Developing a Post-Roe Contraceptive Access Strategy

Read the Post-Roe Contraceptive Access Strategy Findings Report

The Findings Report can serve as a resource to anchor and inform discussions on how access to contraception may shift in a post-Roe environment, and which strategies may help preserve or advance contraceptive equity moving forward. Scroll down to learn more about our approach and available resources.

Background

In June of 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion in its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. This decision eliminates longstanding federal standards for abortion access and enables states to severely restrict and even ban abortion. 

Though the Dobbs decision focused on abortion, its rationale coupled with responses from lawmakers, clinicians, and advocates underscore the precarity of contraceptive access, which has long been limited by existing policies and uneven resources.

Given shifts in abortion access and privacy rights and state attacks on contraception, coordinated strategies to preserve and expand access to contraception are more important than ever.

The Coalition to Expand Contraceptive Access (CECA) is bringing together evidence and diverse stakeholders to understand the potential impact of these shifts, consider how best to shape a responsive, proactive, and collaborative strategy, and help align the work of various coalitions, organizations, federal agencies, and individuals.

Values-Aligned Vision for a Post-Roe Contraceptive Access Strategy

We envision a world where all people who want contraception can access the contraception that works best for them – when, how, and where they want it, free of barriers and bias. 

Contraception is part of routine healthcare and it should be accessible to all people for any reason, not only to prevent pregnancy. 

Finally, any approach to contraceptive access must be holistic; contraception cannot be presented as a remedy to abortion restrictions or an alternative to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care access, including abortion care.

Approach

As initial steps, CECA:

  • Conducted an environmental scan to understand the potential impact of Dobbs and other threats to contraceptive access at federal and state levels, as well as current efforts underway to protect and expand contraceptive access. 

  • Convened a “Summit” of stakeholders to analyze the current and anticipated contraceptive access landscape and to determine a strategy to address the most pressing threats and promising opportunities.

  • Developed a Findings Report, including equity-informed principles, focus areas and goals, potential actions, and dissemination and implementation considerations.  

Five focus areas and goals emerged from this process, were refined by key stakeholders, and can contribute to shaping a responsive, proactive strategy.

Secure the right to contraception as part of a broader right to reproductive freedom.

1

  • Secure and preserve protections for the right to contraception at both the federal and state level.

Address misinformation and disinformation related to contraception among providers, users, and the broader public.

2

  • Provide clear information about contraception, including clarifying the mechanisms of action, legality, availability, and parameters of safe disclosure of contraception, to various audiences.

Improve and enhance infrastructure for contraceptive care.

3

  • Improve the capacity of the workforce and guard against erosions to quality contraceptive care, including the reach of religious/moral refusal policies and pregnancy crisis centers.

Promote research and innovation in all aspects of contraceptive care.

4

Advance sexual and reproductive health equity for all, including individuals most impacted by inequities in contraceptive access.*

5

  • Advance novel approaches and research innovation in all aspects of contraceptive care to remain current with scientific evidence and changes in the healthcare system and better meet people’s diverse needs and preferences.

  • Prevent deepening inequities in contraceptive care and provide specific protections to those disproportionately impacted by Dobbs.

*Individuals most impacted by inequitable contraceptive access may include, for example, young people, people with disabilities, Black, Indigenous and other people of color, LGBTQ people, people with low incomes, and those living in restrictive and/or rural areas.

Defining principles that uphold equity in a post-Roe strategy is especially crucial in the sexual and reproductive health sphere given historical and ongoing injustices.

These five principles center reproductive justice and human rights and are based on CECA’s past work and expert colleagues’ input. They are guiding development efforts and are intended for the intentional and purposeful upholding of SRHE as partners continue identifying priorities, designing and implementing actions, and further shaping a comprehensive strategy.

Equity-Informed Principles to Guide a Post-Roe Strategy

  1. Ground this work in a holistic vision of sexual and reproductive health that centers justice, equity, autonomy, and choice.

  2. Interrogate and re-evaluate the policies, programs, and practices that have guided us.

  3. Honor and embrace communities as equal partners throughout the process. 

  4. Understand and reflect the impact of the historical, sociocultural, political, and economic contexts that influence the lived experiences of community members. 

  5. Design a strategy that can impact the lives of individuals and communities through changes in systems, policies, and practice.

  • Federal policymakers and agencies

  • State-level lawmakers and advocates

  • Reproductive health, rights, and justice leaders

  • Clinicians and representatives of clinical organizations

Stakeholders

Intended to be applicable to a wide variety of stakeholders, the Post-Roe Contraceptive Access Findings Report is especially geared toward:

  • Private industry leaders

  • Researchers

  • Legal experts

Recommendations and Resources

Findings Report

This report can serve as a resource to anchor and inform discussions on how access to contraception may shift in a post-Roe environment, and which priority focus areas and potential actions may help preserve or advance contraceptive equity moving forward. This exploratory work specifically engages both public and private sector organizations, as all have a role to play in advancing contraceptive access and sexual and reproductive health (SRHE) more broadly. These initial findings can help align the work of various coalitions, organizations, federal agencies, and individuals and serve as a resource and supportive structure for the reproductive health, rights, and justice fields.

Environmental Scan

CECA conducted an environmental scan of written materials, as well as listening sessions with diverse groups of stakeholders. A living document, the scan can serve as a resource to anchor and inform discussions on how access to contraception may shift in a post-Roe environment, and which strategies may help preserve or advance contraceptive equity moving forward.