Repro Roundup: Two-thirds of women actively use contraception, study finds

Welcome to my column, The Repro Roundup, in which I summarize abortion news happening around the country, why it matters, and what you can do about it — in 250 words or less.

What’s the issue? According to a new study by the Center for Disease Control, two-thirds of US women ages 15–49 use some form of contraception. The most common methods of contraception are female sterilization (18.1%), birth control pills (14%), long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC, 10.4%), or male condoms (8.4%) and nearly 50% of the women who use contraception use those methods. About 72 million women were surveyed.

Additionally, 34.7% of women are not using contraception. For 16.8% of surveyed women, it was because they were not sexually active and for 7.5% it was because of pregnancy-related reasons. Seven percent of women are sexually active but not using contraception.

Why does this matter? There is a significant number of women surveyed who are at risk of pregnancy but aren’t using contraception. During COVID-19, that is especially significant given the predicted baby boom caused by the pandemic. Due to health and safety measures, it is possible that women who want to use contraception will not be able to because clinics aren’t placing LARCs like IUDs. Other reasons could be that women have left the job force in record numbers or lost their jobs, which kicks them off of health insurance that would cover the cost of more expensive forms of contraception. This is particularly concerning given that the likely nomination of Amy Coney Barrett will mean employers will potentially be able to deny their employees access to contraption coverage or Medicare will not cover the cost.

What action can I take?

• Email or call your senators and demand they do not vote to confirm Judge Barrett using these scripts from National Council of Jewish Women
• Sign a National Women’s Law Center petition demanding the Trump-Pence administration stop denying birth control coverage
• Sign a petition from Free the Pill if you agree that birth control should be easier to obtain
• Call this hotline if you are still paying out of pocket for the cost of birth control by CoverHer
• Discover the different methods of contraception from Bedsider
• Read about the impact of nearly 800,000 women leaving the workforce
• Learn the racist origins of the birth control movement and how it factors into advocacy today

• Subscribe to The Repro Queen of DC, my monthly newsletter on abortion access, activism, and writing on the frontlines of DC.
• Subscribe to Repro 101, a seven-week educational email series about all things repro. Topics include the basics of funding abortion, clinic escorting, anti-choice violence, and more.
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