TED
Mark Edwards, founder of the non-profit organization Upstream, discusses the challenges that some women face in obtaining effective birth control in the US through the story of Sophia, a mother of three who became pregnant while on the pill. Edwards argues that access to comprehensive contraception is essential in reducing unplanned pregnancies and inequalities and advocates for a screening process where patients are offered a range of contraceptive options with full information to make an informed choice. Upstream successfully trained the healthcare system in Delaware resulting in a 23% decrease in unplanned pregnancies and a 37% decrease in abortions. Access to birth control should be a basic provision in primary healthcare and is a foundation of equal opportunity, according to Edwards.
In this section, the speaker shares Sophia's story to highlight the challenges people often face when trying to access effective birth control. Sophia became pregnant with her third child while on the pill, and despite her attempts to access other, more effective forms of contraception, she faced numerous barriers. The speaker believes access to comprehensive contraception is a key factor in reducing unplanned pregnancies and inequalities. His non-profit, Upstream, aims to provide best-in-class contraceptive care in primary care facilities and train health centers to prioritize patient-centered needs. He advocates for a screening process that establishes what patients want and offers them a range of contraceptive options with full information so they can make an informed choice.
In this section, Mark Edwards explains how his organization, Upstream, trained the entire healthcare system in Delaware to empower patients in the process of obtaining birth control. Patient surveys showed that more than half of all pregnancies in Delaware were unplanned, but three years after Upstream's intervention, the percentage of births from unplanned pregnancies decreased by 23%, and the abortion rate decreased by 37%, the largest decline in any state in the country. Upstream is now working in 14 states with plans to go national. Edwards urges that access to birth control should be a basic provision in primary healthcare and is a foundation of equal opportunity.
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