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Why can't women get the birth control they want?

Barriers to birth control

Numerous factors make it difficult or even impossible for women to obtain the contraceptives they want to use.
Education
Transportation
Childcare
Cost
Time Off Work
Contraceptive Availability
Multiple Clinic Visits
FACT: 83% of Texas school districts taught an abstinence-only curriculum or nothing at all about sex.
Teens and young adults rarely get clear, complete, correct and unbiased birth control counseling even though 62% of high school seniors were already sexually active. Efficacy rates, side effects and ease of use impact a woman’s decision to use a form of contraception.
FACT: Up to 50% of clients will not return for the second visit required to get an IUD or implant.
Without a car, getting to a clinic can be time-consuming and costly. Only three Title X family planning clinics in Dallas County are located outside the city of Dallas. That can mean lengthy travel time between cities or where public transportation is lacking. A round-trip rideshare between Lancaster and the Grand Prairie clinic, for example, takes almost an hour and costs more than a woman earning minimum wage makes in a day.
FACT: 66% of women did not receive the birth control they wanted, or a prescription for it, at their first postpartum visit.
Childcare can be hard to find or expensive. According to care.com, $13.25/hour is the starting wage for babysitters in Dallas. Compare that with the $7.25/hour that a minimum wage earner makes. If children join mom at her appointment, who will hold or watch them during her physical exam?
FACT: Nearly 50% of women of reproductive age in Dallas don’t have health insurance.
For uninsured women, the most effective forms of birth control are out of reach. An IUD or implant can cost a month’s wages or more. Other less reliable methods cost less upfront but add up over time. The St. Louis CHOICE Project found that when financial barriers were removed, and both knowledge and access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC) were improved, 75% of women chose LARC, the most effective and most expensive forms of contraception.
FACT: 58% of women left their first postpartum visit with no contraceptive method at all, even though they wanted one.
Taking time off from an hourly job means sacrificing income. For families living in poverty, that can mean choosing between a clinic visit and other basic needs. Multiple appointments to obtain birth control exacerbates the difficulty.
FACT: 68% of college students want to use more effective forms of birth control but only 30% are using them.
Many clinics lack the funds to stock more than a few methods of birth control. In that case, women are forced to return later, or visit another clinic, to obtain their method of choice. Additionally, many clinicians lack the training to administer all of the various contraceptive methods, and thus opt not to offer them.
FACT: The two-visit insertion protocol disproportionately affects low-income clients.
Clinics typically require two visits for long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) like IUDs and implants. A third visit may be needed to apply for financial assistance. This two-visit protocol is usually medically unnecessary and prevents women from accessing the most effective methods of birth control.

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© 2022 Trust Her shares the commitment to Reproductive Justice (RJ) and equity as established by SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. SisterSong defines RJ as “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.” The term was originally created by African American women in 1994 leading up to the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. Today’s RJ framework carries women’s reproductive rights beyond a legal and political debate, prioritizing the economic, social, and health factors that impact reproductive choices and decision-making ability. Child Poverty Action Lab. All Rights Reserved. Read Privacy Policy.