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What If Birth Control Was Free Everywhere?
WHAT IF
Follow
2/2/2024
It sounds sensible, but it's extremely controversial.
Category
📺
TV
Transcript
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00:00
♪ ♪
00:10
Family planning.
00:12
It sounds sensible,
00:14
but it's extremely controversial.
00:16
At least, in some countries.
00:19
What if it wasn't?
00:21
What if the world recognized
00:22
a woman's right to birth control?
00:25
What if birth control was freely accessible?
00:28
How does this pill
00:30
improve women's health
00:32
and society as a whole?
00:35
This is WHAT IF,
00:37
and here's what would happen
00:38
if birth control was free
00:40
everywhere.
00:41
Since 1994,
00:43
worldwide contraceptive use
00:45
has gone up by 8.3%.
00:48
But in North America,
00:49
it's gone down.
00:51
This might have something to do
00:52
with the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that,
00:54
for religious reasons,
00:56
employers' health plans
00:57
don't have to cover birth control
00:59
for their employees.
01:00
Elsewhere in the world,
01:01
there are nearly 50 countries
01:03
where birth control is totally free.
01:05
So, who's right?
01:07
Is there a right answer
01:09
when it comes to birth control?
01:10
You can decide for yourself,
01:12
but consider these facts first.
01:15
Every year,
01:16
U.S. taxpayers pay, on average,
01:18
$12 billion a year
01:20
for unplanned pregnancies
01:21
that are heavily subsidized by Medicaid.
01:24
A rough estimate
01:25
of how much each unplanned birth costs
01:28
comes to about $13,000.
01:31
But to supply one woman
01:32
with a year's worth of birth control
01:34
only costs about $250.
01:38
Actually, making birth control free
01:40
would save a lot more money,
01:42
since a majority of those affected
01:44
by unwanted pregnancies
01:45
are low-income women
01:46
who would require
01:47
long-lasting government support
01:49
in order to raise a child
01:50
they can't otherwise afford.
01:53
The unaffordability,
01:54
or simply the unavailability,
01:56
of birth control
01:57
not only increases the number
01:58
of unplanned pregnancies,
02:00
it also raises the abortion rate.
02:03
Of all the unplanned pregnancies
02:05
in the U.S. since 2006,
02:08
roughly half of them ended in abortion.
02:11
Politically contentious
02:12
and personally traumatic,
02:14
we could significantly reduce
02:16
the number of abortions every year
02:18
simply by making birth control free.
02:21
But the pill doesn't just prevent
02:23
unwanted pregnancies,
02:25
it improves women's health,
02:26
and it reduces medical costs.
02:29
According to the U.S.
02:30
Department of Health and Human Services,
02:32
birth control pills
02:33
lower a woman's risk
02:35
for ovarian cancer,
02:36
and can prevent endometriosis,
02:39
a condition that affects fertility.
02:42
Not to mention,
02:43
women who experience
02:44
unintended pregnancy
02:45
are less likely to receive
02:47
the early prenatal care they deserve,
02:49
and are more likely to smoke,
02:51
drink, and suffer depression
02:53
and domestic abuse
02:54
during their pregnancy.
02:56
Conversely,
02:57
a recent study showed that
02:58
easier access to birth control
03:00
improved quality of life among women.
03:03
A majority of the study's participants
03:05
were able to complete their education,
03:08
find work,
03:08
and support themselves financially.
03:11
So what could we expect
03:13
from a world where birth control is free?
03:16
Lower taxes,
03:17
fewer premature deaths,
03:19
and a society that does more
03:20
to respect women,
03:22
and to promote their safety and success.
03:25
This ideal future
03:26
might be closer than you think.
03:28
Contraceptive use
03:29
is spreading around the world.
03:31
While birth control
03:32
is still most prevalent in North America,
03:34
in the past decade,
03:35
its usage in Africa
03:37
has increased by almost 60%,
03:39
the world's most dramatic jump,
03:41
compared to South America's 15% rise
03:44
and a 10% boost in Asia.
03:47
There's still a lot more work to do,
03:48
and it starts with raising awareness
03:50
and focusing more attention
03:52
on women's health.
03:54
Taking your time to properly plan for a child
03:56
shouldn't be political,
03:57
and definitely not controversial.
03:59
It should be as simple
04:00
and as sensible as it sounds.
04:02
So show this video to family and friends,
04:05
so that they too might understand
04:07
how a small pill
04:08
can make a huge difference.
04:11
And for more high-impact ideas,
04:13
just keep watching WHAT IF.
04:15
♪ ♪
04:23
That was WHAT IF,
04:25
and here's what will happen
04:26
if you click like or subscribe.
04:29
We'll get to make more of the videos you love,
04:31
educate the masses,
04:33
and maybe even save the world.
04:35
There's only one way to find out.
04:37
[no audio]
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