Illinois reproductive health care providers are reporting a spike in calls for abortion pills, long-acting birth control, emergency contraception and sterilization procedures following Donald Trump’s election to a second term.
1/1Skip Ad Continue watchingafter the adVisit Advertiser websiteGO TO PAGE Abortion opponents have been pressing for more restrictions on abortion access once Trump takes office in January.
While it’s unclear how Trump’s second administration might curb access to reproductive health care, abortion rights advocates say they’re bracing for more barriers and challenges.
And we’re ready to fight and maintain the strongest haven state possible.” Nationwide, many health care providers have also seen a surge in demand for various forms of reproductive health care following the election.
At Wisp, an online sexual and reproductive health care company, patients have been stockpiling abortion pills and emergency contraception.
In the wake of Donald Trump’s election to a second term, Illinois reproductive health care providers are reporting an increase in demand for long-acting birth control, emergency contraception, abortion pills, and sterilization procedures.
In the immediate aftermath of the November election, calls to Planned Parenthood of Illinois increased by 15%. Many callers inquired about vasectomies and long-term but reversible contraceptive options, including birth control implants and intrauterine devices, during the 5 election.
Cristina Villarreal, chief external affairs officer for Planned Parenthood of Illinois, which operates 17 clinics throughout the state, stated, “People are scared.”. In light of the upcoming administration, we are worried about a wide range of issues and are making every effort to get ready for it. However, I believe the most crucial thing for patients to know at this time is that we are willing to continue offering the sexual and reproductive health care they require, and we will fight to do so. “.”.
Carafem’s Skokie health center has experienced a “significant rise in client demand” since the election, with appointments for abortion care almost doubling in the last week, according to external relations and development manager Konni Lorenz. The abortion provider started providing an advance provision service this month, enabling patients to purchase an extra prescription for abortion pills for later use.
According to Lorenz, “this option empowers people to avoid delays to care by having immediate access to medication if they face an unintended pregnancy in the future.”.
Many patients are concerned about access to abortion in the future, so Carafem is expanding health center hours and staff availability “to ensure that anyone seeking abortion or contraception can receive prompt, compassionate care,” Lorenz continued.
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As soon as Trump takes office in January, opponents of abortion will be demanding more restrictions on access to abortion.
“The effort to undermine the Biden-Harris administration’s pro-abortion policies is now underway. “The pro-life achievements of President Trump’s first term serve as the standard for his second term,” stated Susan B. Abortion lobby. Anthony List recently made a declaration. “The 14th Amendment’s guarantee of unborn children’s unalienable right to life must be the focal point of GOP pro-life fervor in the long run. It should never matter where you live in America. “”.
Trump is widely supported by anti-abortion activists, and he has often attributed the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade to the conservative justices he nominated to the U.S. A. the Supreme Court. In the recent campaign, however, the Republican appeared to moderate his views on abortion when he said that states should decide whether to enact a national abortion ban.
The ways in which Trump’s second administration may restrict access to reproductive health care are unknown, but proponents of abortion rights say they are prepared for additional obstacles and difficulties.
Villarreal expressed her worries about possible limitations on access to mifepristone, a medication used in the majority of medication abortions performed across the country.
Several conservative states and anti-abortion activists recently renewed a legal challenge to mifepristone in lower courts, despite the Supreme Court maintaining access to the drug earlier this year following a contentious legal battle over the drug.
According to Villareal, some patients of Planned Parenthood of Illinois are also concerned about possible modifications to the Affordable Care Act and its marketplaces for subsidized health insurance, which Trump has frequently called for repealing but hasn’t put forward a replacement for.
“We are a Midwest haven where patients can get care.”. And we are aware that we will not be completely immune to the Trump administration, despite the fact that our government in Illinois is on our side,” Villareal added. However, future events cannot be predicted. Thus, we’re planning and have ideas. And in order to preserve the strongest haven state possible, we are prepared to fight. “”.
Following the election, there was a spike in demand for various types of reproductive health care from many healthcare providers across the country.
Patients have been hoarding emergency contraception and abortion pills at Wisp, an online provider of sexual and reproductive health care.
Medication abortion orders surged 600% since Election Day in November. 5 through Nov. 6. Wisp CEO Monica Cepak stated. Additionally, sales of birth control increased by 50% during that time.
as of November. 6. Wisp reports that emergency contraception sales increased by nearly 1,000 percent. A birth control method that can prevent pregnancy soon after unprotected sex is emergency contraception, also known as the morning-after pill.
The number of new emergency contraception patients in Illinois increased by 1,050 percent since November. from November 5th. Cepak added, 6.
“The number of patients who are stockpiling emergency contraception and birth control shows that our patients are concerned about their access to reproductive health care,” Cepak stated.
According to a spokesperson for the emergency contraception company Cadence OTC, website traffic increased by 70% the day after the election, with states with more restrictive reproductive rights laws driving particularly high traffic.
Direct-to-consumer orders increased to five times the typical weekly volume in a single day, and the company saw a 400 percent increase in site visits from South Dakota and a 225 percent increase from Mississippi, two states that restrict abortion almost completely, according to Cadence OTC.
Citing Trump’s victory, obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Dot Colleen McNicholas reported that two days after the election, two of her patients requested tubal ligation procedures.
According to McNicholas, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, which serves southern Illinois, “with the very explicit intent to do so, because because, as at least one patient stated, a fascist regime is coming in and they are concerned they will no longer be able to control their own body,” the St. Louis area and the Ozarks of Missouri.
The weekly average for the previous month was 450 percent lower than the 121 patients who made appointments for vasectomy in the week after the election, she said.
It is in line with the feedback we have been receiving from patients. This was reported to us following the initial Trump election. We learned about this following Roe’s downfall,” she remarked. People are worried that they won’t have access to the medical care they require. “.”.
Many patients have been inquiring as to whether they should replace long-acting contraception, like an intrauterine device or birth control implant, even if the expiration date hasn’t quite passed, McNicholas continued.
People are very concerned that they might not have access to it in the upcoming four years, she said, even if it hasn’t lived up to expectations. Thus, they will have a little more time if they replace it now. “”.
According to McNicholas, one patient asked for a new birth control implant after using a five-year model for just over three and a half years.
McNicholas stated, “She was aware that this approach would run out and that she would require a replacement during the subsequent administration.”. She believes that if she replaces it now, it will last for an additional five years. I will survive the next four years on that. ‘”.
Patients had similar concerns following the repeal of Roe and the election of Trump in 2016, McNicholas added.
“I think one of the things we always see in situations like this is that patients who need access to health care are incredibly confused,” she stated. “I always remind people that they still have access to health care today. Thus, please keep contacting us. As long as we are able to legally offer every service, our doors will remain open. We can help you get through this period if you are concerned about what health care will look like for you in the future or right now. “”.
The Associated Press was one of the contributors.
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