Making emergency contraception and pregnancy tests available for all Iowans
What can YOU do?
Now more than ever it is essential to provide Iowans with the supplies they need to engage in safe sex, to prevent unintended pregnancies, and to be aware of their pregnancy status. We are dedicated to providing these services for free, and we need your support to do that.
While out-of-state and mailable abortion options will continue to remain available, knowing about a pregnancy early will help ensure access to as many options as possible. One recommendation is to take a monthly pregnancy test if you are sexually active and don’t want to become pregnant to ensure you know your pregnancy status. Confirming a pregnancy at five weeks rather than seven or eight weeks could determine whether someone can get an abortion close to home or will be forced to travel hundreds of miles.
We also recommend keeping emergency contraception on hand to prevent unintended pregnancies after unprotected or under-protected sex.
Let’s break down this law.
The term “fetal heartbeat” is misleading. The “heartbeat” the law refers to is actually electrical activity in the region of the fetus that will eventually become the heart. These electrical impulses can be detected at about 6 weeks LMP (since the last menstrual period). The 6-week cutoff comes before many are even aware they are pregnant, only two weeks after missing a period.
What is FPCI doing?
As you may have seen in our statement in response to the ban, all Title X clinics will continue to provide pregnant clients with the opportunity to receive information and counseling regarding prenatal care and delivery; infant care, foster care, or adoption; and pregnancy termination. We are also expanding our Repro Kits to include a year’s worth of monthly pregnancy test strips (12 ct.) to help Iowans stay on top of their pregnancy status. The kits also include 2 doses of emergency contraception to prevent pregnancies after unprotected sex, condoms, lubricant, and an information guide.
No amount of funding for or access to contraception will ever negate the need for abortion. Both are essential healthcare services that must be made available to everyone who seeks them. However, in our state where access to abortion is being severely limited, it is even more important for people who want contraception to be able to affordably and easily access it.
Resources
Abortion Finder features the most comprehensive directory of trusted (and verified) abortion service providers and assistance resources in the United States.
Plan C provides up-to-date information on how people in the U.S. are accessing at-home abortion pill options online.