contraception

The Missouri Family Health Council saw a spike in emergency contraception kits following election day. To keep up, volunteers gathered in Jefferson City to help build the kits.

While passing Amendment 3 safeguards abortion rights in Missouri for now, health care providers say people are still worried about access to reproductive care under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

A bill that would improve health care access for Missouri women almost died in the House after some Republican lawmakers falsely conflated birth control with abortion medication. Now, GOP infighting in the Senate could derail it from becoming law.

In states where abortion was restricted following the fall of Roe v. Wade, which includes Missouri, a growing number of people are seeking permanent contraception.

In a ruling Monday, Circuit Judge Jon Beetem wrote that the summaries crafted by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft were "argumentative" or unfairly biased against the abortion rights ballot initiatives, and ignored their protections for contraceptives.. Beetem rewrote each of the six ballot summaries himself.

According to findings from a Right Time survey, more than 50% of Missourians do not believe or know that emergency contraception is legal. The survey also found that roughly 72% of respondents across party lines want the state legislature to pass laws that make birth control more accessible and affordable.

Missouri was the first state to pass a near-total abortion ban after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But advocates also say the decision has had spillover effects, sowing confusion over the legality of contraception and concern over doctors’ discretion to provide emergency care.

Earlier this year, some Republican lawmakers in Missouri unsuccessfully tried to ban taxpayer funding for emergency contraception, which some lawmakers consider a form of abortion.

In a letter to Gov. Mike Parson, two Democratic leaders say the state's trigger abortion ban has raised questions about what's legal in terms of contraception and what falls under a “medical emergency."

Almost all abortions will immediately become illegal in Missouri if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. But some reproductive rights advocates worry that access to contraceptives could be targeted next. Plus, how Missouri and Kansas politicians are reacting to the deadly school shooting in Texas.

If Missouri's abortion ban takes effect, reproductive rights advocates worry the next fight could be over birth control. The Missouri Senate voted last year to ban common forms of contraceptives like the “morning after” pill and some IUDs from being paid for by the state’s Medicaid program.

Already facing highly restrictive abortion laws in Missouri and Kansas, Planned Parenthood Great Plains now confronts the prospect of losing its federal…