The economist has pointed out that pro-life groups have not only engaged in restricting abortion clinics, but also have prevented reasonable access to health clinics that provide a full range of birth- control methods. Some 19 million Americans are in areas of the country where little information is available. Moreover, pro-life groups are actively expanding these areas to include more people. The Trump administration is not only against the right of abortion but also educating women on how to prevent pregnancy.
Rates of unintended pregnancy are highest among low-income women, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice think-tank. The federal government’s Title X programme helps fund family-planning clinics, such as Planned Parenthood, that provide health services to poorer and uninsured women. A rule issued in March would cut funding for any Title X centre that refers patients for an abortion or lets them know that it is an option. Legal challenges to the measure are still winding their way through the courts, but on July 15th the administration said it would begin to enforce the rule anyway.
The government is cutting financial aid to clinics that provide information. Rather the cuts would hurt clinics’ ability to administer contraception or and cancer screenings to women with few other options for care. The rule is also unpopular. About three-quarters of Americans surveyed by the Kaiser Family Foundation said it is important that the federal government provides funding for reproductive health services for poorer women.
At the moment most forms of preventive birth control must be prescribed by a doctor or nurse, which can make obtaining it harder. But a consortium of medical groups including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has long endorsed the idea of making oral contraception available over the counter. Studies have consistently shown that women can use checklists to screen themselves for possible health concerns associated with taking hormonal birth-control pills. Moving birth control over the counter is one of the few issues where Democrats and Republicans agree, at least in principle. But the parties’ deferent stances on crucial details, such as age limits and insurance coverage.
Moving some forms of birth control over the counter is not the only way to increase access for women who live far from a family-planning clinic. States have passed laws that require insurers to dispense larger amounts—a six-month supply, rather than three months, for example. There is also a gaggle of newish “telehealth” startups prescribing and mailing birth- control pills directly to women, no doctor’s visit necessary. Some of these apps take insurance but they must navigate regulations that can vary in each state, making coverage patchy for women in regions, such as the Great Plains, that would most benefit from the service.
Several years ago, I visited the facilities of Jewish Home for the Blind. I became particularly interested in the number of children that were born blind. Sadly, being blind was the least of these children’s problems. That is, they were impacted by a variety of devastating neurological problems. I was told that many of the mothers of these children had never seen a doctor before delivering the child. In essence, our failure to provide medical support for mothers causes devastation to their children.
Originally published in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
