Birth Control Access

Support Increases to
Family Planning Funding

Millions in the U.S. do not have access to affordable birth control and publicly funded family planning, and low-income women are more than four times more likely than affluent women to experience an unwanted pregnancy. Expanding Medicaid at the state level (12 states still have yet to do so) and increasing Title X funding are critical in the mission for reproductive freedom and justice.

Keep an eye on state-level cuts and access to birth control services. After the 2010 election, many states cut reproductive healthcare funding sharply, including:

  • New Jersey – eliminated funding
  • New Hampshire – cut funding 57%
  • Texas – cut funding 66%

Funding in New Hampshire was restored in 2013, but New Jersey Governor Chris Christie eliminated $7.5 million in reproductive health services by line-item veto every year since 2010, leading to the closures of at least nine reproductive health clinics. In 2018, newly-elected Governor Phil Murphy finally restored funding. Similar cuts in Texas have resulted in the closure of 82 reproductive health clinics. Iowa, Kentucky, and South Carolina all moved to restrict public funding for birth control programs and providers in 2017, bringing the number of states that have taken aim at the reproductive healthcare safety net to 15.

Raise awareness about the need for Title X with a public education campaign on your campus. Combat efforts to defund Title X via rallies, teach-ins, or other forms of peaceful protest. Take your concerns directly to decision makers by visiting or contacting your representatives to advocate for increases to family planning funding. For one-on-one guidance, reach out to the Feminist Campus team about strategic planning assistance.

Advocate for Low-Cost Birth Control on Campus

Does your health center distribute birth control? If so, find out what options are offered and how much is charged for each method (e.g. the pill, the shot, the ring, the implant, IUDs, etc.). If these options are costly, and thus prohibitive to many in need of them, arrange a meeting with the health center director and offer to work with them to improve prices.

If you meet resistance, strategize: organize students on your campus to demonstrate the need for low-cost birth control. Hold a teach-in on contraception and family planning, circulate petitions among students and faculty, and meet with administrators. For one-on-one guidance, reach out to the Feminist Campus team about strategic planning assistance.