Trump Inspired Me To Get an IUD
My Uterus Was Chillin Before Trump
Prior to the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, I had zero concerns about my access to reproductive health care. Although I was not actively on birth control I knew that I could have it prescribed at any given time and it would be free of cost, but recently things have changed. Now, there’s a new administration running Washington and they’re unapologetically taking away my options, and yours.Most recently the New York Times reported that on May 4th Mr. Trump issued an executive order instructing three cabinet departments to consider amended regulations to “address conscience-based objections to the preventive-care mandate.” The order cites a section of the Affordable Care Act that refers specifically to preventive services for women. I can’t help but think…” seriously?” Preventative care not only refers to birth control, but it also encompasses mammograms and yearly check-ups that ensure the health of every woman. How could a President possibly believe that to be negotiable?!Within months, the current administration promised to repeal reproductive health care policies that millions of women in this country depend on, and for once, I am sure that the decisions of the White House will directly affect me. I am only 2 years away from having to sign up for my own health insurance and considering the direction the GOP is steering the ship, I'm certain that the regulations being put in place now will interfere with my choices (and pocket) very soon. While I've been told it’s not wise to think too far in the future I recently made a decision to help lessen my worries later; I got an IUD.
Girl, WTH Is An IUD?
IUD is short for "intrauterine device" and it's a little t-shaped piece of plastic inserted into the uterus to provide birth control. IUDs are divided into 2 types: copper IUDs (ParaGard) and hormonal IUDs (Mirena, Kyleena, Skyla, and Liletta). The ParaGard IUD doesn’t have hormones. It’s wrapped in a tiny bit of copper, and it protects you from pregnancy for up to 12 years. The Mirena, Kyleena, Skyla, and Liletta IUDs use the hormone progestin to prevent pregnancy. Progestin is very similar to the hormone progesterone that our bodies make naturally. Mirena works for up to 6 years. Kyleena works for up to 5 years. Skyla and Liletta work for up to 3 years.In the U.S. IUDs have gotten a bad rep as being unsafe, uncomfortable, and having its effects be irreversible but it's not true. As a matter of fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends IUDs and implants as the "first-line" contraceptive that should be "encouraged as an option for most women," including adolescents. But if this is the case, then why do American women barely ever have it recommended? Well, it may have something to do with the madness that went down in the 70s and 80s after the Dalkon Shield IUD came out. It was a lousy device that prompted infections and other terrible side effects. Since then, IUDs have been re-engineered and deemed safe but the public is still by large distrusting.
Turns Out Other Women Are Worried Too
Shortly after I had the procedure done I had intense cramping and couldn’t help but mope around the house wondering if I had jumped the gun on this one, but to my surprise, it seems like I wasn't alone. Planned Parenthood reported a 900 percent increase in demand for intrauterine devices since Donald Trump’s election, so it’s clear that a ton of other women are also not playing games with their uterus'. Every woman on birth control has her preferred method of contraception, and the thought of its price suddenly shooting up astronomically because any given health insurance will be legally allowed to opt out of covering it will be devastating.Douchebags in society will take this opportunity to tell women to "calm down" and advise them to use other forms of birth control, but what they don't understand is that some women use it as a means of alleviating chronic and acute health issues, not just to prevent pregnancy. Furthermore, when Trump and his associates threaten to limit federal funding to organizations like Planned Parenthood (PP) they actually overhang the quality of life for millions of women in this country because PP's services also include critical health screenings. Some implications of restricted health care access, specifically in low-income communities include:
A rise in the rate of teen pregnancies.
A higher rate of abortions.
A rise in chronic reproductive complications being left untreated.
A rise in undetected HPV and breast cancer.
A rise in untreated STIs and STDs.
A rise in the risk of STD and STI epidemics.
Let People Live Bro
No matter what one's political ideology is, dictating what a woman should or should not do with her with her reproductive system should be out of the question. Women's experiences vary and each one should have her own way of deciding what she'd like her body to do. Why is this so hard for men to understand? If she'd like to get pregnant, sure. If she'd like to prevent pregnancy, sure. If she'd like to take hormones to regulate her chronic PMS, sure. If she'd like to have an abortion because it's not the right time for her to have a child (or she doesn't want kids at all), sure. Only the individual woman understands her predicament, so let her make decisions as she see's fit; not under a set of parameters.
No matter what one's political ideology is, dictating what a woman should or should not do with her with her reproductive system should be out of the question.
To Trump and every state Rep and Senator in D.C, let people live bro. The reason women are upset and up in arms is that you all continue to get in the way and threaten to infringe on their bodies.
It's not rocket science, get with the program!