Our president’s crusade to eliminate power for people he considers inferior to himself manifests itself in infinite scenarios. Things like DACA, the ban on transgender Americans in the army, and the elimination of the Affordable Care Act have all been hot button topics in recent news.

Trump’s opinions getting mixed up with his work have always been an issue, and birth control is not exempt from that. His administration’s cop-out on the mandated policy that requires employers and business’ cover birth control for their female employees has shaken and worried many people. He is using the decision from the Supreme Court case Burwell v. Hobby Lobby and utilizing it to its extreme with the purpose of not giving women a choice at all. Burwell v. Hobby Lobby was decided in 2014. It stated some corporations and business’ could be exempt from some regulations if the owners religiously object to it, such as the mandate for insurance covered birth control.

Extending the Hobby Lobby decision gives him a chance to get his political supporters excited at the chance to take birth control away.

“Easy access birth control is extremely important. All women should be able to have affordable, if not free access,” says senior Camila Mejia. “It’s not only fundamental for women’s health, but also can be used for so much more than pregnancy prevention.”

Birth control’s multitude of uses is common knowledge to many, but some still believe its only function is pregnancy prevention. According to Cleveland Nurse Teagan Leipzig, ”[The] pill is good for acne, it can regulate your periods. Some people have really bad cramps or side effects from their periods and it can help regulate those things.” It’s also used to treat pertinent medical conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Endometriosis, and Primary Ovarian Insufficiency, and anemia prevention.   

Denying people insurance for birth control is absurd. Birth control allows people to have functioning lives and take control of their sexuality. The “pro-life” side advocates against abortions, but refuses to acknowledge that easy, affordable access to birth control would diminish the number of abortions performed, by preventing pregnancy in the first place.

The fundamental right to birth control should not be taken away just because of Trump’s biases. People of all genders need to speak out in order to regain fundamental rights. Join a movement, go to protests, donate money to places like Planned Parenthood. Even having a conversation can start a ripple effect that might change the course of this decision.