If the restrictions on lifesaving COVID-19 research (read about it here) aren’t enough to make you angry, the unnecessary restrictions on easy-to-access birth control and abortion care during the pandemic certainly will.
In the US, birth control is so common that “99% of people for whom pregnancy is a possibility have used some form of birth control over the course of their reproductive lives.” However, many of those very people are having trouble getting a hold of birth control due to the pandemic. Most forms of birth control require a prescription—something hard to get if where you live is on lockdown or venturing to a doctor’s office and pharmacy could put your health at risk. This is especially frustrating considering the majority of experts believe birth control should be made available over-the-counter.
Now imagine you become pregnant because your prescription was too difficult to access. Your options for abortion care may also be severely limited because the anti-choice movement is weaponizing COVID-19, making it all but impossible to access basic reproductive health care in states across the country.
And did you know the abortion pill is safer than Advil and Tylenol? So why is it too not available over-the-counter, especially during a public health crisis?
We need to increase access to safe, effective, and commonly used reproductive health care—not restrict it. While countries likes England, Scotland, and Wales are relaxing restrictions to allow people to use medical abortion pills in the safety of their home, the US has not taken such lifesaving measures.
We hope you’ll share these resources and continue supporting our work as we fight to elect candidates who will expand access to reproductive health care and defeat those who want to put more restrictions in place.