Kovi Altamirano

Here’s a USA Today article  informing young woman about contraceptive sabotage, or what they call reproductive coercion. It says that women should look out for relationships where a partner is “hiding or destroying a woman’s birth control method of choice; poking holes in a condom or removing it during sex; coercing a woman to carry out or end a pregnancy against her will through violence or threats; and intentionally exposing her to a sexually transmitted disease.” Another study shows that 1 out of 5 teen are exposed to intimate partner violence, commonly associated with contraceptive sabotage. That study quotes a 17 year old who said:

“Like the first couple of times, the condom seems to break every time. You know what I mean, and it was was just kind of funny, like, the first 6 times the condom broke. Six condoms, that’s kind of rare. I could understand 1 but 6 times, and then after that when I got on the birth control, he was just like always saying, like you you should should have have my baby, you should have my daughter, you should have my kid.”

Destroying or hiding contraception and threatening you when you use it is a form relationship abuse, and should be taken very seriously. We suggest that you keep track of your contraception – bring your own condom, know exactly what your birth control pills look like and check them before you take them, and check to be sure your ring is in place – and if you feel like you are being pressured to do things you don’t want to do please reach out for help. Text teen2teen to 839863 or call 1-877-968-8491. Take care of yourself!