Texas Providers See Increased Interest in Birth Control Since Near-Total Abortion Ban

Discussions about long-acting reversible contraception must be handled with sensitivity because these forms of birth control have a questionable history among certain populations—primarily lower-income patients. In the 1990s, lawmakers in several states, including Texas, introduced bills to offer cash assistance recipients financial incentives to get an implant or mandate insertion for people on government benefits, a move seen as reproductive coercion. “It’s important for a client to get on the contraceptive method of their choice,” said Mimi Garcia, communications director for Every Body Texas. “Some people will just say, ‘Let’s get everyone on IUDs’ or ‘Let’s get everybody on hormonal implants’ because those are the most effective methods. … That’s not something that’s going to work for [every] individual. … Either they don’t agree with it philosophically or they don’t like how it makes their body feel.” It’s a nuanced subject for providers to broach, so some suggest starting the conversation by asking the patient about their future. “The best question to ask is, ‘When do you want to have another baby?’” said Liedtke. “And then if they say, ‘Oh, gosh, I’m not even sure I want to have more kids’ or ‘Five or six years from now,’ then we start talking LARCs. … But if it’s like, ‘Man, ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized abortion healthscienceclimate Source Type: news