Target: Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States
Goal: Protect contraceptive use throughout the U.S., including in anti-abortion states.
The removal of federal protections on the right to abortion has stripped people with uteruses of their reproductive choice. Now, these people are at risk of losing their choice in actively combating pregnancies to begin with. Contraceptives, including birth control, IUDs, and Plan B pills, are methods or devices—which are either ingested or implemented—that prevent pregnancy. Contraceptive devices do not terminate a pregnancy—they are simply designed to prevent the egg from being released or fertilized in the first place. Even though the whole point of contraceptive devices like plan B and IUDs is that they won’t work if the egg has already been fertilized, many anti-abortion states are grouping these pills together with abortion, throwing away logic and science in the name of oppression.
Many states currently have restrictions against contraceptives—including Arizona, Mississippi, Arkansas, and several others—in which doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare institutions refuse to even prescribe contraceptives to child-bearing age peoples. The demand for these contraceptives, which are already in short supply, has skyrocketed in the days since the court’s ruling. People are stocking up on contraceptives and other over the counter medications, afraid that they might not have this chance down the line—and rightfully so.
It is very likely that contraceptives—starting with IUDs and Plan B pills—will be banned in states that have restrictive abortion laws. While Roe v. Wade doesn’t specifically target contraceptive use, Justice Clarence Thomas has made statements claiming the court must revisit Griswold v. Connecticut, the revolutionary case that protected access to contraception since 1965. Louisiana has already attempted to pass legislation to equate abortion with homicide, which would criminalize IUDs, Plan B, and other popular forms of contraceptives. Luckily, this law was not passed, for now, but there is no telling about how similar laws will progress in the future. Any such legislation will disproportionately affect trans, gender queer, and women of color who are already restricted in access to these and other contraceptives.
The ban on abortion is just the first step in the long journey to restrict reproductive health, and to strip people with the capacity to get pregnant of their own bodily autonomy. Sign this petition to protect contraceptive use in states across the U.S.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear President Biden,
The overturning of Roe v. Wade directly threatens reproductive choice for any and all people capable of getting pregnant. Now, these communities have an entirely new issue to worry about—forced pregnancy. Contraceptives have been federally protected since the ruling of Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965 as a way to prevent unwanted pregnancies from happening in the first place. Despite what anti-abortionists want the public to think, contraceptives are in no way, shape, or form, a type of abortion. Contraceptive devices—such as IUDs, birth control, and Plan B pills—do not terminate a pregnancy. Rather, contraceptives are designed to block the egg from being released or fertilized, preventing pregnancy altogether.
Justice Clarence Thomas, as well as other anti-abortion advocates, have, nonetheless, called for a revisiting of Griswold v. Connecticut and the protection it has provided for decades. Unfortunately, it is looking more and more likely that contraceptive devices—starting with IUDs and Plan B pills—will be banned in states that have restrictive abortion laws. The state of Louisiana has already tried to pass a law to equate abortion with homicide, criminalizing popular forms of contraceptives in the process. Any legislation that tries to ban these methods of pregnancy prevention will disproportionately affect trans, gender queer, and women of color who are already restricted in access to these and other contraceptives.
We are asking you, President Biden, to please take a stance for all American citizens who have been stripped of their reproductive autonomy. Forced birth is bad enough; there is absolutely no need to now force unwanted pregnancies. Protect the use of contraceptives throughout the U.S., including in anti-abortion states.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Mg39913201
