The development of an anti-pregnancy vaccine would save millions of lives, prevent the spread of mass overpopulation (we just hit 7 billion people, for those who hadn’t heard—a completely unsustainable number that would take around three or more Earths to sustain if each of them lived like an American) and allow millions of people—particularly women—to control their lives and get themselves out of poverty (or escape it altogether). Perhaps the idea of women actually controlling their fates is what has everyone in an uproar.

Some people against the vaccine are arguing that the reason it’s a bad idea is that it’s been forced upon women to sterilize them in some countries. This, of course, is a horrendous thing to do—but that does not mean that the vaccine itself is a bad idea. That’s like saying that because my Sudafed may be used to make meth (as it often is used in my county), it should be altogether banned—even though it’s practically life-saving for me during cold and flu season.

The problem here isn’t the vaccine. It’s misogyny and not trusting women. It’s violence against women and not allowing women body autonomy—all problems we have with or without the vaccine. Having the vaccine, however, would save my life and the lives of millions of other women who could die from pregnancy or childbirth without putting us through a dangerous surgery—which would not only put our own lives at risk, but also possibly rob our current children of their own mothers, which is why I won’t go through with it. I am susceptible to infections after surgery and almost died before; I’m not doing that again.

Others argue that vaccines should only be used against diseases, and that a pregnancy is not a disease. That’s sheer bull, in my humble opinion. Pregnancy is the cause of hundreds of diseases, and preventing it can save thousands of lives. And many of the side effects and other concerns do not seem valid to me as much as they seem like scare tactics to keep women pregnant—as many politicians and general misogynists want to do in the first place.

I would completely support this vaccine if offered, and I fully hope that it is further researched and made safe in my lifetime. It would be a huge blessing to the women in the world who either do not want to have children or who simply want to control their own bodies.