I’m writing this in response to Alex Kindell’s letter “Story shows paper’s bias” from Sept. 20. While I agree with most of what she said, I want to point out a very blatant and ignorant belief that seemed to echo throughout the letter. It sounded as if Alex was insisting that the pill is the only form of birth control that will, in fact, control birth. There was even so bold a statement that seemed to claim that if you’re sexually active and not taking the pill, you will get pregnant. This is obviously not true.

I find it sadly ironic that she complained of the Northerner article being biased and she herself overlooked any other types of birth control as alternatives to the pill. It is also my feeling that the Northerner made this very same mistake when publishing the article on the pill, but that is a whole other story. Alex said that we should all be educated on birth control, but where did she provide any beginning topics with which we could begin to educate ourselves? All I saw was information about oral contraceptives, and that’s not very educational considering how many different methods are available.

This being said, I want to make it known that I was on the pill for a year and a half before stopping for personal reasons. I have nothing against the pill and I believe it to be a very good choice for birth control. Having access to a whole slew of birth control options is a woman’s right, not just a choice, and I think it’s terrible that we keep ourselves in such a state of ignorance sometimes. There are other methods out there that are not as well publicized but work just as well with little planning, and only requiring a shadow of intelligence to maneuver.

Condoms for example, are one of those. There’s also Depo-Provera, also known as the shot; diaphragms; the patch; an intra-uterine device, though this is a riskier method and requires a good, long conversation with your gynecologist; the NuvaRing; The Fertility Awareness Method; and of course abstinence, to name a few. Even with as many options as there are out there, don’t forget that each one still has its own set of risks and side-effects.

Birth control is about being educated and aware of what works for your body. Don’t let yourself be bullied in to or out of using one method by some college newspaper articles and an individual’s opinion.

Instead, educate yourself wholly by doing some independent studying and by talking to your doctors and gynecologists. Women have to start taking responsibility for themselves instead of thinking every article and ‘fact’ they read is objective when most articles on this topic do, indeed, have some very strong biases. Take back your bodies, ladies.

Cambridge Broxterman Sophomore Psychology major