MINNEAPOLIS— Online retailers and telehealth companies report a sharp increase in demand for emergency contraceptives after the elections, similar to what happened after Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago.
Winx Health reported a 966% spike in sales of their morning-after pill in the 60 hours after the election compared to the week before. Another company Wisp reported a 1000% increase from November 5 to 6.
“People have expressed fear and concern about their ability to access both abortion care and contraceptive care under a new administration with President-elect Trump, and so we have seen people looking for Plan B to have available. We’ve seen people talking about long-acting reversible contraceptives, so implants and IUDs,” said Amy Hagstrom Miller, president and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health Minnesota, which has a clinic in Bloomington.
The right to abortion is protected in Minnesota. A 2023 law codified access to abortion and contraception. There is also a state Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing the right to abortion.
As a result, Minnesota has seen a spike in the number of out-of-state patients who live where abortion bans are in place and come here for the procedure.
Emergency contraceptives are available without a prescription. Hagstrom Miller said her clinic is ready to meet the demand for patients seeking long-acting contraception, such as IUDs. There are plenty of options for appointments, she added, with wait times as short as one or two days.
Republicans will control Congress next year CBS News Projects, and President-elect Trump will be in the White House. However, Trump said that last month he does not support a federal ban, he wrote on social media last month“I would not support a federal abortion ban under any circumstances, and would in fact veto it because it is up to the states to decide based on the will of their voters.”
Abortion rights protections prevailed in seven of the 10 states voted on last week. This means that access will be enshrined in the constitutions of those states. And a majority of voters in four of those states — Arizona, Montana, Missouri and Nevada — also supported Trump.
“I am encouraged and hopeful that the campaign’s latest promises are true and that they will not pursue an abortion ban,” Hagstrom Miller said. “But we’re also preparing for restrictions in other states and hoping that Minnesota can continue to be a North Star for reproductive rights in the region, but we’re also preparing for some of those potential disruptions and concerns that could result in lawsuits. and fight back and forth.”
Caroline Cummings
