There's never been a more important time to care about birth control.

Birth control is the silent workhorse in our lives. It's also something most of us take for granted. But in the face of attacks on reproductive health, we simply can't afford for birth control to be a taboo topic any longer.

Protected explores questions such as, how has birth control changed over the years? Will there ever be a birth control pill for men? Why is birth control so politically controversial? Why are Black women more likely to prefer methods they can start and stop without a visit to the doctor? Are hormones in birth control safe? What impact will the overturn of Roe v. Wade have on the ability to get birth control? What does religion really say about it? Are there better methods out there, either right now or coming in the future?

On an individual level, birth control changes lives. It means finishing school before starting a family. It means managing pain to make daily activities bearable. The benefits accrued across the millions of individuals using birth control have added up to huge societal impacts. When societies have greater access to birth control, women obtain more education, get better jobs, and earn higher wages. Greater economic mobility for women contributes to a more gender equal society. Societies need birth control. We need birth control.

Protected tells the story of birth control, it's past, present, and future, with the goal that after you read it, you will help spread the word about the essential role of birth control in empowering individuals and shaping society.