Should birth control be free?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Should birth control be free?
Position1 of 3›: Yes, birth control should be free
Argument‹3 of 5›: Abortions will be reduced

Allowing women free access to birth control will reduce the number of abortions.

The argument

Access to birth control prevents unwanted pregnancy. Fewer unwanted pregnancies likely means fewer abortions. A study from the Washington University School of Medicine revealed that women who had free access to birth control methods "were significantly less likely to have an unwanted pregnancy or induce an abortion and were more likely to be adherent to treatment". Fewer abortions is beneficial to the overall mental and physical health of women. Choosing abortion takes a terrible toll. Removing barriers between women and birth control instills habits that will last until far into adulthood, allowing women to choose if they have children, and if so, when.

Premises

[P1]Access to birth control prevents unwanted pregnancies, and a Washington University School of Medicine study found women with free contraception were significantly less likely to have an unwanted pregnancy or induce an abortion. [P2] Fewer abortions benefits women's mental and physical health, and removing the cost barrier instills lasting habits that let women choose if and when to have children. [C] Therefore, because free birth control would reduce abortions, birth control should be free.

Counter-arguments

Access to free birth control doesn't mean that people will use it. We cannot guarantee that the responsibility of users will increase with the removal of barriers between them and birth control.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] We cannot know that this is the case.