MARCH 12, 2020
Ntarupt’s tag line is “opportunity interrupted” because we understand that the ability to control your reproductive life allows you to plan your future and do what you need to do to grab the opportunity available to you. (Whether the opportunity is available is an equity discussion for another blog).
Being able to time when and whether to become a parent has a significant and direct effect on employment and educational gains. We know that teenagers who have access to contraception have better high school graduation rates. Likewise, young men who do not become fathers in high school have higher graduation rates. Statistically, only 40% of teen mothers finish high school and only 2 percent graduate college by the age of 30. While a teen with support can do it, as parents, we don’t want it to be harder for our kids to succeed than it has to. The conversation about and access to birth control for sexually active teens is essential to ensuring their success. The benefits of access to contraception continue beyond high school. As early as 1970, a study found college enrollment was 20% higher among women who could access birth control. It makes perfect sense that access to contraception before the age of 21 is the most influential factor in enabling women to stay in college.
Report: The Business Case for Reproductive Health
We recently read a beneficial new report “Hidden Value: The Business Case for Reproductive Health” from Rhia Ventures, a social investment venture, and FSG released in January 2020. The reproductive health study examined why and how companies should engage on this issue. It states, “Women now make up more than half of the United States workforce, increasingly represented in roles from the frontline to the C-suite. In a highly competitive talent marketplace, companies have developed strategies to better attract and retain women; including making changes to benefits policies that appeal to a majority-women workforce. What is notably missing, however, is women’s health care, especially access to contraception and abortion. These services are used by nearly all women —99 percent of women have used contraception and 25 percent of women have had an abortion by age 45. There is a deep evidence base linking access to contraception and abortion to women’s health and wellbeing, educational achievement, workforce participation, and professional advancement. Women cite their ability to control if and when they start a family as a critical factor driving their ability to participate and advance in the workforce. As a result, access to contraception and abortion also has significant implications for employers. Yet, U.S. companies have largely failed to recognize its importance.” Fast Company shared some great points from the report in this article, “Reproductive health is a business issue.”
“Companies large and small can gain a competitive edge by reviewing their benefits to ensure they are comprehensive, closing any loopholes, and communicating any changes to employees. This should be done while keeping in mind variations between state laws that may make it harder for women to access contraception and abortion. For example, some companies we’ve spoken to are making provisions to reimburse employees who must travel unreasonable distances to access the services that they need.” – Lisa Hammann is CEO of Rhia Ventures, a social investment company that invests in organizations that are breaking ground in the areas of contraception and maternal health. Hammann is a former Genentech senior executive.
Accessing the Resources You Need
For male and female reproductive health, choosing the method that is right for you is very individual, and may require several visits with your medical provider.
For information on each method, go to Birth Control: More Than Just The Pill from our resource center at Talk About It Dallas.
Depending on your clinic choice, parental permission may be required.
As with all things, having conversations with the adult in your life is ideal, go to Talk About It Dallas for tips on having those conversations. Parental consent is not necessary in a Title X clinic. Find a clinic near here with our North Texas Clinic Finder. Contact Ntarupt (North Texas Alliance to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy in Teens) for more information.
