Forget about politics and morals. At end of it, birth and birth control are about money. These are the most important figures on the subject that you must know:

1. Generic versions of birth control pill costs $9/month. (brand name pills cost 10 times more - $90)
2. Vaginal ring or birth-control patch costs $660 a year, and using a diaphragm and spermicide (including mandatory doctor's exam) costs $60/year
3. Condoms, used twice a week cost $150/year.
4. Getting an annual birth control shot (Depo-Provera) costs $220-$460.
5. Getting an intrauterine device (IUD) implanted (effective for up to 12 years, 99 percent effective) costs $600-$1,000.
6. One-time cost of a vasectomy (male sterilization) is $350-$1,000.
7. One-time cost of female sterilization costs $1,500-$6,000.

Or, consider the 'other' free route: Abstinence and "fertility awareness" (rhythm method)

Now, consider these figures:

1. 6.7 million pregnancies in the U.S. every year.
2. Almost one-half of these pregnancies is unintended (3.2 million)
3. An average, middle-income couple spends $12,500 annually each child (USDA figures)
4. The government spends $11.1 billion ($6.5 billion federal, $4.6 billion states) each year on the births of unintended babies in 2006