gracias.
Remember remember. To take your pill. Oh, and the twelfth of November. Last week on November 12, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy launched a campaign to encourage ladies across all forms of social media to say, “Thanks, birth control.”
“We are challenging the nation to have an open, honest conversation about birth control and to speak positively about what birth control makes possible for our society. Why? Because, in a recent survey, 55% of sexually active women ages 18-22 said that they’d feel more comfortable using contraception if more people talked about it in a positive way.” Their goal is to show how widespread and positive the impact of contraceptive use actually is.
Using the hashtag #ThxBirthControl, participants were encouraged to make and share videos of young women and men discussing what birth control makes possible for them, post digital postcards on Twitter or Facebook, send an e-newsletter asking their networks to spread the word, and use talking points to spark dialog about the subject. “Use your digital megaphone to get everyone shouting out,” the campaign enthused.
“When women have a say in how many children they have and when they have them, they’re healthier, better educated and better off. So speak up, get your questions answered at www.Bedsider.org and say #ThxBirthControl with me today.”
Some of the prepared statements included statistics such as, “99% of adults have used birth control in their lifetimes…so why is it so hard to talk about it? Today I’m breaking the silence and saying #ThxBirthControl! I’m so lucky to be able to control when I start a family.” While a fill-in-the-blank variation gave the user the opportunity to share their personal feelings more intimately, by saying why birth control is so important to their goals and aspirations, “Birth control has made (finishing school, having kids with the right guy,_____________) possible for me. What about you? Go to www.Bedsider.org for inspiration and say #ThxBirthControl with me today.”
What has birth control made possible for you? Do you think an open and honest dialog will help shake some of the remaining social stigma of contraception? — Casandra Armour
