In late September, Michigan’s Republican attorney general nominee Matt DePerno erroneously compared the emergency contraceptive Plan B to fentanyl at a conference in Texas, suggesting his state should “ban the pill.” DePerno is not the first politician to propose limiting contraceptive access following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, in which Justice Clarence Thomas made it clear that the constitutional right to contraception could be in jeopardy.
Although nearly all Americans approve of and use some form of contraception, many experience barriers to receiving the contraceptive care they desire. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, GOP leaders have set their sights on restricting methods of emergency contraception, including Plan B and IUDs. The current political climate, characterized by cascading threats to reproductive health care and autonomy, has revealed that obstacles to obtaining contraception could intensify if we do not take action to protect access.
Across the United States, cost prevents more than one in five sexually active women who want to avoid pregnancy from using their desired contraceptive method. This statistic represents millions of individuals who cannot access contraception, including a disproportionate number of people of color, young people and people with low incomes.
