mellopetitone:

I’m normally private about these things, but this is something I feel I should say.

Today, the condom broke. I am female-bodied. There are serious consequences to this situation. There are so many things that could go wrong and I was glad every moment that they all went so right.

• My partner was supportive and ended up being more worried than me.
• My partner offered to help pay for emergency contraception.
• He walked me to the Planned Parenthood, stayed, and walked me back.
• The Planned Parenthood was across the street and in a discrete location, for those that value that.
• There was NO JUDGEMENT. NONE.
• I walked up, said “I need Plan B”, and they told me to come fill out a form.
• I gave them my information, paid, got the pills, and left.

It could have been so much worse. At every point I kept thinking about how it could have gone differently and how lucky I was. It’s not just luck, though. It’s access to birth control. I can buy condoms in most stores (though there are issues with access/protocols/attitudes that discourage getting them). I can get to somewhere that sells Plan B. I am allowed to get it. It’s not prohibitively expensive. I’m not judged. There is nothing preventing me from getting it that is something that can be easily fixed. The only thing in my situation that was negative was the stigma and worry about how it would happen. I was so relieved when I asked for Plan B and their response was “Come on back.”

Birth control is important. Access is important, in terms of location, protocols, attitudes, stigma, all of it. Cost is important. Non-judgement and even support are important. Don’t think that access to birth control is some sort of magic switch for having lots of sex (which isn’t necessarily even a bad thing). Birth control, in any form, will always be needed.