Don't be such a pill

Fifty years ago next week, the FDA approved the birth control pill as first oral contraceptive. Like all matters regarding sex, the pill's approval was not met without controversy. Some doctors claimed that the birth control pill would be the end to the world's poverty problem, to divorce, to unwed pregnancy. Others feared it would make men impotent because, if on the pill, women would become the more dominant sexual partner which, duh, would make men feel inferior.

Obviously, the pill has stuck around. While most women go on "it" to prevent unwanted pregnancy, there are other benefits such as clearing up acne and regulating cycles. Getting a prescription for birth control pills is almost like a rite of passage. Every woman has her own reasons for doing so, but fortunately, taking birth control correctly usually produces the same end result: no babies.

That's where birth control pills end. Yes, there are no babies (usually). There's clearer skin. There's the fact that you're period comes like clockwork (unless you're me and you have a period for a month and you're not having sex - super fun). But, there's still diseases. For some reason a lot of people (who don't want to get pregnant) think that getting pregnant is the worst thing that can happen if you have sex, but it's not. Don't get me wrong. Pregnancy is life altering even if you're not on 16 and Pregnant. Birth control pills can prevent pregnancy when used correctly, but they cannot prevent STDs. End of story.

I am glad that women have the choice to use birth control pills as a type of contraceptive, but I hope that most are smart enough to only use them in monogamous relationships.