We all know that babies are cute and adorable. They're basically puppies without fur, right? Wouldn't that be nice. But seriously, while we think babies are a blessing, having a baby when you're too young or completely unprepared can come with major challenges. Only 38 percent of girls who get pregnant as teenagers earn a high school diploma by age 22. Teen mothers are nearly twice as likely than older mothers to forego first trimester care. In 2008, Medicaid costs for one birth was more than $12,000. The cost of one year of contraceptive care was less than $300. This information comes from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a national nonprofit dedicated to providing information about abstinence and other methods of birth control, and about the consequences, both to individuals and taxpayers of unplanned pregnancies.
A woman's, or a couple's, reasons for waiting to have a baby, or for choosing to not have one, are numerous and PRIVATE. That's why The National Campaign launched their Bedsider campaign to say "Thanks, Birth Control." There's even a song. A September 2016 study showed that the majority of Americans support birth control, but there are socioeconomic gaps in information and access, leading to more unplanned pregnancies among low-income women. Listen, we know the "yay baby, nay baby" thing can be controversial, but here's how we look at the Thanks, Birth Control campaign: It's not about saying that one choice or the other is better, it's about having the choice -- planning what's right for you, your career, your family, your life. You do you, as they say.