The U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade caught most people by surprise. It had been considered “settled law,” which has traditionally meant “leave it alone.” What it did was allow states with conservative legislative leadership to ban most or in some cases, all abortions.
Once that door was opened, many states have continued to take advantage of the apparent momentum. Some have sought to criminalize those who attempt to provide, assist, or get an abortion. And others are attempting to stop Medicaid and even private insurers from covering many reproductive health services.
The result? Many women struggle to access their preferred contraception method at best and any form of birth control at worst. If your state is making birth control hard to get, here are a few things you can do.
Use an Online Healthcare Provider
With the exception of Plan B emergency contraception, you need a prescription for routine birth control. That includes methods such as the pill, patch, ring, and shot.
Some states are targeting emergency contraception and the intrauterine device (IUD) with claims they abort rather than prevent pregnancy. The IUD must be prescribed and inserted by a healthcare provider, which is problematic in those states. Fortunately, not all forms of birth control require an in-person visit.
You can access birth control online with a online consultation by a licensed provider. Once prescribed, your birth control will be mailed discreetly to your door. Emergency contraception can be overnighted to you for an additional cost. And you can keep morning-after pills on hand for emergency use.
Of course, access isn’t just about finding a prescriber and getting the birth control method of your choice. It’s also about cost and insurance coverage. Most online providers will submit charges to your insurance company or bill you directly if you don’t have insurance.
Even online providers are challenged by state laws. They must have licensed providers in every state they serve. States cracking down on access can make finding them difficult or impossible.
Federal law currently mandates that insurers cover the cost of some birth control without a copay. Find an online provider that serves your state and works with your health plan. You can eliminate the in-person visits to a doctor and a pharmacy.
Switch to a Longer-Lasting Birth Control Method
As you know, not all birth control is the same. How they are administered varies. Some use hormones and others don’t, and some are taken daily while others last for years.
Some states are making a woman’s preferred birth control methods more expensive and harder to access. If yours is, you may need to consider options that last longer. It may help reduce your immediate anxiety about contraception and protect your reproductive rights.
The pill must be taken every day, the patch replaced weekly, the ring monthly, and the shot every three months. The implant can prevent pregnancy for five years. And although IUDs are hot targets in conservative states, a copper IUD can last for a decade or so.
Of course, there are permanent procedures that can prevent pregnancy. These include tubal ligation and sterilization implants. These may be options if you are done having children or don’t want to have any.
The Affordable Care Act provides some guarantees insurance companies must provide. However, insurance plans are also governed by the laws of the states they operate in, which may give them an out. For example, a woman who wants a tubal ligation performed during a Cesarean section may be denied coverage.
What is important is to consult with a healthcare provider who will openly discuss your contraception wishes and pregnancy plans. With so many birth control options available, your provider can help you decide what’s best for you. In states trying to limit birth control, you may need to plan for the long run.
Monitor Other States
Although it seems antiquated that anyone would need to cross state lines to access reproductive care, the potential is real. And even in states with more liberal policies regarding birth control, there are contraceptive deserts that discourage access. These particularly affect low-income women and those without health insurance.
Maybe you live where there are few healthcare providers and no free or low-cost clinics. Or, maybe there are clinics nearby but they’re eliminating services as a result of new state laws. In either case, you may need to look outside where you live.
For example, you live in a Midwestern state that’s cracking down on reproductive rights. You’ll need to look to Illinois, Minnesota, or Michigan where those rights are protected or have been expanded. If your rights to birth control are blocked by laws in your state at some point, you may need to travel.
Not having the resources to make the trip and lack of insurance coverage are barriers to access across state lines. Medicaid coverage is only good in the state you live in. And providers in other states may not be in your private insurance company’s network.
Anti-abortion states are trying to make it illegal for someone to have the procedure performed in another state. If successful, accessing birth control across state lines could become an issue as well.
Keep up with what’s going on in nearby states as closely as you follow your own state’s movements. Have a plan for where you can go and how you will pay for access if worst comes to worst.
Birth Control Shouldn’t Be This Difficult
The fact is that in the 21st century, accessing birth control shouldn’t be difficult. But that doesn’t mean some states are working diligently to make it that way.
Legislation is moving quickly on reproductive rights, so put some thought into your situation now. Online providers, longer-term birth control methods, and a plan for accessing them in another state should be present considerations. Where birth control is concerned, planning ahead is always better than trying to catch up.
