HEALTH

If you've ever watched Teen Mom or just listened to your own parents' warnings about unprotected sex, you know being pregnant as a teen is not exactly part of your life plan. And not only does teen pregnancy affect the mom (only 38% of girls who give birth in high school actually graduate), it also affects the overall wellbeing of the child (kids born to teen parents tend to face more health, social and education issues).

But despite how necessary it is to have conversations about pregnancy, sex and birth control, they, uh, aren't exactly dinner table topics. Which is why the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy launched a social media campaign using the hashtag #ThxBirthControl to help us all become more comfortable discussing the matter.

It's even more important this year, too, now that President Trump wants to repeal Obamacare. Barack Obama's healthcare plan made contraception (that's a fancy word for birth control) free for any woman who requested it...but now the president is fighting to eliminate that and limit access to free birth control. Yikes. 

And while National Thanks, Birth Control Day was November 15th, it's an issue worth talking about *every* day of the year. Because having access to birth control isn't just about preventing teen and unplanned pregnancy—it's also about taking back our power as women and standing up for ourselves. It's about reminding the world that our bodies are our bodies and that we make the decisions about them.

What do you think about the campaign? Share your thoughts below! 

We want to hear from you! Send us your weirdest body questions here (seriously, we'll answer anything!) and it just might get featured.

by Amanda Tarlton | 11/28/2017