Tomorrow is national Back Up Your Birth Control Day. It’s a good time to really consider what you would do if your birth control failed (or, if you have no birth control). Here’s a handy fact sheet (PDF) about EC (emergency contraceptives) and how they can be a part of your birth control plan.
It’s important to consider the “what ifs” in life, like protecting yourself from STDs and from unintended pregnancies. According to the Guttmacher Institute, by age 45, more than half of all American women will have had an unintended pregnancy, and three in 10 will have had an abortion. Our country’s unintended pregnancy rate is much higher than that of other developed countries with poor women having the highest rates of any demographic, according to the same report. And don’t think we get off easy here, Nevada. The South and Southwest regions have the highest rates of unintended pregnancies with Nevada rated as one of the top five states for unintended pregnancies in 2006.
So why not take matters into your own hands? Get yourself some EC! It’s available without a prescription to anyone ages 17 and older. There’s never been a better time to be prepared.
The Sin City Siren 
I also think it is important that we demand that our sex education programs in Clark County Schools be revised to include back up birth control. Right now it is abstinence only.
My 14 year old brought home his text book and while we could have a good laugh it is tragically bad.
We had the biggest chuckle that birth control is for married people who have decided to limit the number of children they will have is in a 2012 text book. Plus if your child is gay – no mention of how to be safe in today’s school sex ed.
I think there are a lot of parents who would benefit from knowing that BC is an option for their child if placed in that situation as well. I have mentioned it to grown women who never knew.
Just as parents are going to third parties for PE education, tutoring, and even safe use of the internet. Maybe the time has come for progressive minded parents to get a great biologically correct sex ed course that could be taught while kids are out of school.
Fortunately for us, Planned Parenthood has amazing sex educators who do workshops with kids (and adults).
But in a way, it is sad to me that as parents we have to think about outside sources of comprehensive sex education for our kids. We can do a lot to educate our kids at home, but wouldn’t it be nice if the schools were empowered (or in some cases, required) to this, too? At the very least, it would be great if we didn’t have to worry about “re-educating” our kids after they have sex ed.