Elizabeth Banks Urges Americans To "Protect Access To Birth Control"

Recently, I wrote about the reason I use birth control: so that I can have sex, and not babies, which is still true for me. But that?s not always the reason women take contraceptive. Case in point,?Hunger Games and 30 Rock actor?Elizabeth Banks, who, in a recent blog post for CelebVillage, thanks the Pill for an unlikely miracle: her son, Felix, who was carried by a surrogate.?Yup, for Banks, who had difficulty conceiving, contraceptive wasn?t a baby-stopper? it was key to a happy, healthy family, and she wants to make sure everyone has the access they need.

Banks, who we already love for giving sensible fitness advice, also has some smart things to say about birth control. In this blog post, she writes about the various non-contraceptive reasons she took the pill?like crippling migraines and horrible cramps?as well as some of the other, lesser-known reasons why women might take the pill. Here?s part of the post:

And here?s a little secret I am happy to blow the lid off of: The pill is often prescribed during the IVF (in vitro fertilization) process to help MAKE BABIES! That?s right, women dealing with infertility are often put on the pill to help regulate a cycle so that they might have a more successful IVF. The pill is used to manage ovarian cysts, endometriosis and other conditions too. Not to mention, it helps couples plan for wanted children.

Amazing, right? But, Banks is quick to note, even though she took the pill for non-contraceptive reasons, she wouldn?t want to discuss it with her employer, like some new laws are requiring.

Obviously, I?m not a doctor. I?m just a woman grateful for my necessary and very helpful medication. And I?m sure glad I don?t have to discuss any of these conditions, including infertility, with my employer.

A girlfriend and I recently wondered what would be more mortifying: having to tell her male employer she needed birth control to mitigate a heavy flow or just bleeding all over herself in the office?

It bears noting that infertility treatment is only covered by health care about a quarter of the time, which means medical bills can stack up. If birth control, too, is required to be paid for out-of-pocket, for many women, childbirth simply won?t be a reality?which seems in sharp contrast to what much of the anti-contraceptive messaging is stating.

In one short post, Banks manages to sum up one of the key problems with the attack on access to contraceptive?that it?s complex, and that simply declaring all women who want it covered by insurance, or who want it made affordable, ?sluts.?

Image: via Lucky

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