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Throughout my perusing on the amplify site I came across so many resources to continue to educate myself on youth and sexual health. I started reading The Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti and I have to say with each turning of the page I become more and more angry.
It is no surprise to anyone that society has always wanted to dictate what women can and can not do with their bodies. This is the essential message of her book. The purity myth revolves around females remaining pure, untouched, obedient, and not intelligent enough to make our own decisions regarding our bodies. Thus, why contraceptive access is such a hot button topic in our world today.
I used to think restriction of contraceptive access as a means of protecting the life of a fetus. Now i realize it has nothing to do with the fetus, or ones personal beliefs, yet it has everything to do with shaming women for the decisons we make. As females, we have the right to decide what we do with our bodies whether that be taking birth control pills or having an abortion. But these rights can no longer be exercised because of so many restrictions, from pharmacists refusing to dispense ec, forcing women to look at ultrasounds to stare at probably the hardest decision they will ever have to make, to having to travel miles and miles away from home to even see a doctor that will administer an abortion. In fact, physicains that will administer an abortion are dwindling. Not to mention the financial burden we as females must endure if we do have to deal with an unplanned pregrancy, and yet if we are trying to prevent them birth control is not cheap. Roe vs. Wade is not overturned, yet in many parts of the country it feels like it already has been. What makes our challenges any different than young women all across the world that have to deal with these same roadblocks. Its frustrating to me to think that I live in world where i can make decisions regarding my body, but there are so many laws, policies, and people pushing their own religious conviction on me, that can stop me from doing what I think is best. In the end, its only my decision to make, yet the process does not feel as though it is working in my best interest.
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