BC

Last summer, someone who is very important to me miscarried her baby. She was 28 years old and it would have been her sixth child. I brought her to the post-miscarriage follow-up appointment and sat beside her while she gave the details of what happened. It saddened me so deeply to hear how it was so emotionally and physically painful, but I can't lie and say that I wasn't a little heartbroken to hear that she had been trying to conceive. Her partner was not a nice person and he treated her like crap, hence me being the one in that doctor's office with her. While I was there, I asked the doctor to talk about birth control options -- maybe that wasn't my place, but I really felt like I absolutely had to. Her response to the question, "has anyone ever talked to you about your birth control options" almost made me fall out of my chair and onto the floor. No one had.

I was present when her first child was born. I cut the umbilical cord and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. She was only 16, and I keep wondering, if someone had talked to her about birth control then ... what would her life be like now? It's a sensitive subject for me because it's this giant vicious cycle in the community I've been raised in where there are so many babies having babies. Often times, children are brought up in over-worked, single-parent households, or have absent biological parents with other family members raising the baby. It was a similar case of how I was raised, how the gal in my story was raised and how her children will be raised. 

In my opinion, it seems that my culture (mostly referring to Catholic and Mexican) has made it more acceptable to have a baby at a young age (or just unprepared)  than to promote safe sex. My parents are really conservative, more traditional, Mexican-Catholics. However, since they were both very, very young when they had children and knew how hard it was to raise a child, work, go to school, etc ... they always stressed the importance of knowing my options when it came to birth control. For educating me without judgement, and for overcoming their Catholic beliefs for my sexual safety-- I am eternally grateful. 

I've done a little bit of research, in case you or someone you know would like more information and birth control resources:

The Affordable Care Act (from National Women's Law Center)

Birth Control Options (from Planned Parenthood)

Get Tested! (from Planned Parenthood)
If you're in the Northern, CAfor area (Women's Health Specialists)
Help women Globally (Global Fund for Women)

I have Kaiser through my work and was pleasantly surprised to find that fees and co-pays for STD exams, pap smears, birth control, female sterilization services, family planning counseling and other women's health services are waived. If you have health care insurance, it might be beneficial to check it again after the Affordable Care Act has passed.

As a quick parting note, I wish more more WoC in the media spotlight would promote the importance of safe sex. I remember being really young and watching Left Eye wearing a condom on her face and thinking that the statement was so badass. I've watched a few interviews of TLC and their fashion statement and I didn't like how they had to preface their message with, "we're not promoting sex" (although, I think that was to cover themselves against critics), but I did appreciate them saying that they wanted to stop the shame of wanting to protect your body from disease and unwanted pregnancy.  

If you have any resources or tips or advice to add, please let me know. Also, I'd be interested in knowing how the issue of safe sex is handled in your culture.