Teen Interest in Long-Lasting Birth Control Rises after Roe v. Wade Overturn

Teen Interest in Long-Lasting Birth Control Rises after Roe¹ v. Wade² Overturn

For about a year, 16-year-old Adismarys Abreu had been thinking about the possibility of getting a long-lasting birth control device. She was seeking a solution to her increasing pain during her monthly menstrual period.

Then in June, the U.S. Supreme³ Court overturned Roe. v Wade. The ruling ended a 50-year-old legal right to abortion⁴ nationwide. Abortion is a medical procedure to end a pregnancy⁵. Abreu joined a growing number of young women rushing to their doctors as states began to ban or severely⁶ limit abortion.

"I'm definitely not ready to be pregnant," Abreu said. Her home state of Florida bans most abortions⁷ after 15 weeks. She decided⁸ in August to have a contraceptive device put into her arm.

Experts say the Supreme Court's ruling appears to be adding to the movement of increased use of birth control devices and medication among teenagers.

The nonprofit reproductive health organization Planned Parenthood has been flooded with questions about birth control. Doctors across the country have reported rising demand for birth control even among teenagers who are not sexually active.

Some patients are especially fearful because the new abortion laws in several states do not include exceptions for sexual attack.

"Please, I need some birth control in case I get raped," patients tell Dr. Judith Simms-Cendan. She is a gynecologist for young women and girls in Miami, Florida. The state does not provide exceptions to abortion for rape⁹ if the pregnancy is beyond 15 weeks.

Simms-Cendan said parents who might have been resistant¹⁰ in the past now want to discuss birth control as a choice for their daughters.

"It's a sea change of, ‘I don't have room to play. We have got to get my child on something,'" Simms-Cendan said.

Teenagers were already switching to more effective long-acting forms of birth control before the June ruling, said Laura Lindberg. She is a professor at Rutgers University's School of Public Health in New Jersey¹¹. Her research found the number of 15- to 19-year-olds using such birth control methods rose to 15 percent during the period of 2015 to 2019. That is up from 3 percent during the 2006 to 2010 period.

No national data is available for the months since Roe was overturned, Lindberg said. But she said "major ripple¹² effects" are expected from the loss of abortion availability in many states.

After the high court's ruling, Missouri was among the first states in the country to put a law in place banning abortion at any point in pregnancy. Dr. David Eisenberg practices medicine in the state. He said he has seen a sense of urgency from college-aged women to have the most effective birth control choice.

"They understand the consequence of a contraceptive failure might mean they become a parent because they might not be able to access an abortion," Eisenberg said.

Interest is also high at a health center that Dr. Elise Berlan oversees¹³ in Columbus, Ohio. Before the Supreme Court's decision, the center could make appointments for new patients within a week or two. Now, they are reserving appointments several months in advance. The demand is so high that the center is adding another doctor, said Berlan.

The growing interest exists even in states like North Carolina, where abortion remains¹⁴ legal. The state's legislature, however, is conservative. This means state leaders are more likely to attempt to pass a ban on abortion in the future.

Dr. Kavita Arora is a gynecologist in the North Carolina city of Chapel¹⁵ Hill. She said she has been seeing many more teenage patients than before the overturn of Roe.

"They're aware that this is an incredibly fluid situation, and what is allowed at one moment may not be allowed a week or a month later," said Arora.

That unclear future is part of what led Adismarys Abreu to seek out her new birth control device, which can prevent pregnancy for up to five years.

"I don't know what's going to happen with the laws in that time period," Abreu said. "Having this already in my arm, it makes me feel so much safer."

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

menstrual period - n. the time when a woman menstruates each month (menstruate: to have blood flow from your body as part of a process that happens each month)

contraceptive - n. a drug or device (such as birth control pills or a condom) that is used to prevent a woman from becoming pregnant

gynecologist - n. a doctor who deals with the diseases and routine physical care of the reproductive system of women

sea change - expression. a big and sudden change

switch - v. to make a change from one thing to another

ripple effect - expression. a situation in which one event causes a series of other events to happen

aware - adj. knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists

fluid - adj. used to describe something that can change easily or that changes often

1 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

2 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

5 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

10 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

11 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

12 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

13 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

15 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。