Of course, access to birth control is so important but depending on where you live, it's not always easy. But there's a game changer. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy’s Bedsider.org, the nation’s leading online birth control support network, recently announced the launch of Delivered to Your Door, a service that allows you to find which companies can deliver birth control directly to you. Not only that, you can also quickly check for health centers and emergency contraceptive providers in your area.
“Millions of women don’t have ready access to contraception, either due to not having a convenient local provider that offers the full range of birth control methods or not having the time or transportation to get to a pharmacy,” Ginny Ehrlich, CEO of The National Campaign, said in a press release. “Bedsider’s new service is not just a convenience, it’s an important tool that helps women more effectively access contraception.”
Considering that research from the campaign shows that 20 million women who are eligible for publicly-funded contraception live in contraceptive deserts — aka areas without reasonable access to public provisions of comprehensive birth control — we really, really need this.
"We must give credit to the people who are creating the resources that make it possible to order your birth control online and get it delivered directly to your door," Larry Swiader, The National Campaign's VP of Digital Media tells Bustle. "Without their efforts and ingenuity our work isn’t possible. Our inspiration for the listings is twofold: the growing number of states (now all 50 and DC) in which you can get birth control delivered to your door, and an awareness of the people who live in rural areas, have transportation barriers, or who are homebound and need exactly this kind of service."
How does it work? Well, it's easy. So easy that you basically just put in your zip code.
Easy. Birth control delivery is rising in popularity. If you're interested, here are some other services you can check out:
1. Nurx
Nurx, a birth control delivery app, is set to be the 'Uber of birth control'. With loads of options for different birth controls and a step-by-step guide to finding the right for you, they make it easy. And it looks like it could be the next big thing. Though right now it's only available in California, New York, D.C., Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Washington, so you might not be covered.
2. The Pill Club
Want a simple delivery system with maybe a cheeky chocolate to boot? Take a look at The Pill Club. "[There are] many barriers in place for women who are seeking birth control," Nick Chang, a former medical student at Duke and founder of The Pill Club, tells Bustle. "If TPC can help reduce those barriers, that's a step towards empowering individuals to use their agency to make informed decisions about their health, their bodies, their present, and their future." And now's the time we need it.
3. PRJKT RUBY
A group with an awesome name that I had never heard of until I threw my childhood zip code into Bedsider, PRJKT RUBY is pretty effing cool. Because not only do they deliver birth control, with their Take1Give1 program, you can know you're giving back. Their website explains, "As soon as you purchase birth control, feel awesome knowing that you’re helping a woman in the developing world get access to birth control. She’ll be able to pick up her supply at the local clinic, get counseling, stay in school and make her community thrive." That's right, when you buy birth control they donate birth control to a woman in a developing country. Like I said, pretty effing cool.
Make sure to look around and find the best option for you. "Delivered to your door birth control access adds to the options you have to get the method of birth control that’s right for you," Swiader tells Bustle. "More access and more choice can never be a bad thing — in any political climate."
