My views on birth control

About 89% of adults in America support birth control, but there's a lot of debate about whether people should be forced to pay for contraception. In the pro-life movement specifically, there's a lot of debate about what kinds of birth control are acceptable, if any. Many nonsectarian pro-life groups hold the position that birth control should not act as an abortifacient, but many pro-lifers debate about what that means. Although at least 78% of self-described pro-lifers support birth control, many vocal pro-lifers are against birth control because they believe it's ineffective, promotes irresponsibility, promotes premarital sex, disrespects fertility, or that it acts as an abortifacient.
As a pro-lifer, I totally support birth control, as long as it is safe for the people using it and it doesn't act as an abortifacient. Although birth control has a questionable history (many birth control supporters also supported eugenics), and it has had some negative effects on society, I think it's done more good than bad.
Many vocal pro-lifers argue that birth control is ineffective, saying that a large percentage of unplanned pregnancies happened when the couple has used contraception. Although birth control isn't as effective as abstinence, it works pretty darn well, and when it fails, it's usually due to human failure.
Another common argument against birth control is that it promotes irresponsibility. There is certainly truth to that, but it's usually due to lack of education. However, when people know how birth control works, it does the opposite, and people are more responsible about sex. It is also important to understand the difference between irresponsible sex and non-procreative sex. Irresponsible sex is when people do it without being willing to deal with the consequences, and non-procreative sex is when people do it because they love each other and/or because they simply enjoy sex. That's okay.
Many critics of birth control argue that it promotes casual sex and has caused the breakdown of the family. There is certainly truth to that, but it is important to realize that many married couples use birth control, even if they're otherwise very conservative about sex. The way to deal with that problem is to teach people the negative effects of casual sex, and the importance of responsibility.
Another criticism that people have about birth control is that it disrespects fertility. Although fertility is awesome, many people forget that individual freedom is more important. Using birth control is not the same as disrespecting your fertility. It's a personal choice, and it (usually) doesn't kill anyone.
That leads me to another argument pro-lifers make against birth control. They argue that hormonal birth control can act as an abortifacient. Although that may be true with certain types of birth control, most forms of birth control only prevent conception, and research suggests that it is unlikely that the birth control pill acts as an abortifacient. Even Plan B, which many pro-lifers criticize, is unlikely an abortifacient. In fact, I'd be more worried about the research suggesting that Plan B is ineffective.
That being said, I don't support forcing people to pay for birth control. Even though I support birth control, I believe that people have the right to live according to their conscience, as long as it doesn't violate the Non-Aggression Principle. Besides, it's not the government's job to pay for birth control. Unfortunately, many people don't understand this simple concept:

Just saying.