The Trump Administration May Start Discouraging Contraceptives in Favor of 'The Rhythm Method'& Birth Control Advocates Are Understandably Pissed

Last week, Crooked Media obtained an internal White House document that shows that the Trump Administration hopes to cut funding for Title X (a federal grant dedicated to family planning) and put that money toward “programs to promote ‘fertility awareness’ methods of birth control.”

What are 'fertility awareness' methods of birth control? According to Bustle, The rhythm method is also called the calendar method or "fertility awareness," because it’s all about knowing when in your cycle you’re able to potentially get pregnant —and when you’re in the not-fertile ‘safe zone.’ Basically, you are only fertile for a certain period of time each month, so if you’re using the rhythm method, you avoid unprotected sex when you’re fertile.

Although the rhythm method is great for some people, especially those who don’t use the pill for religious reasons, it is definitely not the most effective method of birth control. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, up to 25 percent of fertility awareness users will become pregnant.

This is because there are so many variables involved with this method, and it’s impossible to know for certain when you’re fertile. Needless to say, lots of people aren’t huge fans of our government promoting a method of birth control that fails 25 percent of people, especially when there are methods that are 99.9 percent effective.

Many people believe that the Trump Administration’s discouragement of contraceptives is at odds with its anti-abortion stance. Abortion rates have decreased 25 percent from 2008 to 2014, but births have not increased during this time. Why? According to the Guttmacher Institute, “Improvements in contraceptive use—particularly among women aged 20–24, who account for one-third of unintended pregnancies in the United States—were an important driver behind the decline.”

Data suggests that decreased access to contraceptives will not decrease sexual activity, but it will increase unintended pregnancies and abortion rates.

The Trump Administration’s discouragement of the pill is yet another piece of the never-ending conversation about the role that the government should play in regulating reproduction. It is a complicated issue and, as young women, we are arguably affected by it more than anyone else — so we need to stay educated so that we can be at the center of the conversation.