Share Your Story or Your Mother's Story about the Challenges of Accessing Birth Control

I remember my grandmother telling me that she married my grandfather when she was only 14. He was the 9th child in a family of 11. His mother died giving birth to her 12th child. His dad couldn't feed all of the children (this was during the Great Depression) and so friends, family, and strangers took some of the kids. My grandfather was sent to an orphanage. Back then these places were often blends of poor houses/orphanages/asylums.He left the orphanage/poor house at 16 and made his own way, met my grandmother, and they began their own lives as a couple.Death in childbirth is still a threat to women. Pregnancy by rape is still a threat to women. Poverty by divorce, abandonment, and lack of work or education is still a threat to women and children. Low pay still makes it hard for even two parents to support a small family. Why do some in our country want to make life even harder than it already is for so many? History and  some lives overseas right now show us very clearly what kind of world it becomes for women and children with such male-dominated rules and beliefs. When economies fail or struggle, our own gov't has chosen in the past to break up families. Neither politicians nor our government are willing to support people and families over military spending. Who honestly thinks adequate help would happen if people had ever larger families? I don't. And before people think "charities", be aware that charities get more than half their money from government. Have any of the state legislatures preaching about and repeatedly passing anti-abortion, anti-contraception laws, and shamefully, hatefully, forcing medically unnecessary procedures (and the costs) onto women also passed increases to child welfare, schools, food stamps, or health programs? NO. Is there any extra housing, child care, jobs, or supports for the huge families which will be the new reality? NO. Have they cracked down on rape, abuse, or reckless fathering? NO.And like others, I can't help but notice the total lack of discussion of men's self control, child support payments, and control of their bodies by politicians. Jon Stewart's The Daily Show ran a segment called "Bro-choice" which shows it all. The same legislator pushing anti-abortion and personhood laws (to prohibit contraception) was appalled that a woman legislator had responded with a bill aimed at limiting men's sexual behavior. He cried "Liberty! Freedom of Choice!".  That shows us how wrong and abusive this whole game is for female citizens who are also born with full rights in this country. It's a one-sided power play with no thought for the greater welfare of our society.As for the religious among us; your religion is for YOUR life. Tend to your own business. We can look at our sisters around the world and clearly see how misused power abuses women, and how often religion is used as the excuse. Be good people. Go to your churches. Keep to your own ways, but keep your male-superiority religious controls and beliefs out of our national governance. They're harmful.

My Grandmother's sister died of a back alley abortion.  She had 4 children, one was deaf and was pregnant with the 5th child.  This happened many years ago and I was aware of the pain that my Grandmother experienced.This should never happen again. 

My mother shared with me her story of wanting to have a tubaligation after I, her fourth child was born in 1953. Not only was she in bad health but my father was practically no help to her physically, financially or emotionally. The law prohibited her without the husband's signature. "Of course," she told me, "your father refused to sign. He said,"You'll have as many babies as I can make."She proceeded to find the neighborhood "wino" and bribed him with a bottle of wine to sign my father's name and somehow  convinced Daddy the hospital stay was for some other ailment. This was her secret until 1984, when I discovered I was pregnant with my third child. With my heart condition,the OBGYN recommended I think seriously  about this child being my last. I discussed with my husband my desire to have the tubal during the C-Section delivery of our child on the way. I was shocked by his response.It was almost identical to my father's! Needless to say, the law had changed by then (fortunately) and my signature was the only one needed.On the next visit to the OBGYN I signed the papers. Shortly thereafter, I divorced him! My mother and I both made our own decisions about our reproductive health and were able to live long enough to enjoy our grandchildren. Women should never neglect to support our right to birth control! 

This story is in case the ridiculous Republicans win.  I began contraception in 1957, since my husband was in school for a Ph.D. and mine was the only salary.  I used the diaphragm and jelly (Koromex) for 5 years, then stopped briefly, got pregnant almost immediately (a planned pregnancy), and had enough sickleave & vacation accumulated to take off work and nurse my daughter for 6 weeks.  There was no doubt this contraception worked while I used it.  After 2 more years of working, my husband got a teaching job, and 9 months before he began in September, I "tested" the diaphragm and jelly:  You're supposed to cover it completely with the jelly, insert it correctly (making sure the back part is tucked in as well as the front part, so no spaces are left around the edge of the diaphragm), and then, just before sex, use the tube to add more jelly.  And douche before removing it a certain number of hours after sex, usually the next morning.  But if you might need it that next day before nighttime, you can leave the diaphragm in; however, if you have sex again, you must add another tube of jelly first!  That's how I tested it ~ I didn't add more jelly the 2nd time!  I figured there was some jelly left from the night before, but I wanted my next baby when my husband started work in September, so this was a good time to see if you had to remember all the instructions to keep "safe" with the diaphragm.  You do!   My baby was born September 1st.  So the diaphragm and jelly are very safe alternatives to the pill, IF YOU FOLLOW ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS.  In those 7 years, and many years after my 2nd child, it ALWAYS prevented pregnancy, and I did get pregnant the minute I stopped it or took chances by not obeying the rules.  So if pills become too expensive because Republicans find a way to deny coverage, we can always fall back on that.  But it's inconvenient in many ways, so the wives of the men in Congress should be forced to try this method, or the females in Congress, so they'd see what women would go through if they deny coverage for the pill.