Should Birth Control Be Available Over The Counter?

AOC, Ted Cruz, and a Bi-Partisan Solution

The internet went abuzz today with news that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Ted Cruz bipartisanly agreed to lobby for a bill that would make birth control pills available over the counter. This is significant because these two individuals represent different parties with very different philosophies regarding reproduction.

Ted Cruz represents the Christian right. He asserts that if a woman falls pregnant, the child she is carrying is ordained to be here, regardless of the circumstances leading to conception. He argues that abortion is out of the question, and the child must be born. Solutions include giving the child up for adoption, or caring for the child oneself. As a conservative Republican, he doesn’t feel that the government should pay for the raising of unplanned children. Instead, he advocates abstinence or birth control to prevent unplanned pregnancies before they occur.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a feminist who represents individuals who are left of center. As a result, her belief structure advocates the rights of women over unborn fetuses. Consequently, she is in favor of women taking over their reproductive systems and preventing or terminating pregnancies as they wish. Under such a philosophy, women are the masters of their reproductive systems, dictating to their uteruses what will occur, and not the other way around. Such power allows women to plan to have a family and keep their careers. Furthermore, it advocates women becoming the architects of their own lives, with something as significant as having a child not being left up to chance.

Despite their party and philosophical differences, AOC and Cruz agree on one thing- that it is preferable to prevent pregnancies before they occur. They have found common ground in advocating a bill that allows the availability of birth control over the counter (OTC).

The question then presents itself-why would anyone be opposed to the birth control pill being available over the counter? As an informed consumer, I am well aware that the medical doctors of this world have fought very hard to faze out alternative forms of health care, including OTC remedies. Resultingly, those without health care insurance or money to pay the doctor’s bill for an abortion either end up continuing a pregnancy without doctors supervision, or having an abortion at the hands of an unlicensed provider. Both of these alternatives are unfortunate. It is when faced with such an unfortunate lack of choice that bipartisan options begin to present themselves. In this case, the most obvious bipartisan option is OTC birth control.

Why is over the counter birth control the most obvious bipartisan option? The answer is because it’s affordable, effective, and overwhelmingly easy to implement. If women are easily capable of obtaining OTC birth control, the need for abortions will exponentially go down. The controversy regarding whether life is being ended becomes largely irrelevant, because the OTC birth control solution, in many cases, will prevent unplanned pregnancies from occurring in the first place. It truly represents a win-win for everyone.

OTC birth control represents a bi-partisan solution to the abortion controversy. In short, it will prevent many unplanned pregnancies from occurring by providing a cheap and effective birth control solution. Ted Cruz and AOC represent two often opposing parties joining together to agree upon a meaningful and effective solution for women. Should this bill pass, it will represent a coup for all women in the USA, regardless of their political affiliation.