Are Big Repro Orgs Going to Get It Together?
Why is Planned Parenthood Cutting Travel Funding for Abortion Seekers?
Last week, I heard rumblings that Planned Parenthood was set to pause its Emergency Access Fund (EAF), effective at the end of this month.
The EAF was a wonderful and—for Planned Parenthood—truly unusual program. It funded travel and other practical support for patients, and in some cases, the money was even going to patients receiving care at clinics not affiliated with Planned Parenthood. I really can’t overstate how rare it is for Planned Parenthood to do something like that.
While Planned Parenthood is undoubtedly an important organization, it also has a reputation for not playing nice with the smaller grassroots organizations within the abortion access movement. To name just a few issues, it often intentionally competes with independent clinics and over-relies on abortion funds, whose resources are dwarfed by Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA)’s hundreds of millions in assets. That’s to say nothing of the federation’s widespread union busting.
EAF seemed almost too good to be true, and indeed, it was. Despite some vague promises of restructuring, it’s doubtful the program will return in anything like its original form. Here’s what I was able to learn.
I must admit I am also mildly obsessed with this art that my colleague Cage Rivera created for the story:
The National Abortion Federation Has a New Leader. Will Anything Change?
Speaking of big repro organizations, the National Abortion Federation (NAF) has a new leader, and I got an exclusive interview with her. Brittany Fonteno will be NAF’s first Black president and CEO, and she takes the helm at a time when the organization has been without a CEO for nearly two years—arguably the two most crucial and difficult years of its entire existence, to boot.
NAF is another organization that is absolutely critical but deeply flawed. I did my best to ask Fonteno some tough questions, and my hope is that she’ll sit down for me with a follow-up once she’s been on the job for a few months (she doesn’t start until September). Read the interview here.
Repro Report is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
OTC Birth Control Is Here, Baby!!
Finally, in a space where it’s rare to have good news, we did get some recently: The FDA approved Opill, a progestin-only birth control pill, for over-the-counter use with no age restrictions.
As I wrote a few newsletters ago, after covering the advisory committee meeting on this subject, I was really concerned that we could see the FDA approve OTC Opill for adults only. That’s what they did when they first brought Plan B over the counter, kicking off a years-long saga of legal maneuvering to make it available for those under 18 years old. A similar move here would have left teens—the people who stand to benefit most from OTC birth control—in the lurch. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s nice to know that’s still possible.
In celebration of this historic decision, I made a timeline of the birth control pill. Read for some fun facts. For example: Did you know that condoms have been around since ancient times?
Opill is expected to become available in early 2024. The biggest outstanding questions are how much it will cost and whether insurers will cover it. (Insurance rarely picks up the tab for OTC medications.) Congress could take action and require insurers to step up on this front, and Perrigo, Opill’s maker, has also committed to keeping it affordable. You know I’ll be watching.
