(Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images).
Health care providers say they are seeing a drastic increase in the number of emergency contraceptive kit requests by Missourians since the election.
The Missouri Family Health Council helps fund the state’s reproductive health care through Title X, a federal grant. It has a program that allows Missourians to order emergency contraception kits via mail for free.
The kits include an emergency contraception pill, condoms and sexual health information. On a typical day, the council sees around 17 requests for emergency contraception kits. Since last Monday, that number has ballooned to over 90 requests a day.
While passing Amendment 3 safeguards abortion rights in Missouri for now, Michelle Trupiano, the council’s executive director, said people are still worried about access to reproductive health care under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
While Trump has said he would not “impose restrictions on birth control or other contraceptives,” his campaign has yet to formally announce a plan.
“What this shows us is people are scared,” Trupiano said. “They’re scared of what the future holds, they’re scared about access to contraception, and they’re doing what they can now in order to protect themselves.”
Missourians are not the only ones feeling this way. Nationally, states have reported higher numbers of kit requests, such as Oklahoma, Missouri’s western neighbor.
Laura Bellis is the executive director of Take Control Initiative, one of Oklahoma’s Title X grantees. The day after the election, they saw over 1,000 people requesting kits; the following day that number doubled.
Bellis said some parents would request kits for their children because they were not sure how accessible it would be in the future for them.
“This is the last line of defense if you’re trying to prevent a pregnancy,” Bellis said. “People are like, ‘I need to have every resource.’ So we’re seeing people panic buying like what you saw during the pandemic with masks or toilet paper.”
The confusion surrounding reproductive health care in Missouri could make it harder for people to access the care they need, said Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri.
“That fear is a barrier in and of itself,” Schwarz said. “One of the most important things that individuals and local organizations can do is to spread accurate information.”
Abortion Action Missouri is a reproductive health advocacy group that canvassed in support of Amendment 3. Amendment 3’s journey to reach the ballot was perilous. The measure narrowly passed a 4-3 ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court, which considered removing it from the ballot.
The group said the challenges Amendment 3 faced could show potential pushback from the state for reproductive health care.
“The pattern is the people speak and our government tries to over undermine the will of the people,” Schwarz said.
Her team, alongside other providers, suggest users check the expiration date on pill packages and communicate with their doctor to learn what the best options are for each person. The contraception pills typically have a life span of four years, after which they become ineffective.
This story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online.