ST. LOUIS — With Roe v. Wade now officially overturned, many are wondering what this means for the future of contraception.
According to a Professor of Law at St. Louis University, it’s important to remember that contraception is not the same thing as abortion, and that it’s a necessary option for women.
“The thing is contraceptives are not abortion, family planning is not abortion,” Sidney Watson said.
She’s been studying all the potential outcomes after Roe v. Wade was overturned. She said there are still lots of unanswered questions at this point.
“I would not be surprised if we see both states trying to ban contraceptives in the future and litigation around it,” Watson said. "Aside from the constitutional law, there are other deferral laws that provide protection for access to contraception.”
Watson said if states started trying to ban contraceptives, other federal law would take place. Medicaid, for example, guarantees low-income families access to any FDA approved family planning.
Watson said just having access to a wide range of contraceptives is key to maternal health and children’s health.
“What we know about contraception is it saves women’s lives.”
A key component Watson said to watch for is the next legislative session, because it would take a majority of the Missouri General Assembly and an active legislative session for anything like this to move forward.
So, unless the banning of contraception is explicitly addressed and added to the veto session’s agenda in the fall, nothing could happen until the next active legislative session in January.