Following Donald Trump’s election as the 47th President of the United States, women across the country are preparing for what some are calling a “reproductive apocalypse.”
Many people have started hoarding contraceptives, abortion pills, and long-term birth control because they fear that their reproductive rights may be restricted.
Spike in demand for abortion pills & contraceptives
Aid Access, one of the largest providers of abortion pills, reported a surge in demand, receiving 10,000 requests within 24 hours of Trump’s win,17 times the daily average.
Meanwhile, Just the Pill, a non-profit that supplies abortion medication through telemedicine, noted that a significant portion of their recent orders came from people who weren’t currently pregnant, indicating a trend toward “advance provision” in case access is restricted.
Plan C, a group that provides information on accessing abortion pills, also reported a huge increase in website traffic, reaching 82,200 visitors the day after the election, about 20 times its usual daily visitors.
Elisa Wells, Plan C’s co-founder, commented that people are preparing for what they expect to be a difficult landscape for reproductive rights under Trump.
The National Abortion Federation reported increased demand for emergency contraception and long-term birth control methods, such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and vasectomies. Brittany Fonteno, president of the federation, emphasized that these actions reflect widespread concern about reproductive healthcare access, with many worried about their ability to get essential care.
Trump’s Shifting Stance on Abortion
Trump, who has previously called himself “the most pro-life president in history,” has also said he supports states’ rights to make decisions on abortion.
His first term saw the nomination of three conservative Supreme Court justices, leading to the Court’s decision to overturn ‘Roe v. Wade’ in 2022.
Additionally, anti-abortion advocates continue to challenge access to mifepristone, a primary medication used in abortions.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, noted that the president remains committed to supporting states’ rights on abortion. Recently, far-right groups have begun questioning access to contraceptives like IUDs and emergency contraception, falsely labeling them as abortifacients.
This increased demand for reproductive healthcare options signals deep concerns about maintaining access under the new administration.