Contraceptive Technology Update – April 1, 2024

As Uncertainty Looms, More People Request Advance Provision of Mifepristone

Interest in advance provision of abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol has increased dramatically in the post-Roe era. It remains popular as a U.S. Supreme Court case looms over whether mifepristone should remain available. Advance provision is one tool to help expand access to the medication.

New Research on Advance Provision Reveals Interest and Use in United States Since 2022

Interest in advance provision of abortion medication was high even before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to recent research. Many of those interested in advance provision were more likely to be highly motivated to prevent pregnancy. They had been using highly effective contraceptives, were well-educated, had private insurance, and were not poor.

State Laws and Court Decisions Bring More Uncertainty to Reproductive Health

In recent months, abortion-ban states have seen even more drastic bills and changes to their citizens’ reproductive health and lives. While abortion bans have closed clinics and prevented physicians from providing standard care to women experiencing pregnancy crises, the states have gone even further, now threatening contraceptives and fertility treatment.

Research Confirms the Value of Title X for Improving Contraception Access

Clients of Title X programs have greater access to a wide range of contraceptive methods, although reach has been limited by federal funding, state laws, and the Trump-era gag rule. A study revealed that people receiving contraception care from non-Title X clinics had lower proportions of receiving long-acting reversible contraception methods, nonoral hormonal methods, and extended supplies of oral contraceptives.

Beliefs About Women’s Virtue and Chastity May Play a Role in Latina Risk Behaviors

The authors of a recent study revealed that endorsement of certain marianismo beliefs, related to women acting virtuous and chaste, may promote abstinence, but also are associated with sexual risk behaviors.