Abortion is, by definition, a form of birth control, but I don’t think most people would ever consider it to be equal to other forms of controlling birth. However, let’s not forget that for a lot of people abortion is quite literally the only birth control they may have access to, and even that access may come at huge risk. There are often family, social, religious (this is the big one), or cultural pressures that get in the way of accessing contraceptives until it is too late.
Yeah, I was getting at living in a religious household, but I can say from experience that it goes far deeper than that. There is way too often a toxic and parasitic mentality that constantly says things like birth control are evil and aren’t to be talked about. When that kind of thinking permeates every aspect of one’s life or community, it can make it difficult, humiliating, or outright dangerous for people to seek out things like contraceptives.
Also, I know this thinking doesn’t hold true of all religious folks, and it’s refreshing to see someone genuinely curious and asking questions rather than judging automatically, so thank you.