By Lori Adelman • @ladelman • 12 years ago

The Wednesday Weigh-In: Let’s Talk About Birth Control For REAL Edition

There’s been a lot of talk about birth control lately. But much of the conversation has been centered around politics and policies, and as a result, the realities of birth control usage have fallen by the wayside a bit.

Maybe that’s why people like Rush Limbaugh make statements which seem to suggest that their understanding of how contraceptives work is subpar at best.  And maybe that’s why women’s lived realities of birth control, contraceptives and family planning in general have not been at the center of the national conversation as much as we would like them to be.

Globally, 215 million women face an unmet need for contraception and family planning, meaning they report that don’t want to become pregnant but are not using effective contraception.  Are you one of them? This week’s Wednesday Weigh-In is on birth control as YOU experience it:

What’s your birth control of choice, and how much do you worry about being able to afford it? Have you ever fallen into this category of “unmet need”?

Spill in the comments, and let’s refocus this birth control “debate” on the realities of our experience rather than political grandstanding and pearl clutching.

 

Brooklyn, NY

Lori Adelman started blogging with Feministing in 2008, and now runs partnerships and strategy as a co-Executive Director. She is also the Director of Youth Engagement at Women Deliver, where she promotes meaningful youth engagement in international development efforts, including through running the award-winning Women Deliver Young Leaders Program. Lori was formerly the Director of Global Communications at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and has also worked at the United Nations Foundation on the Secretary-General's flagship Every Woman Every Child initiative, and at the International Women’s Health Coalition and Human Rights Watch. As a leading voice on women’s rights issues, Lori frequently consults, speaks and publishes on feminism, activism and movement-building. A graduate of Harvard University, Lori has been named to The Root 100 list of the most influential African Americans in the United States, and to Forbes Magazine‘s list of the “30 Under 30” successful mediamakers. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Lori Adelman is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Partnerships.

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