Just want some reassurance
This post is really long and the body is just a huge rant so sorry lol, question is at the very end
For starters, I’m 18F and have pretty bad tokophobia, discussions around pregnancy/family building/giving birth and just the general idea that my body has the ability to do that makes me feel queasy. I’ve hated the idea of it ever since I learned about pregnancy and I’ve been looking at sterilization since high school.
Until I know there’s absolutely no chance of it happening I’m staying abstinent; no parties, no substances, no dating, no flirting, distancing myself from any guy who might have feelings for me, no being left in semi-private/private spaces with men unless there’s at least a few other girls in there too, etc etc. It feels kind of paranoid but I’m just not willing to take a chance with anything.
The main issue is that I come from a family that’s half-expecting me to give them kids, I doubt they’d try to stop me from getting a bisalp or anything (at least I dont think I’ll be in a position where they can do anything significant about it) but they definitely wouldn’t approve. I’ve also gotten into convos with friends about it and they’ll tell me that it’s a crazy/hasty step to take. Basically I just dont have anyone to talk to about this and it weighs on me. Usually I just deal with it but I’ve been so on edge and I need to rant.
Now that election season is here, I’m really nervous that Project 2025 will set a precedent in the medical industry to value women’s fertility over quality of life. I don’t think I’ll be able to think about sterilization until I get out of college/find somewhat of a stable job, but that’s going to take at least 3 years and I’m just kind of terrified, I’m not really looking to date anyway but I don’t know if that’s because I’m aromantic or because I’m too scared of getting into a relationship that gets me knocked up.
It’s also just generally frustrating to feel like I’m at the mercy of my own body. I don’t like it here. I constantly want to crawl out of my skin and I just feel so trapped and suppressed all the time. Idk im just rambling/ranting atp
So i guess my question is what do we think sterilization/child free healthcare is going to look like in the US 3-5 years from now? How cooked am I??