Letter 32: Letter from Amanda

 

Dear Annie,

It was heartbreaking to hear your story and to read the letters from your family. Thank you to you and your family for choosing to share your story to the public. It’s a story that not only women, but men, families, health care providers, and policymakers must hear. Your story has moved women across the country to share their own experiences and has compelled many more to act. 

It horrifies me how to this day, Yaz, Yasmin, and other similar birth control pills remain on the market. It proves to me again that, despite women making up 51 percent of the U.S. population, women’s health remains overlooked and women’s bodies remain commodities under the control of corporations and the state. 

It’s frightening to me, a 20 year old woman, how little my doctors know about the effects
different types of birth control will have on my body. I worry what it will do to my mental and physical health and even my life. Due to these worries, I have put off going on birth control, but as I get older, I know I won’t be able to put it off much longer. I can’t help but think if this were a male issue, dosages and side effects wouldn’t be this arbitrary and unknown. As a woman of color, I also face the stigma from my traditional family regarding birth control, limiting my knowledge of my options and risks and also forcing me to keep any possible health concerns secret. 

Your story strengthens my desire to work in women’s health and to advocate for women’s issues. Currently a college student, I hope to work in public health, working at the intersection of government and science. I hope that one day, women won’t have to be taking a chance when they make decisions about their body. I hope that one day, the country won’t fail its women. 

Sincerely,
Amanda

 

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