Post-Roe, States With Abortion Bans Saw Steep Declines in Birth Control Prescriptions

Published on 9/26/2024 by Carrie N. Baker in Ms.

The June 2022 Supreme Court decision eliminating the constitutional right to abortion was followed by steep declines in prescriptions for birth control pills and emergency contraception in states where abortion is banned. This finding was revealed by a new study published in the top-ranked journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

“In states such as Texas and Mississippi, where women now don’t even have the option to have an abortion, their access to contraception is also becoming more difficult,” said lead author Dima M. Qato, associate professor at the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Hygeia Centennial Chair in Clinical Pharmacy.