Barriers to Reproductive Care

Women continue to face restrictions when they try to access the reproductive health care they need. We're working to defend access to reproductive care and to oppose challenges such as pharmacy refusals and religious restrictions by those imposing their beliefs on women.

Highlights

Fact Sheet | 2013 State Level Abortion Restrictions at Mid-Year: An Extreme Overreach into Women’s Reproductive Health Care

September 17, 2013

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that affirmed a woman’s right to a safe and legal abortion. Yet, anti-abortion state politicians continue to relentlessly attack this right, in the hopes of overturning Roe and preventing women from obtaining abortions. In the first 6 months of 2013, state lawmakers enacted 43 restrictions on abortion, including outright bans.   This is the second highest number of enacted restrictions at the mid-year mark, and equal to the total number of restrictions enacted in 2012.  These state restrictions are a dangerous overreach into women’s personal medical decisions.

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Fact Sheet | State Politicians Want Bosses to Make Women’s Health Care Decisions

June 14, 2013

State politicians are introducing bills that would allow a boss to trump women's health and women's access to the health care they need by refusing to comply with the birth control benefit of the health care law. These bill sare not about protecting religion. They are unconstitutional attempts to take away women's decision making, threatening women's health and equality.

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Fact Sheet | Requiring Crisis Pregnancy Centers to Disclose Limits on Care Is Part of a Long Tradition of Protecting Women’s Decision-making and Access to Reproductive Health Care

April 9, 2013

Women face many obstacles to receiving comprehensive, affordable, quality health care, including when individuals and institutions refuse to provide health care services.   Some even go so far as to refuse to inform women about their health care options or even to notify women that there are certain services or information that they will not provide.  This prevents women from participating fully in their own medical decision-making.  Not only are their rights compromised, their health may be harmed.

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Legal Briefs & Testimony | NWLC Amicus Briefs Supporting the Contraceptive Coverage Benefit

August 12, 2013

The Center is filing friend of the court briefs in lawsuits challenging the federal contraceptive coverage benefit, brought by employers who want to deny their employees this important benefit.  These cases involve suits brought under the First Amendment to the US Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  These cases will decide whether a boss’s religious beliefs trump women’s health and women’s access to the health care they need.

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More Resources

Fact Sheet | Pharmacy Refusals: State Laws, Regulations, and Policies

April 24, 2012

Fewer than half of the states in the country explicitly address the issue of refusals to provide medication to patients in the pharmacy. Eight states require pharmacists or pharmacies to ensure that that patients receive their medication. Seven states allow refusals but prohibit pharmacists from obstructing patient access to medication. Only five states permit refusals without critical protections for patients, such as requirements to refer or transfer prescriptions.

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Fact Sheet | Pharmacy Refusals 101

April 24, 2012

Refusals to fill prescriptions for contraception and to provide emergency contraception (EC) over-the-counter are an increasing problem across the country. Refusals to provide contraception constitute a serious erosion of reproductive rights and impede women's access to critical health care. This fact sheet provides the context around this growing problem.

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Fact Sheet | Drugstore Dilemma: What to do if Your Pharmacy Won’t Give You Birth Control Pills or Emergency Contraception (the “Morning-After Pill”)

April 22, 2012

There have been increasing reports of pharmacists and pharmacies refusing to fill women’s prescriptions for birth control, including emergency contraception (the “morning-after pill” or EC).  These refusals are based on personal beliefs, not on legitimate medical or professional concerns.  The same pharmacists who refuse to dispense contraceptives often refuse to transfer a woman’s prescription to another pharmacist or to refer her to another pharmacy.  These refusals can have devastating consequences for women’s health.

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Fact Sheet | Accessing Non-Prescription Emergency Contraception: The Basics

April 22, 2012

This factsheet provides basic information on types of emergency contraception and answers frequently asked questions regarding obtaining and using EC. 

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Fact Sheet | Pharmacy Access to Emergency Contraception

April 22, 2012

Until the FDA approves all EC products for non-prescription use by women of all ages, pharmacy access is an important mechanism to ensure that those seeking to prevent pregnancy have every opportunity to do so.  This factsheet explain the benefits of pharmacy access to emergency contraception and the obstacles currently in place.

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