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The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the fundamental right to abortion is fueling fears among some Americans that the next step could be to curb access to contraceptives.
Birth control is still legal in the United States, but abortion rights advocates and medical providers have warned that an investment Roe could be applied to reduce access to contraception. For many, this fear was confirmed by the concurring opinion of Judge Clarence Thomas, in which he said the high court should review previous decisions, including one that protected the right to obtain contraceptives.
Some state lawmakers may also try to curb access to birth control. Most medical providers agree that birth control methods only work to prevent a pregnancy before it starts, but some anti-abortion organizations oppose specific methods of birth control, saying they can end a pregnancy. instead of preventing it.
With Roe v. Wade overturned, the legality of abortion has been left to the states. Some worry that access to certain types of contraception may be as follows. (Video: Julie Yoon, Hadley Green, Sarah Hashemi / The Washington Post)
Reacting to the reversal of Roe, Jennifer Lincoln, board-certified obstetrician / gynecologist in Portland, Oregon, said: “The next thing will be emergency contraception and IUDs, then all hormonal birth control. It’s a complete reproductive control. so this is just the next logical step [conservatives]. ”
Since Politico published a leaked draft opinion suggesting Roe would be overturned, Lincoln said he has received an influx of questions on social media about how to access long-acting birth control methods like IUDs and how long that access can last. Google searches for IUD, Plan B, and Contraception have increased in recent weeks, and many people on social media have questioned whether they should start storing emergency contraceptives or Plan B in case they stop. available.
Anne Cavett, a practicing nurse and clinical services coordinator for Metropolitan Washington’s Planned Parenthood, believes these fears are well-founded: “I don’t think it’s alarming to worry that it could get worse,” she said.
Cavett added that in recent weeks, more people have been asking for long-acting contraceptives at their clinic and that many patients have expressed anxiety about how much longer they will be available. Some patients, he said, have come to replace the IUD before the expiration date; they are afraid it will be their last chance.
“I think overwhelmingly, when someone hears that the right to abortion has been suppressed, there is a fear that you are losing the right to your bodily autonomy and the ability to make your own decisions,” Cavett said. .
Some anti-abortion organizations oppose certain methods of birth control. Most medical professionals believe that pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg is implanted in the uterus, but some opponents of abortion believe that it begins as soon as the egg is fertilized by sperm.
“We do not take a position on contraception, which prevents pregnancy, but we do on abortions that have as a deliberate part of their design the ability and purpose to end the life of a baby,” he said. say Kristi Hamrick, spokeswoman for the anti-abortion organization Students. for Life of America.
The list of “abortions” opposed by Students for Life of America includes birth control pills, IUDs, and Plan B. They do not take a stand on condoms, sterilization (tubal ligation or vasectomies), or the rhythm method. , which involves monitoring menstrual cycles. and control body temperature and is approximately 76 percent effective in preventing pregnancy.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, emergency contraception such as Plan B is sometimes confused with drug abortion. But “medical abortion is used to terminate an existing pregnancy, while emergency contraception is only effective before a pregnancy is established.” The organization also says the copper IUD works “by affecting sperm viability and function,” not preventing implantation.
“This misinformation is what lawmakers are using to base their arguments: that IUDs and emergency contraceptive pills are abortive,” Lincoln said. “They are using it directly as a way to write laws to ban access to these drugs. This will lead to less access and, as a result, more unplanned pregnancies and people seeking abortions.”
IUDs are one of the most effective forms of birth control, lasting up to a decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 10% of American women who use contraceptives depend on reversible, long-acting methods such as IUDs. They are also used to treat heavy menstrual bleeding, in some cases even helping to prevent the need for a hysterectomy, Lincoln said. There are two types of IUDs: copper, which prevents sperm from reaching an egg, and hormonal ones, which make the cervical mucus thicker and block sperm. In some rare cases, IUDs can prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterine lining.
Meanwhile, emergency contraceptives delay ovulation after unprotected sex, so there are no eggs to find sperm. Nearly one in four women between the ages of 20 and 24 has used emergency contraceptives, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Thomas’s concurring opinion made advocates of abortion worried that the right to obtain a birth control could be revoked by the court.
“In future cases, we should reconsider all substantive precedents of the due process of this Court, including Griswold, Llorençi Obergefell“, wrote Thomas. It refers to Griswold Griswold v. Connecticut, the 1965 ruling that overturned a Connecticut law banning the purchase of anything that “prevents contraception,” thus enshrining the right of married couples to buy and use contraceptives. In 1972, Eisenstadt v. Baird extended this right to unmarried persons. (Llorenç i Obergefell are related to same-sex relationships and marriage.)
But Thomas ’opinion is not the first sign to suggest that some states may restrict access to contraceptives. In Idaho, House State Affairs Committee Chairman Brent Crane (R) announced his plans shortly after the leaked draft opinion to hold hearings on whether contraception should be banned. emergency and possibly IUDs. He later clarified that he was not talking about IUDs, but was open to holding hearings on “the issue of abortions.”
Last month, Louisiana lawmakers advanced a bill that defined the “human person” as the beginning of the time of fertilization, which some experts believe could be used to guide Plan B or IUDs. And last year, in Missouri, lawmakers tried to prevent Medicaid from covering Plan B and IUDs.
It is unclear whether these efforts will succeed in blocking access to contraception, but medical providers say birth control is already difficult to access in much of the country.
“There are a lot of challenges and hurdles that people have to access birth control in this country, and it’s horrible,” Cavett said.
According to a study, low-income people and people of color are more likely to live in “contraceptive deserts” or areas where there are not enough clinics to offer contraceptive options. For the more than 30 million Americans without health insurance, contraceptives can be unaffordable. And even among women with private insurance, one in five still pays for their contraceptives in full or in part out of pocket, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
It’s important for people to know that all contraceptive methods are still legal, Lincoln said. He warned, however, that this may not be the case forever and encouraged people to consider their birth control options.
Lincoln launched a website where people can order birth control pills, emergency contraceptives and abortion medications, and other abortion advocates are stepping up efforts to increase access to birth control via the Internet .
For the 21 million Americans without broadband connectivity, even this plan can present challenges.
“There is already an inequality of who can and who cannot access these methods,” Cavett said. “Inevitably they are black and brown people, trans and non-binary people, people living in rural areas, people on low incomes. These are all people who are already overwhelmed by this.”
Roe vs. Wade and Access to Abortion in America
Roe v. Wade canceled: He The Supreme Court has invalidated Roe v. Wade, who for almost 50 years protects the right to abortion. Dobbs’ decision against Jackson Women’s Health was the most anticipated of the court’s term, with tension surrounding the fight for abortion erupting in May with the leaking of a draft opinion indicating that the majority of judges intended to end the long-standing precedent. Read the full decision here.
What happens next? Now that the Supreme Court has overturned the 1973 precedent, the legality of abortion will remain in the hands of individual states. This would likely mean that 52 percent of women of childbearing age will face new abortion limits. Thirteen states with “activating bans” will ban abortion within 30 days. Several other states where recent anti-abortion legislation has been blocked by the courts are expected to act next.
State legislation: As Republican-led states move to restrict abortion, The Post is tracking nationwide legislation on 15-week bans, Texas-style bans, activating laws and abortion pill bans , as well as Democratic-dominated states that move to protect abortion rights. consecrated in Roe against Wade.
Who was Jane Roe and how did she transform the right to abortion? “Jane Roe” was the pseudonym of Norma McCorvey, who as a 22-year-old single woman in Dallas in 1970 wanted to terminate her pregnancy. His case against a Dallas County District Attorney went to the Supreme Court. They ruled in it …