Medical Sexism in Prescribing Birth Control

Practically everyone  who is eligible to use birth control chooses to use it at some point in their life. And the availability of contraception to those who want it is central to our autonomy and equality.  Angela Davis  writes, “Birth control—individual choice, safe contraceptive methods, as well as abortion when necessary—is a fundamental prerequisite for the emancipation of women.” So why is birth control still so difficult to obtain? Why do Americans struggle to access contraception when it is over-the-counter in  over 100 countries ? Why is it so challenging to receive prescriptions and prescription refills when doctors agree that birth control is safe, effective, and medically necessary? And why do some individuals still face obstacles to contraception due to the imposition of what amounts to irrelevant and often unnecessary yearly testing for unrelated conditions like STDs and cancer?

The answer to these questions is tied to what  I call , “ medical sexism ,” in which medical means or medical ends are used to uphold, assert, or achieve a gendered hierarchy of  maleness and masculinity over femaleness and femininity .