If you’re looking for empirical evidence that the GOP and its “pro-life” boosters are less anti-abortion than they are anti-sex, look no further than the case of Liletta.
The new intrauterine device became available in April, and family planning clinics around the country began stocking it, often in bulk, this summer.
Liletta is everything a contraceptive should be: affordable, safe, effective, and for now—thanks to the backing of a well-known billionaire—widely accessible. Studies prove the IUD reduces rates of unplanned pregnancies, and it’s been shown to decrease the number of teen abortions.
Yet the conservative response has been to obstruct the use and availability of Liletta and similar contraceptive methods at every opportunity. Like the Republican crusade to defund Planned Parenthood, the pushback suggests that anti-choice advocates are on a misguided and ultimately futile mission. One less focused on protecting the sanctity of human life than it is penalizing and stigmatizing women for having non-reproductive sex.
Liletta is more than 99 percent effective, making it more trustworthy than any other form of contraception save for permanent sterilization, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The U.S. government has given an ultimatum to the international group that helps provide vaccines to...
