Contraceptive Pill as Easy as Buying Tic Tacs? One Step Forward or Two Steps Back For Women?

In 2023, a child can walk out of her local pharmacy/drugstore with a new shampoo… oh and ‘the pill’ to prevent pregnancy. How did we get here?! – Children by law in England and Wales, are those up to the age of 18.

How I knew it when I was growing up, which was a few years ago (not as many as you’re thinking, cheeky), you’d only be supplied with the contraceptive pill if you spoke to a GP and were prescribed it, or if you attended certain non-religious schools, that would usually have a school nurse to authorise the prescription of a morning after pill or such. Religious schools probably had the capacity to prescribe also, but it’s frowned upon, and growing up I was told certain schools offer contraception methods far easier. Myth? No, but I think the legalities waived slightly. Simply, it wasn’t so black and white.

All I knew personally, was that if you were thinking of being sexually active, the advised route would be to see your GP. I know that theory scared many girls, so most would stay silent. Making the risk of teenage pregnancy higher, especially those from religious backgrounds, who may not believe in contraception, or even if they do, they’re hesitant to seek healthcare advice about it, in case they’re judged or there being potentially a chance their parent(s) find out. So to curb teenage pregnancy, one may feel if they seek professional medical advice, would be to make contraception more easily accessible. Almost like a kid buying candy from a sweet store. And that’s exactly what happened from 2021 in England.

You can now buy them over the counter, no prescription needed. You can even order them online if you really wanted to. Saves the judgemental looks you might experience in store. This for me, is when society has hit an all time low. And if you thought parenting was hard enough, oh just wait for the next generation. I knew my views towards this were polar opposite, when I saw an advert. Being advertised in front of my eyes is the pill. “No need for prescriptions. Now available over the counter” With the lovely imagery of people having sex without a care in the world who they do it with as they have the life saving, or should I say life preventing pill.

England isn’t the first country to offer over the counter contraception. Many countries including China, Greece, India, Turkey, Mexico, South Africa, Russia, and Korea. If that doesn’t say it all, I don’t know what will… Where out of that list, would you strive for your country to be like?

This specific advert is a campaign by ‘Women like us’ for the contraception pill, ‘Hana’. It’s been labeled ’empowering’ to women’s rights. But I can’t help think, how is me changing my natural menstrual cycle, for the sake of having a few minutes of fun, oh and for the extra bonus that it feels even better for the guy if he swoops in bare with the female reassuring him she’s protected?

What about the risks associated with the pill like cancer and blood clots just to name a few. Yes, there and pros and cons to everything in life, but generally you’re taking an additional tablet everyday for no preexisting medical condition. Worth it? Potentially.

In the long term, girls and women are going to be ecstatic at their newly found ‘liberation’. The invisible chains are off. But whilst you’re living it up, if you desire to have a life long partner if the future, the great ones will be taken. More will settle for an individual, or they’ll go to the sperm bank. Nothing wrong with that if that was always the plan for yourself, but if you’ve chosen that path because there wasn’t much else out there, you’ll almost feel cheated. You’ll find people having less children naturally, as many will be on contraception, or when they come off it, the desire to have numerous children possibly won’t be there as society will feel off balance. A new normal, and it’ll be difficult to find monogamy.

Even before this new law, I wasn’t in a rush to have a big family. I never saw children as a must for me, but when I started coming round to the idea, I pictured it being small. One or two munchkins. But now the pill is so easy to get your hands on, I’d be going out of my mind having a big family. Boys would think they can behave like rabbits, and girls could just get the pill from a friend or better still order it to a friends house. It’s become increasingly difficult to keep your children safe.

Maybe I’m blind to the fact that, I’m altering my hormones for the sake of care-free sex. I realise I should be seeing the up-side here. But all I’m witnessing is a downward road spiralling out of control.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for women’s rights. I wouldn’t even label myself strictly religious, as I find theres a fine murky line between religion and having values. The portrayal of having views opposing what’s deemed as socially acceptable in westernised society can be wrongly underlined as religious. I’m an individual and I’m not bound to one group of people, nor do I favour a specific belief. But I do believe there are other forces at hand, due to the timing of such a change in law and the dreaded depths it can do to one’s society. The world is overpopulated, as the leaders of many of the countries listed above have stated repeatedly.

Look at China for example. They implemented the ‘one-child policy’ in the 1980’s. Up until 2015, China changed the rule to two children per couple. Then, only in 2021, they’ve allowed you to have up to three children… for married couples. Single mothers don’t have that luxury. So why would a supposed forward moving country like England, start mirroring what the likes of China and Russia are doing. I think if people ignore the evidence in front of us, we’ll start ignorantly believing the government has our best interests at heart.

What is freedom? Some might say the contraception pill over the counter is a step in the right direction. But when will it be too late to wake up. When they silence our voices and restrict the internet? It doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a gradual progression to suppress you and I.

What do you think? Should the contraceptive pill be prescription only? From what age should it be deemed suitable? Would you know the risks that come with taking the pill if you no longer need to consult a GP? Comment below your thoughts!