Shout It From the Rooftops: Thanks, Birth Control!

November 12, 2025, is #ThxBirthControl Day-- a day to celebrate the multiple methods of contraceptive care that allow people to live their fullest lives and reach their dreams and goals. Monica Edwards, Senior Manager, Public Policy at Power to Decide and Tara Mancini, Public Policy Director at Power to Decide, sit down to talk with us about the magic of #ThxBirthControl Day, as well as the recent attacks that threaten our access to the contraception that helps shape our lives. 

Over 90% of adults agree that birth control should be legal. Three out of four voters believe that it should be easier to access. And nine and ten women of reproductive age have used birth control at some point in their life. Yet birth control faces ceaseless attacks including misinformation and disinformation, the creeping reclassification of contraception as ‘abortifacients,’ and the withholding of funds from Title X grantees. Join the #ThxBirthControl online campaign to share your story and fight back against these attacks.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

#ThxBirthControl
Power to Decide on X
Power to Decide on Instagram
Bedsider.org

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Transcript

Jennie: Welcome to rePROs Fight Back, a podcast on all things related to sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice. [music intro]

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Jennie: Hey rePROs, how's everybody doing? I'm your host, Jennie Wetter, and my pronouns are she/her. So, y'all, last week we had a booth at the American Public Health Association's annual conference, and we had so much fun. I got to meet so many people who listen to the podcast, who love the podcast. I had such a great time meeting all of y'all. Thank you for stopping by the booth to say hi. It really makes my day getting to meet people who listen to the podcast. You know, it's one of those things you kind of feel like you just put it out there into the universe. And yes, I see, you know, the numbers of people who are listening, but it's always there's just something special about getting to talk to people who enjoy this show. We put so much love into that it just made my day to get to meet each and every one of you. I had so much fun also getting to introduce new people to the podcast. So, hi, and welcome to all of the new listeners who maybe are tuning in after APHA or are just tuning in general for the first time. I always feel so lucky to have all of you here. And we love getting to meet you in person. So, it has been a lot of fun. I'm trying to think of anything else new and exciting.

Oh, we're still doing the giveaway, so there is still time to win free merchandise. So, you have like a week and a half left. If you tag us on social media on any platform, we're at rePROs Fight Back on Facebook, Twitter, and Bluesky or @reprosfb on Instagram. If you post on any of those platforms and tell us either why you love the podcast or why you fight for sexual and reproductive health, you will be entered to win free merch from rePROs Fight Back. So, each time you post and tag us, you win, you get you win, you get a chance to win. Each tag counts as an entry. So feel free to enter as many times as you like. I'm really looking forward to hearing why people love the show and hearing why you all are in this fight. Don't forget to tag us. If you don't tag us, we can't see it. So please, please, a bunch of people will win free merchandise from rePROs Fight Back. I'm so excited to see what y'all have to say.

I think those are kind of all of the big things going on right now. I just had so much fun at APHA. It was exhausting. Like I really took the rest of the week to not talk to people. As an introvert, it's always so hard to stand at a booth for nine hours and talk to a bajillion people, but it's so much fun. So, I love doing it, but it's just draining. It takes a lot out of me. So, I spent the rest of the week and then the weekend just chill and not talking to people, having some quiet time, doing some reading. I think I've mentioned to y'all that I've been doing some cross stitch. So, I had a very quiet weekend, which was just when I needed to recover from all of the fun that was APHA. So, thank you all for stopping by. Welcome to all of our new listeners. And let's turn to this week's episode.

This week we are going to talk about the various attacks we're seeing on birth control. And then we're gonna be talking about Thanks Birth Control Day, which unfortunately, as we talk about it in the podcast, we say it is today. If you're listening to it on the day it comes out, but it is actually November 12th, which is tomorrow. So, it's Wednesday. So, I mean, you are free to share why you want to thank birth control the day it comes out, but if you could actually also do it on Wednesday, that would be great! So, sorry for the confusion. We keep saying that it's today, but it is actually on Wednesday, November 12th, is Thanks Birth Control Day. So, please make sure to get out on social media and say why you are thankful for birth control. I know I will, and I hope you will all join me for saying why you want to thank birth control. But helping me to do that, I have two wonderful guests, Tara Mancini and Monica Edwards with Power to Decide. So, with that, let's go to my interview with Tara and Monica. Hi, Tara and Monica. Thank you so much for being here. Hi, Jennie. Hi, thanks for having us. I'm so excited to talk to y'all today. Before we get started, let's do a round of introduction so people know who is talking. Let's start with Tara.

Tara: Hi, I'm Tara Mancini. I use she and they pronouns, and I'm the Public Policy Director at Power to Decide.

Monica: Hey y'all, my name is Monica Edwards. I use she/her pronouns. I'm the Senior Manager of Public Policy at Power to Decide.

Jennie: I'm so excited to have the two of you here today. One, we're gonna talk about Thanks Birth Control, with which if y'all are listening on the day this comes out is today. But I also am really excited to talk to you about the attacks we're seeing on birth control. I feel like that's one of those things that when you say to people, they treat you like you're being a crazy person, like they are not coming after birth control. But it's clearly happening. So, what are we seeing?

Monica: Yeah, we're seeing a lot, honestly. So, I'll talk a little bit about some of the federal attacks that we're seeing. So, I mean, I think always it's first to start with grounding everyone in that access to contraception is important to achieving reproductive well-being. It's about making sure people can decide if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child, and access to birth control is crucial to that. And we know that access to contraception is not only extremely popular, but extremely important. Over 90% of adults agree that birth control should be legal. Three out of four voters believe that it should be easier to access. And nine in ten women of reproductive age have used birth control at some point in their life. So, we know it's extremely important and popular. Unfortunately, we've seen a lot of subtle and not so subtle attacks on contraception, and of course, that impacts the ability for people to access it. So, on the federal level, we've seen a lot of subtle attacks in the forms of misinformation and disinformation, which we'll talk a little bit more about as well. But this looks like, for example, myths that are perpetuated about accessing birth control. So, for example, a lot of myths that a lot of federal lawmakers have perpetuated is that, oh, I'm pro-contraception, I just disagree with certain methods. And they will then say false things about specific methods. So, for example, they'll classify emergency contraception as an "abortifacient," quote unquote, in an attempt to sort of carve out specific methods. And then another frequent talking point we've seen from some federal lawmakers is this idea that, as you kind of talked about, Jennie, this is not really an issue. Like, no one's coming after your birth control, so just stop it. And we know that that's not true with the not-so-subtle attacks that we've seen. We've seen, for example, in 2022, like right after the Dobbs decision, Senate leadership decided to take or try to bring the Right to Contraception Act to the Senate floor for vote. And unfortunately, that failed. A lot of folks were saying, like, oh, we're pro-contraception, we're for people getting birth control. And then when it came down to vote on a bill that would enshrine the right to access birth control into federal law, they voted against it. And so, we see with these, like, not so subtle and also subtle attacks in the form of MDI or just completely vetoing policies that would improve access, that a lot of federal lawmakers are not actually pro-contraception. And we've seen that in some of the policies that they are unfortunately supporting or not supporting. So, just a little preview.

Tara: Yeah, and I can definitely echo some of what Monica has said at the state level. Definitely hear folks saying "no one is coming after birth control," definitely have folks trying to misclassify certain types of birth control. You know, one of the big things is an effort to redefine contraception from one that's based in science to one that's based on a moral view. And, you know, before going any further, it is fine to have your own moral view about what is right, what is wrong, what you want to use, what you don't want to use, but that should not be defining what everyone else has access to in their life. So, one of the most recent examples is in South Carolina, there was a lot of news coverage of a bill SB323, which is a total abortion ban that also redefines contraception. And so, while the immediate impact of the ban is on abortion access, which is bad enough in its own right, but it also lays the groundwork, right, for banning contraception down the road once you've changed the definition of contraception. And this is a bill that was drafted by National Right to Life. So, it means that we're likely to see copycats in other states trying to ban abortion. So, that's just like one example of a place where it's sort of a sneaky redefinition of contraception. And you know, it gives some people a little bit of plausible deniability where someone can say, like, no, this is not about that, and that's not about contraception, this is about abortion. Okay, that's already bad enough, but well, why are you changing this definition here? And then, even, you know, earlier this year I was listening to a debate in Wisconsin, in the Wisconsin House, where there is a Republican-sponsored bill to expand access to contraception via pharmacists prescribing, which a lot of states across the country already have. It is just another access point or would be another access point for folks in Wisconsin to be able to go to a pharmacy, a participating pharmacy, and get birth control prescribed by the pharmacist if it is, in fact, not contraindicated for them. And so there, yes, like I said, there's a Republican that is sponsoring this bill, has been sponsoring this bill for several years to get this enacted. And during the debate, rather, not even debating actually the policy, there one of the main opponents of the bill is a Republican in the House that is debating birth control, actually, and saying perpetuating these myths and just making up things like, oh, well, you're not supposed to be on birth control for more than what amount of time. You're supposed to take breaks, and just saying a bunch of nonsense that actually the man's the main sponsor of the bill responded to in good faith and striking down saying that those are those things are not true. And so, this is just a microcosm, these few examples of what is going on all around the country and states and things that are happening at the national level, like Monica said.

Jennie: Yeah, I feel like we've really been seeing the growth and proliferation of birth control as an "abortifacient" for a while now, right? Like it was used in the Hobby Lobby case. This year we saw it, and also tying into another federal level attack when the US government froze foreign assistance. A lot of commodities and things that were already bought with taxpayer dollars were in warehouses. One of those things was $10 million worth of birth control. A large chunk of that is in Belgium right now. And the administration is determined to burn it instead of letting other countries buy it or other NGOs buy it and make sure that it gets to the people who need it. And their line of argument, I mean, they've kind of thrown spaghetti at the wall for like multiple reasons why they want to burn it, but they used that it is "abortifacient," and it is decidedly not one. The US, as much as we would love them to, there is the Helms Amendment that says they can't fund abortion in foreign assistance. So, no, there are not abortifacients in that warehouse; there is birth control. So, just, like, tying the two together, right? You're seeing another administration attack on birth control, wanting to burn $10 million worth of US taxpayer money, spending more taxpayer money to burn it, and also spreading misinformation, disinformation, saying that it is an abortifacient.

Tara: Yes, that is a great example because how committed do you have to be, committed to being anti-birth control, then to burn existing stock of it, rather than giving it to people who want it.

Jennie: Especially when people are willing to pay for it.

Tara: Right.

Jennie: Like, you can make money.

Monica: And not only that, too, we also saw the administration like with what's happening currently and what has previously happened with the Title X family planning program, another way they have been sowing a lot of myths and disinformation is this idea that, like, Title X is about abortion, which it is not. And so, this idea that we can't fund Title X for that reason, and we all know this, right? We all know that Title X is one of the only federal programs dedicated to family planning, and it's a really important program for making sure that people, specifically marginalized communities, communities that wouldn't normally have access to family planning, have access, right? And that includes birth control. However, the administration decided in March of this year that, like, no, we're gonna actually withhold funds from a lot of Title X grantees for this reason that we made up because we think they're doing things that we don't think they should do. Therefore, we're gonna just freeze the money and not allow grantees of this program to get the funds that they need to serve their communities, right? So again, you can say you're pro-contraception, but how committed are you, as Tara mentioned, to like burning birth control or making up stories and then freezing Congressionally-appropriated funds, right? These are funds that have already been appropriated by Congress, but you're freezing those funds to say that, yeah, we're not gonna give these funds to Title X grantees, right? And that obviously is gonna impact the communities that those grantees serve, unfortunately.

Jennie: So, we've already touched on mis- and disinformation, but it is worth talking about on its own because there is so much of it out there. I mean, you start thinking about even social media, like you just- it is everywhere right now. And so, I feel like it deserves its own little light shone on it. So, what are we seeing around mis- and disinformation right now?

Monica: A lot. I know that's like, "well, duh." But I mean, we've seen a lot, both social media, we've seen in the media, journalists perpetuating mis and disinformation. Like you all just mentioned, it could be something as small as like as Tara mentioned with the debate on the Wisconsin House of like, oh no, you're supposed to take breaks with birth control. And it's little things like that. And I agree, I think talking about it deserves its own segment because what the result of mis- and disinformation is, is that people don't get access. If you perpetuate enough myths about what it means to access birth control, or you perpetuate myths about a specific method of birth control, what that does in return is it stigmatizes it, unfortunately, and then it results in policies being passed that would then further inhibit someone's ability to access it. And so, I think we've seen it as we both mentioned policy-wise, in the way that lawmakers or the administration has talked about it, but we've also seen it on social media with even influencers talking about birth control and saying things that are just simply not true.

Tara: Yeah. So essentially, because we have social media, it just spreads so much more widely than you know, thinking back like 20 years, 20 years ago when I was a younger person, a young person. And yeah, there were always these sort of ideas floating around. "Oh, if you use this one, you may not feel good." "If you use this, you might gain weight or it might not work for you." Those things kind of floated around, and those things were true for certain, could be true for certain people. And I think there's a difference between someone being able to go on and just share their own particular experience [and] people who are fearmongering online and maybe just trying to take an anecdote and turn it into fact. So, there is a lot of fear and confusion online. And we even today released our 2025 Youth Reproductive Health Survey data and that shows that social media narratives may be contributing to misconceptions among young people. For instance, half incorrectly believe that taking a break from birth control pills is necessary for health reasons. And, you know, when you hear somebody in the government, I mean, I don't know how often people are listening to floor debates in the house, but the more places you hear this anything, then the more likely you are to believe it. So this is actually, I think, you know, it is concerning that we're seeing this among youth because this then impacts their access. And another finding is that half worry that birth control has dangerous side effects, right? So of course, medications have side effects, all medications do. But the pill we know has a 60-year track record of being a safe, effective, contraceptive method for millions of people. So those are just some of the things that we've seen in this year's survey data.

Jennie: Yeah, I just think of how the scope and the scale is so different, right? Like, same, when I was in high school and stuff, you had the whisper network at your school of, like, you're gonna gain weight, or this is gonna make your mood be all over the place, or whatever. Like, you have that, and that's one level of misinformation you're getting. And again, not helpful, right? If you're getting things that are not true or that are scaring you away from getting more information or asking questions, right? But if you're like getting bombarded on social media with those narratives, like that's totally different because like all of a sudden with the algorithms and stuff, you've watched one video, well, then you're getting served even more of it that just keeps feeding that disinformation that is gonna make it really hard for you to find true information.

Monica: For sure. And I think something I love that we've done at Power to Decide, like from the data from the Your Health Survey, is realizing that a lot of young people, despite what people think, like, yes, young people love influencers. I also love influence, right? I do think they have a crucial and important role in shifting culture and narratives about sexual and reproductive health. But like a lot of young people, we found, do want information from healthcare providers, right? And so, a lot of the amazing work we've done with Bedsider and creating Bedsider is making sure that like young people do have a trusted healthcare provider online that they can like ask questions or they can go on Bedsider and just like search about articles about different things, about different methods, or like what does it mean to use birth control long-term versus short term and like that type of thing. And so, I do think that I love that that's an important resource that we at Power to Decide have been able to create and make sure that people can, you know, get not only the trusted information they need, but get it from the sources that they want to get it from.

Jennie: Yeah, it leads into one of the things I always talk about on the podcast is: you don't need to know all of the things. So, I don't need to know everything, but I need to be able to, if people ask me questions, be like, hey, have you heard of Bedsider? If you go there, you can get trusted information. Or "I need to find an abortion." Great. Here's I Need An A, or any number of resources where you can point people to ensure that they are getting good information. And that makes you a really valuable resource in your network, in your communities. So, you don't need to be able to answer all of the questions like, I'm thinking about whatever, I've had this problem. I don't need to know the answers to that, but I need to know that if I send them to Bedsider, they can find the information they need from trusted sources, and that is a really important role you can play in your community.

Tara: I think something that is helpful for people to think about is to think critically about where they're getting their information. So, you know, when you see something that pops up online or in your algorithm or on your for you page that makes you go, huh, really? Is that true? Then, you know, there are certain things that you can ask yourself to evaluate the, you know, the trustworthiness of that information. Is it from a credible medical source or provider? Can you find the same information from other trusted resources? Or is this like the only place that you're seeing it online? When is the information that you're looking at published? I mean, we know that science changes over time, right? Or what we know through science changes over time. So, if it's a paper from 40 years ago, I don't know, odds are our understanding of something could have changed. Or we could have better, better evidence or more evidence. And also, just thinking about whether or not the person, the video, the influencer, whether or not their perspective seems overly biased and one perspective. So, those are like a few questions that people can ask themselves when they things do pop up for them, in addition to going to Bedsider.

Jennie: Okay, now that we've hit some of the attacks we're seeing and missing disinformation, another thing we like to do is talk about things the audience can do. And y'all have a great opportunity today. So, what can the audience do?

Monica: Well, today is Thanks Birth Control Day, and so they can join us online for Thanks Birth Control and shout out, you know, what birth control has made possible for them. I think a lot of times when we think of things are on fire, because literally things are on fire, how do I show up in this moment and how can I be an advocate? In what ways in my life can I make changes to what's happening around me? And I think, and I know we just talked a lot of stuff about how sometimes social media and influencers get it wrong, but oftentimes they get it right. And I do think a way that you know people can take action is through social media, is through narrative and culture shift. Because I do think when we don't tell our stories and when we stay silent on the ways in which we've been impacted, whether that be negatively or positively, things don't shift. And so just why, you know, Thanks Birth Control, our campaign and campaigns like it is crucial because it allows people to not only talk about the ways in which birth control has made things positive for them but also remind us of like we still have a long way to go. You know, there's still policies that are needed, there's still more culture shift, there's still stigma around sexual health, period. Like there's still more that we can do. So, I do think just using your voice and telling your story, and again, joining us online for Thanks Birth Control Day is one thing that you can do. And checking out our resources, like Bedsider, also Abortion Finder, you know, are really good resources for just learning about sexual and reproductive health broadly.

Tara: Yeah, I totally agree with that, Monica. This will be our 13th year of our Thanks Birth Control Day campaign.

Jennie: Wow.

Tara: Yeah, which started off before I was with the organization, but sort of seeing backlash about birth control online. And it's still going to this day. So, we use the hashtag #ThxBirthControl, encourage people to share their stories in order to create a movement to normalize discussions about birth control, also to say what it's made possible for you. And yeah, like Monica said, also, you know, just like there is still stigma about it. So the more people talk about it, can de-stigmatize it, but also people in over the years have shared about their difficulty getting something, and you know, before having insurance, a certain method or whatnot, and how you know, being insured or using certain programs has helped them get the method that is right for them. And so, I think in this moment where we're seeing so many attacks, it is one way that we can show up and say this is something that is helpful for me, our communities, and this is what more we need in order to actualize contraceptive access for all.

Jennie: Yeah, this is one of those I feel like hits close to home for me. And also with our conversation today. I'm sure many in our audience are familiar. I went to Catholic school, K through eight, and had sex ed from a nun. As you can imagine, it was super effective and helpful and not at all stigmatizing. So, had lots of that, like, “birth control doesn't work.” So again, disinformation spread through my "sex education," (heavy air quotes) that I got. And so, you know, unlearning all that stigma and getting rid of all that stigma to now, like, brook in a field where I can very clearly shout, thanks, birth control, and talk about abortion, like that is huge. And it is so nice to see this every year because you know, along with stigma comes that don't talk about it, like don't share that you're on birth control because like it's bad. And so, it is really great to see this celebration every year. And I have taken part in it since day one, so it is just so great to see it again every year.

Tara: We always appreciate your participation, Jennie.

Monica: For sure. Because I mean it definitely is a campaign where you can like shout, like, oh yeah, like I've had birth control since I've wanted it and it's been great, but it is also a space for people to be like, you know, I did not get what I need for a very long time, or for some people, like, I still haven't gotten really what I needed. And it's a way to really have a space where people can be honest about, you know, the positives and the shortcomings. And I know people may also be just like you know, thinking about it in in this larger moment of like, how does this matter in the larger context of everything happening in the world? Because it all intersects and then it's about being able to achieve, you know, bodily autonomy and the ability to make decisions about your life, your body, your future, your family, your community, right? And it's a small part, but it is a very important part of being able to, you know, actualize what it means to have reproductive well-being, to have reproductive justice, to have a world in which everyone has what they need to really thrive. And you know, we need that. That's why we say, "thanks birth control," because it does allow us in many ways to work towards that future. I won't say achieve it because we have a long way to go, but to work towards that.

Jennie: Okay, one funny Thanks, Birth Control story, for having been involved in this for a long time. I don't know if you still have them because I haven't been on the site in a while; several years ago, there were pet t-shirts that said, "fur babies now, real babies maybe later." And I forced poor Cinder and Luna to put it on and take pictures. And I think they took it and hid it somewhere safe so that they I never can put it on them again because I have no idea where it is. It has completely disappeared. I am pretty sure they have taken it because they were not super psyched with wearing the t-shirt.

Tara: That's hilarious. I have an extra one if you want it. I also did make my dog do an obligatory picture with it. I don't think he was, it was too big for him, and he wasn't quite happy. The things they do for us.

Jennie: Right. They were definitely not amused. Tara, Monica, thank you so much for being here today. It was so much fun to talk to you.

Monica: Thanks for having us, Jennie.

Tara: Yeah, it was great talking to you as well.

Jennie: Okay, y'all. I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Tara and Monica. And just a quick reminder: Thanks, Birth Control Day is November 12th. It is not today when it comes out, it is tomorrow. Sorry for the confusion. We kept saying today and we meant tomorrow. So, with that, I hope you all will take a minute on Wednesday to tell us why you are thankful for your birth control with hashtag #ThxBirthControl. With that, I will see everybody next week. [music outro]

If you have any questions, comments, or topics you would like us to cover, always feel free to shoot me an email. You can reach me at jennie@reprosfightback.com, or you can find us on social media. We're at rePROs Fight Back on Facebook and Twitter, or @reprosfb on Instagram. I want to make sure more people find, rate, and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Or if you want to make sure to support the podcast, you can also donate on our website at reprosfightback.com. Thanks all!