Birth Control

Title X advocates worry that birth control may go the same way as abortion

6:00am August 16, 2022

by Ben Paviour

A Supreme Court ruling overturned Roe v. Wade. Now there's a big push to increase funding for Title X, a federal program that offers birth control and other reproductive care to low-income patients.

Research shows that expanded access to preventive care and coverage has led to an increase in colon cancer screenings, vaccinations, use of contraception and chronic disease screenings.

Preventive care such as birth control, anti-HIV medicine challenged in Texas lawsuit

5:00am August 09, 2022

by Allison Aubrey

Some object to paying for health insurance plans that cover preventive services that they say violate their religious beliefs, which could cause millions to lose access to care if the courts agree.

Dani Marietti's "sterilization shower" in Helena, Montana, features cookies with abortion-rights slogans, such as "My Body, My Choice," written on them in frosting.

Health & Safety

More people are opting to get sterilized — and some are being turned away

1:55pm July 29, 2022

Doctors say more of their patients are seeking permanent sterilization procedures, but some patients are reporting that doctors are unwilling to operate on people of childbearing age.

Queue Listen Now

Politics & Government

U.S. House expected to consider birth control rights bill sponsored by local Rep. Manning

6:06pm July 20, 2022

by Paul Garber

The U.S.

Queue Listen Now

Worried about future access to abortion, more women are asking to get their "tubes tied," doctors say. But there are a lot of barriers to actually getting this procedure.

Why this key chance to getting permanent birth control is often missed

11:24am July 12, 2022

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Doctors say they're seeing a surge in the number of women who want their "tubes tied." But hospital capacity, paperwork, religion and personal opinion are just some of the reasons requests get denied.

Queue Listen Now

The 2021 study found that 32% of pharmacies did not have levonorgestrel, a hormone that can prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex, in stock at all, and of the pharmacies that did have it on the shelf, 70% of them kept it in a locked box.

Emergency contraception pills are safe and effective, but not always available

10:28am June 28, 2022

by Maria Godoy

To best protect against unintended pregnancy, emergency contraceptives like Plan B or Ella need to be taken within five days of unprotected sex, but a large number of pharmacies don't stock the pills.

Copper IUDs are a highly effective method of contraception. Some abortion rights opponents express moral objections to IUDs and other birth control methods.

What would overturning Roe mean for birth control?

10:28am May 11, 2022

by Sarah McCammon

Overturning Roe v. Wade could threaten birth control and other care, experts say.

Queue Listen Now

Abortion-rights supporters demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Politics & Government

Could overturning Roe v. Wade have implications beyond abortion?

12:17pm May 05, 2022

by Becky Sullivan

The draft Supreme Court opinion says it is limited to abortion, but advocates say same-sex marriage and birth control cases could be at risk.

Planned Parenthood: Abortion will remain legal in North Carolina but the future is uncertain

11:03am May 04, 2022

by Neal Charnoff

A leaked draft opinion suggests the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn the Roe v.

Afghan women gather to protest claims of human rights violations of women by the Taliban regime.

Health & Safety

The Phone Call That Made An Afghan Woman Doctor Flee

6:23pm August 19, 2021

by Nurith Aizenman

She practiced medicine in Mazar-e-Sharif. She wanted to serve her country. Her story offers a window into what the Taliban takeover may hold for Afghanistan's women.