Rewire is participating in The Latina Week of Action for Reproductive Justice, an effort meant to raise awareness and spur dialogue about unique perspectives of and by Latinas on reproductive justice. As part of this week, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health is hosting a blog carnival, encouraging Latina bloggers to write posts about contraception and reproductive health from their perspectives. The week of action runs August 9 to 15th.

This Week of Action is the time to demonstrate to our government that Latinas care about the contraception debate. Vocalizing the effects lack of access to, or awareness of various contraceptive methods is pivotal to the inclusion of family planning as a preventative service (read: FREE) under the Women’s Health Amendment. This is big folks- while many great services that are sure to benefit women are already included; legislators are staying largely silent on the topic of contraception.

Normally, I too would be silent on this issue, I mean, it’s a private matter right? Like many young Latinas, I never really felt comfortable talking about contraception with my parents; god forbid they think I was “active,” (shudder). This subject matter was only really appropriate among girlfriends and the like, where it was easier to share such experiences. To exacerbate the problem, aside from a couple days of Sex Ed in 6^th grade and that dreadful quarter in Freshman Studies, I don’t recall ever having a real opportunity to discuss contraception options. Nay, I became understandably naïve in the matter, which is not to say I didn’t know of birth control, but it definitely did not hold an even “remotely visible” role in my high school scene.

This is unfortunate in many ways. Giving this prudish perception about sex and what it means to be a birth control user was a complete disservice- the repression we experienced during our formative years undoubtedly continues to influence how we currently perceive contraception (for better or worse). Also, it directly impacted many of my peers during senior year, when a record number ended up pregnant. What did the school have to say about this? Nothing.

What I am getting at is this: after 50 years since the FDA first approved birth control, schools have had more than enough time to overcome their puritanical perspectives on contraception. Information and access to birth control is a matter of upholding reproductive freedom for all Latinas. If we can’t control our reproduction, we are essentially limited by it, as women spend an average of five years being pregnant or recuperating from childbirth and a whopping 30 AVOIDING unintended pregnancy. Birth control needs to be recognized as an indispensable women’s health care service and accessible to girls over-the-counter, (preferably FREE). This would eliminate many barriers uninsured Latinas face, due to their inability to pay or immigration status. Moreover, this would also provide women with regular access to birth control, thus avoiding the dreaded nightmare of dealing with CVS when trying to refill a prescription.

In sum, this is a perfect time for women everywhere to be vocal about what contraception means to them and how it impacts their daily lives in order to push for its inclusion as a preventative service. All the while, I hope more people will recognize that its move to over-the-counter sales is long overdue, as it holds tremendous promise- expanding access to safe, effective contraception, and ultimately empowering all women take direct control over their sexual and reproductive lives!

What is YOUR story or thoughts? Has anyone ever undermined your reproductive freedom by neglecting to inform you of the pill, or limit your access? Tell me more =).