Red and blue states pass laws to protect contraception access

The Trump administration has rolled back teen pregnancy prevention grants and repurposed a program designed to reduce unintended pregnancies so that it promotes childbearing. But several states, including Republican-led ones, have protected or expanded access to contraception in recent months.

Georgia Republican state Rep. Beth Camp sponsored a bill to expand contraceptive access in her state after her daughter faced a two-month delay renewing her birth control prescription. The new law, passed in April and signed in May by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, allows pharmacists to prescribe contraception methods such as birth control pills and shots directly to patients without a doctor’s signature.

Current Georgia law requires patients to receive a birth control prescription from a doctor, which they can then fill at a pharmacy. Camp has said the new policy could help increase access to contraception in areas with primary care provider shortages.

Trump changes pregnancy-prevention program to promote childbearing

“In our state, we have such a challenge with access for medical professionals,” Camp told the House Health Committee earlier this year. “This is just really, to me, opening up a whole new stream of opportunities for women to be able to access contraception.”

In Maryland, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore in May signed a measure that requires public higher education institutions and community colleges to annually submit a report on contraception access to the Maryland Higher Education Commission. It also requires the commission  to submit a report on contraception access to the General Assembly and requires each community college to provide students with access to all methods of over-the-counter contraception.

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee in March signed into law a bipartisan bill that requires private health care plans to cover a yearlong supply of birth control. The state’s Medicaid program, TennCare, already provides a 12-month supply of birth control. The measure is set to take effect July 1, 2027.

And Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger in April signed a new law establishing the right to contraception and allowing people to sue if their rights are violated. Spanberger also signed another law requiring health insurance companies to cover both prescription and over-the-counter contraceptives without cost-sharing. Both laws went into effect this month.

Stateline reporter Sofia Resnick can be reached at [email protected].