Former Republican Representative Tom Price, now Head of Health and Human Services

On November 9, 2016, I glanced at my schedule and saw that the next patient was here to receive an intrauterine device (IUD), a form of highly effective long acting contraception. I greeted her and asked her to confirm that she still wanted an IUD today. She became very emotional and exclaimed, “Yes, of course I do. I’m so glad I had this appointment already, because in a couple of months I might not be able to afford an IUD.”

I listened to her tearfully describe her fears and anxieties about what reproductive health care might look like under the new administration. Would Roe v. Wade be overturned, and could women really be punished for ending a pregnancy as Trump suggested? Would the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its contraceptive coverage be repealed, leaving women without access to coverage for pre-existing conditions, preventive healthcare, and birth control? Would religious exemptions allow employers to deny coverage […]