Why is Everyone Anti-Birth Control Now?

Authored by: Kendall Eddington

Art by: Chloe Lee

When you search #birthcontrol on TikTok, you’ll be flooded with thousands of videos of young women bashing birth control’s side effects, and self-described fertility experts cautioning against its use. This anti-birth control narrative is a surprising shift, given contraception’s historic roots in sexual liberation, and especially in the current political and legal landscape. Once a tool for the feminist movement, there has been a sharp rise in anti-birth control sentiments across the political spectrum. But what caused this shift? How can we balance concerns of misinformation and propaganda against valid criticisms of women’s birth control?

Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, the distinction between abortifacients and contraceptives have become a point of contention. One poll found major knowledge gaps in the differences between emergency contraception (commonly known as Plan B) and abortion pills. In total, the poll found that 73% surveyed incorrectly believed that emergency contraceptive pills can end early stage pregnancies [1]. This confusion over what constitutes contraception versus abortion has dangerous consequences for reproductive policy, and will pave the way for more restrictive birth control laws. For example, bans may be interpreted to limit contraceptive access. Abortion bans in states like Tennessee and Missouri define pregnancy at the moment of fertilization and the moment of conception respectively, while medical organizations define it as the implantation of a fertilized egg. Additionally, while Medicaid requires coverage of family planning services, some states have excluded emergency contraceptives from their programs [1]. In an anti-abortion political landscape rife with misinformation and fearmongering, it is no surprise that there has been a rise of anti-birth control sentiments.

Social media platforms have amplified this trend. One study analyzed posts on TikTok tagged with #HormonalBirthControl and #FertilityAwarenessMethod to compare tones and creator types. For the hormonal birth control hashtag, 63.3% of the videos had a negative tone and 73.3% were created by patients. Whereas in the fertility hashtag, 24.4% had a negative tone and 83.5% were created by non-medical professionals—self-described “fertility awareness educators” and “hormone health coaches” [2]. A study of 838,739 tweets mentioning contraceptive methods from 2006 to 2019 found that the greatest proportion of all tweets were negative compared to neutral or positive [3]. 

Because of this discussion of birth control online, with the majority of posts originating from patients and non-medical professionals, it is no surprise that misinformation and lack of scientific clarity is present. One study on the role of social media in shaping birth control mistrust interviewed young women and found that “the term ‘hormones’ itself has become charged with negative, risk-laden connotations… knowledge of what hormones are and what effect they have on the female body appears limited.” The women interviewed instead came to conclusions based on blog posts and videos on social media that promoted hormone-free contraception methods [4].

 However, interviewees also noted that they were resistant to use hormonal contraceptives because women bear the burden of side effects and complications that come with ingesting hormones, while men do not. This observation of unfairness in contraceptive burden is not new. In fact, even though clinical trials for male birth control have demonstrated up to 96% effectiveness, the trial was halted by a committee that determined the drug’s side effects outweighed the benefits—even though those side effects, including depression and mood swings, are exactly the same side effects for female birth control [5].

It seems that the rise in anti-birth control sentiments online are a result of scientific misinformation and disillusionments with slow advancements in birth control research. This misinformation on social media is only more dangerous in the current political landscape, where politicians also obfuscate scientific definitions to make contraceptive access difficult or illegal. Birth control is a powerful tool for family planning and women’s autonomy, and it is important to acknowledge the roots of mistrust and confusion over hormonal contraception to combat the anti-birth control sentiment. 

References

1. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2023, October 26). The right to contraception: State and federal actions, misinformation, and the courts [Issue Brief]. https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/the-right-to-contraception-state-and-federal-actions-misinformation-and-the-courts/ 

2. McElrath, M. E. (2024). Trending anti-birth control sentiments on social media: An analysis of #HormonalBirthControl videos. Contraception. Advance online publication. https://www.contraceptionjournal.org/article/S0010-7824(24)00360-3/fulltext contraceptionjournal.org

3. Merz, A. A., [et al.]. (2021). Population attitudes toward contraceptive methods over time: A Twitter analysis (2006–2019). American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Volume 224, Issue 6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937820313788 ScienceDirect

4. Schneider-Kamp, A. (2023). Interrogating the pill: Rising distrust and the reshaping of health risk perceptions in the social media age. Social Science & Medicine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953623004380 ScienceDirect+1

5. Wu, K. J. (2024, April 3). The coming birth-control revolution. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2024/04/birth-control-male-contraception-revolution/677954/ The Atlantic