Take it in the order it comes in in the pack. Take it at the same time every day. Set an alarm on your phone, just to make sure. If you miss a pill, take it as soon as you remember. The pill does not protect against STDs. The rules of Birth control are simple-but must be followed exactly for optimal effectiveness. They are extremely familiar facts for millions of women across the country.

Roughly 62 percent of women of reproductive age take an oral contraceptive daily, according to National Health Statistics Reports. However, uncertainty about the Affordable Care Act causes uncertainty about guaranteed birth control coverage. Guttmacher Institute explains that since 2010, the Affordable Care Act has required complete coverage of roughly 18 forms of contraception. The idea of this guarantee disappearing is terrifying for women who cannot afford the upwards of $50 for their method of birth control.

Over the last month, President Donald Trump and his administration have made a number of changes to healthcare which rolled back mandates for companies to cover certain forms of contraceptive. Namely, the recall of Obamacare. Most insurance companies still cover the pill, but some do not cover other contraceptive options like Intrauterine Devices (IUDs), which raises concern about oral contraceptives being next on the list of contraceptives requiring a co-pay.

Some politicians and citizens argue that birth control gives women an excuse to have casual sex and that insurance should not be responsible for covering their sexual activities. What they cease to take into consideration is the nearly two thirds of women on the pill for medical reasons. Close to a third of teenage pill users take it in order to regulate hormonal acne; 30 percent of all pill users are looking to regulate menstruation and menstrual pain, according to Guttmacher Institute. Since 71 percent of elected officials are men, it makes sense that they do not understand the importance of menstrual regulation. Aside from these uses, oral contraceptives can be used to treat endometriosis, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, amenorrhea and Primary Ovarian Insufficiency.

Birth control pills have many medical uses, but in many cases boil down to contraception, and there is nothing wrong with that. Abstinence is unrealistic, because sex is part of human nature. Covering birth control is much cheaper than covering expenses for an unwanted child for the rest of their lives because the mother could not afford the birth control to begin with.