As a 20-year-old, my Facebook news feed is flooded with pregnancy announcements and baby photos from my peers. 

While I’m happy for them, the thought of someone my age having a child is surreal to me. I can’t imagine having the responsibility of a child while also meeting the demands of school and work, yet I know several people who juggle all of it. I greatly respect those who choose to raise a child in their college years, as it is a decision requiring a lot of sacrifice and major lifestyle changes. 

What I don’t understand is that it is perfectly acceptable for women to make the decision to become a mother in her early 20s, but it is not acceptable for women of the same age to choose not to have children. 

Young women without children who seek permanent birth control will find it nearly impossible to find a doctor willing to perform a tubal ligation. A common response to women who request a tubal ligation is that they may change their mind in the future. Thus, no matter how resolute a woman may be in her desire not to have children, the decision is ultimately up to her doctor. 

I believe that women are capable of making this decision for themselves, and it would be a great benefit to child free women if doctors were legally unable to deny a tubal ligation to women at least 21 years of age. 

According to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, a tubal ligation is a permanent form of birth control in which the fallopian tubes are burned, clipped, cut or tied to prevent eggs from reaching the uterus so that the egg and sperm cannot meet for fertilization. Rather than performing this procedure on women who request it, most doctors suggest alternative, non-permanent forms of contraception such as condoms, birth control or intrauterine devices.  

However, there are many disadvantages to these forms of birth control that are not seen in tubal ligations. According to Planned Parenthood, six percent of people are allergic to condoms, and two percent of women using condoms will still become pregnant. This number jumps to 18 percent if condoms are not used correctly. Additionally, many people feel as though condoms reduce physical pleasure during sex. 

Birth control pills must be taken at the same time each day in order to reach full effectiveness. Nine percent of women who don’t always take birth control as directed will become pregnant. Birth control can become less effective if taken along with antibiotics, certain HIV medicines, certain anti-seizure medicines and other medications. Vomiting, which can be a side effect of birth control, can also reduce birth control effectiveness. Birth control can exacerbate mental health problems such as depression, cause serious side effects in older individuals with health complications and can significantly reduce female libido. 

Intrauterine devices, also known as IUDs, are mostly effective. In some cases, IUDs can slip out of the uterus, especially when used by women who are young and have not had children. In rare cases infection can develop, or the IUD can push through the wall of the uterus, and, if uncorrected, can move around and harm other parts of the body. 

Women who don’t want children should be able to choose the best form of birth control for them. Society should be able to acknowledge and accept that not all women desire to be mothers, and that having children can seriously change the course of one’s life. Denial of a tubal ligation is simply another way for society to tell women that they are not capable of making their own life choices.