After Dobbs, 70% of women say avoiding pregnancy is important: KFF survey

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Almost 70% of women of reproductive age say that avoiding pregnancy is very important to them, according to recently released findings from the 2024 KFF Women’s Health Survey.

In addition, 20% of uninsured women had to stop using a birth control method because they couldn’t afford it, the survey found.

The KFF Women’s Health Survey looked at women’s experiences with birth control, insurance coverage, contraceptive preferences and how social media influenced the birth control information they received. KFF is an independent source for health policy research, polling and news.

“As abortion access has become more limited post-Dobbs, here has been an increased attention on the need for, and future of, contraceptive access,” the KFF report stated.

In the the Dobbs decision, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, giving states the power to regulate any aspect of abortion not protected by federal statutory law. However, voters in Ohio and other states have voted to preserve abortion rights.

The KFF Women’s Health Survey, a nationally representative survey of women in the United States, sampled nearly 4,000 women and those who identify as women between the ages of 18-49 in May and June 2024.

Here are some highlights from the survey:

Eight-in-10 (82%) women of reproductive age used some form of contraception in the past 12 months.

Almost half (48%) of women using birth control used more than one contraceptive method in the past 12 months. Condoms and oral contraceptives were most commonly used.

One-in-7 women (14%) use contraception solely for other reasons, such as preventing a sexually transmitted infection.

One-in-7 women ages 18 to 25 (14%) say they changed or thought about changing their birth control method because of social media.

While insurance paid the full cost of contraception for the majority (69%) of contraceptive users with private insurance, a quarter (24%) paid some or all of the costs out-of-pocket.

One in five (20%) women said they didn’t know where to get emergency contraception, despite its availability as over-the-counter medication.

Julie Washington covers healthcare for cleveland.com. Read previous stories at this link.