Colleen Renee Lis has heard people say: "Go out and buy every female member of your family Plan B for Christmas this year.”
“That might truly be what I do," she said.
Plan B, the morning-after pill that prevents pregnancy, was not the only thing Lis worried about as she watched election results. She feared there would be new attempts to roll back women’s rights and access to abortion and birth control.
At least, Lis said, she did not feel alone. Friends told her they, too, were preparing for potential changes to women's health care when Republicans take control of all branches of the U.S. government.
“I am always thinking about my niece and if something were to happen to her, I would help her," said Lis, who lives in Clifton. "No judgment."
Emboldened by President-elect Donald Trump’s return to office, some conservative Republicans are seeking to reshape reproductive rights. Elected leaders have called for abortion bans and limits on some methods of birth control, citing religious beliefs. Women’s groups say such measures infringe on their right to make decisions about their own bodies.
New Jersey is among states with the strongest protections for abortion and contraception access in the nation, but advocates say they are taking no chances and are organizing and creating contingency plans.
IUDs, pills and doctors' visits
Since Election Day, companies have reported a spike in demand for reproductive health care, and a surge in sales of emergency contraception and medication abortion.
Dr. Kristyn Brandi, an Englewood-based obstetrician and gynecologist, said she typically did one IUD insertion a week, but now was booking five or six per week. The birth control method can last three to 10 years, depending on the type. Some patients have outright told her that it is “absolutely because Trump was elected” and feel a need “to protect myself in a different way.”
Other patients are booking out of concern there will be cuts to public health insurance programs and birth control coverage, Brandi said. Some have asked if they get a birth control prescriptions filled for a full year.
Patients are also asking for Plan B or its generic form. The emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex or birth control failure and has a shelf life offour years.
“People are really trying to stockpile and get ready for the possibility they won’t have access to reproductive health care,” Brandi said, past board chair for Physicians for Reproductive Health and an abortion provider.
Maria Lewis of North Caldwell called a family doctor days after the election to talk about reproductive health. She also had a frank talk with her two daughters about the political climate.
“For the time being, I think with my daughter being in [college in] Massachusetts and her home state being New Jersey, it is still relatively safe,” Lewis said. “Although New Jersey, it came out, had gotten more red by 10% this election.”
“I think, aside from access to a legal abortion, there’s a lot of pretty violent rhetoric coming out — ‘your body my choice.’ It’s really something to think about,” she said, referring to the anti-woman slogan some men have used since the election.
Erin Chung of Montclair worried whether health officials under Trump would restrict access to hormone therapy and the HPV vaccine, recommended for teenage girls to prevent cervical cancer. State health policies will be a major factor when her daughter chooses where to go to college, she said.
For Lis, Election Day felt like a redux of Trump’s win in 2016. This time felt worse, she said, knowing the makeup of the Supreme Court had changed with two conservative Trump appointees. They voted with the majority in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that established the constitutional right to abortion.
After the ruling, the actress and dancer channeled a feeling of “hopelessness” into action, writing the play “Destigmatized” centering true stories on topics including abortion, sexual assault, contraceptives and health care. Performed in 20 venues, the show raised money for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. She aims to schedule another performance on Inauguration Day.
Writing a play, getting IUDs, stocking up on birth control – women said these were ways to take control at a time where they feel control slipping away.
“When it feels hopeless, I feel best when I do something proactively,” Lis said.
'Chilling effect'
Rachel Baum, president and CEO of the New Jersey Family Planning League, a nonprofit organization that provides family planning services, worried about a “chilling effect” as anxiety runs high.
She stressed that services — including family planning and abortion — continue and are available regardless of immigration status and ability to pay. Baum was also concerned about stockpiling of contraceptives, and how it could impact supply lines — likening it the toilet paper rush during the COVID pandemic.
“I’m not trying to diminish the fears,” Baum said, “but we need to be measured in the approach. We are continuing to give full and comprehensive health, and we want to make sure supplies are available as people need them.”
The organization has created contingency plans in case of new federal restrictions, such as a return of 2020 Trump’s Title X “gag rule” that barred recipients of federal aid from referring clients to abortion services, Baum said.
In other scenarios, Republicans could revive an effort to use the Comstock Act of 1873 to bar the mailing of abortion-related materials. They could also try to impose a national ban on abortion, although Trump has said he would not sign one.
“We are prepared to fight whatever comes our way,” Baum said. “Here in New Jersey, we are very fortunate to be a safe and supportive state for reproductive health care. We take that identity very seriously, especially as restrictions increase around the country.”
Kaitlyn Wojtowicz, senior vice president of public affairs with Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey, stressed that its 22 health centers remained open for services, including birth control and abortion.
The Action Fund called on New Jersey leaders to pass the Reproductive Freedom and Health Equity Bill Package, which includes nine bills to protect and expand access to services, and codify existing regulations.
“New Jersey’s legislators must take urgent, decisive action to protect patients and providers and support access to care,” Wojtowicz said. “Now is the time to take action.”
