Has the Fall of Roe Changed Contraceptive Access and Use? New Research from Four US States Offers Critical Insights

Abstract

The overturning of Roe v. Wade in the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision has had vast impacts on abortion access across the United States, but less is known about the wider impacts on people’s contraceptive access. We draw on cross-sectional survey data representative of reproductive-aged women in Arizona, Iowa, New Jersey, and Wisconsin at two timepoints, one prior to and one following the Dobbs decision. We examined changes between these two timepoints in key sexual and reproductive health metrics and, at the post-Dobbs timepoint, differences in these metrics across age, sexual and gender minority status, nativity, and income status. Between these two timepoints, we find statistically significant evidence that sexual activity declined, barriers to accessing contraception increased, reports of receiving high-quality contraceptive care decreased, and condom use increased. As continued fallouts of the Dobbs decision on access to abortion occur, this research makes clear that access to broader contraceptive care is worsening. Policies that promote meaningful access to all forms of sexual and reproductive health care must be advanced to support all individuals’ right to reproductive autonomy while mitigating inequity and inequality.