image, relationships, and birth control. This organization functions on the idea that each individual has the right to manage their fertility, and in some areas, it is the only option for those with a lower income. Because they offer in-clinic abortions and abortion pills, which is currently protected under law, many are trying to close its doors. Although President Trump has outwardly opposed abortions, the only thing that’s happened so far is a surge in donations (many of them in Vice President Pence’s name).

Roe vs. Wade

In this case, Jane Roe sued the District Attorney of Dallas County Texas in March of 1970. Her claim was that the state statutes were vague and in violation of her Ninth Amendment rights, interpreted as the right to privacy. She was a single woman who wanted to terminate her pregnancy through a licensed physician, and under safe, clinical conditions. Roe was joined by James Hubert Hallford, a licensed physician facing prosecutions for violating Texas’s abortion statutes. Criminal abortion laws were originally enacted for three reasons: First, to discourage illicit sexual conduct. Second, to protect patients from a procedure deemed hazardous for women. And third, to protect prenatal life.  Obviously, these reasons did not hold up in court, and the Texas abortion statues fell. Many have been speculating lately that this case could be overturned, but no official action has been taken.