Why Contraception Should Be Everyone’s Responsibility

It’s time to reclaim your control.

Just like any other aspect of your physical or emotional health, it’s important to be both informed and empowered when it comes to safe sex and contraception.

And if you’re looking for an easy form of contraception to prevent both unwanted pregnancies and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), condoms are the way to go.

But have you noticed it stereotypically seems to be a man’s job to carry condoms with him? It’s time for women to shift the narrative and open up the conversation around safe sex (which includes being prepared with a few rubbers too).

Moments Condoms are leading the way in their mission to make women feel confident purchasing condoms and making good times, safe times. Oh, and they won’t break the budget either with 40 per cent off using this exclusive deal!

We spoke with Kate Raston and Nicolette Beard, health promotion practitioners and the co-founders of We Are Womxn, to get the lowdown on why carrying condoms is everyone’s responsibility.

Who are ‘We Are Womxn’?

In 2020, during the very beginning of the COVID pandemic, Kate and Nicolette teamed up to start We Are Womxn, offering evidence-based health programs in classrooms to supplement the school health curriculum.

Nicolette—a primary school teacher and experienced in global health promotion—and Kate, who spent much of her early career working in the health sector of rural communities, were united by their passion to “educate and empower young women”.

“Our goal is to eventually create a society where there is no stigma for young women,” they said.

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Taking control of your sexual health.

Kate and Nicolette promote sex positivity, which they see as “being able to communicate your wants and needs in sex, being able to create and set healthy sexual boundaries and being able to advocate for your own sexual health”.

What does that look like? Well taking care of contraception yourself, for one thing.

“We find that lots of young women still carry this stigma that’s like, ‘oh no, we don’t carry the condoms, that’s not our responsibility’,” Kate said.

“We’re really trying to push to them that it is. Like, you need to take the first move and be the one to be confident with your sexual health… It’s my sex life so I need to take responsibility,” Nicolette added.

“Even though most girls are on their own other form of contraception, you should always be prepared and not be embarrassed about carrying condoms around. It’s okay for girls to want sex and take control of their sexual health.”

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Let’s get ‘sciencey’ for a minute—why are condoms so important?

Kate and Nicolette both agreed the number one reason for wearing a condom is to prevent STIs.

“Condoms are one of the only things that prevent you from getting STIs. Obviously, they’re not foolproof and you can still contract an STI even using a condom, like the herpes virus,” they said.

“I think young people think, ‘okay, cool, get an STI and treat it and move forward’ which is very true and there’s nothing to be ashamed about having an STI. But it’s better for your health to obviously not contract an STI.”

Aside from that, condoms (as with all forms of contraception) also help to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

“You can just enjoy [sex] a lot more because you’re not thinking about all these potential outcomes… you can actually be in the moment and enjoy it without the stress of what could happen later,” Kate said.