ENGL274 Creativity : Socially Engaged Writing Practice
Alternatively , if women don ’ t want the negative hormonal side effects , they can undergo an invasive hormone-filled ring being inserted into their vagina , or undergo a painful IUD insertion into the womb . If all else fails , they can awkwardly go into an uncomfortable small white room and explain to a pharmacist that they need Plan B after failing to provide contraception . All of these are acceptable and effective options , but the option we do not talk about is the male birth control . I ’ m not talking about condoms , which are less likely to be used due to being described as “ not feeling as good ” or “ too costly ”, but capsules and shots to enable the immediate infertility of a man for a long-term period of time . The problem , however , is that this that this demand is being ignored .
Why is this such a problem ? No woman can get pregnant alone , so why should she alone , be burdened with the responsibility ? The process of obtaining contraception has been seen wrongly as a largely female issue for years . Besides from condoms and invasive vasectomy , there is no semi-permanent , reliable contraception for men which they can obtain from a sexual health or family planning clinic . The side-effects are therefore placed on women to deal with and are not widely understood by doctors and researchers . Therefore , this creates a dangerous and potentially life-altering load on the shoulders of millions of women . Many women who take the hormonal methods of contraception describe their experiences as “ not feeling like themselves ” after being on it for a long period of time . Therefore , many take breaks from their current methods to regulate themselves . This is a problem that men simply cannot fathom because of the lack of demand and research into a long-term male birth control . Men ’ s little involvement in providing contraception is not fair and should no longer be accepted . However , this ignorance is no fault of their own , but merely a result of lack of social demand for it . Many men are willing to participate in obtaining contraception , but at the moment this option seems more like a pipe dream .
With politicians only recently decriminalising abortion in Northern-Ireland , the issue of birth control is ever present and cannot be swept under the rug any longer . The results of an unwanted pregnancy can cause a risk to a woman ’ s body , future , education and social lives . These risks are becoming more acknowledged due to the positive rise of social media . So , if abortion is becoming so much less stigmatised to talk about , why shouldn ’ t
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