We are Hoosier constituents who have major reservations regarding the abortion ban and the ill effects it will have over women’s health and the state’s reputation. We understand most in the legislature are in favor of the ban. We therefore strongly urge lawmakers to strengthen the accessibility, affordability, and public knowledge of contraceptives. Our recommendations are five-fold, and we hope your commitment to Indiana and its citizens will extend to keeping an open mind and creating an open dialogue. We are proposing the following:

• Indiana to require insurers that cover prescription drugs to provide coverage of FDA-approved prescription contraceptive drugs and devices
• Indiana to require emergency rooms to provide emergency contraception information to sexual assault victims and to dispense upon request
• Indiana to revise House Bill 1169 so that it protects/includes long-acting contraceptives into efforts to increase access to birth control
• Indiana lawmakers to oppose any proposed legislation that would cut funding or limit access to Medicaid, specifically HEA 1426, which requires hospitals with a maternity unit to ensure that an enrolled/eligible patient giving birth is provided the option to have a long-acting reversible subdermal contraceptive implanted unless medically contraindicated
• Incentives to increase OBGYNs in counties with limited prenatal care resources

Our first and foremost priority is to reduce the maternal mortality rate. Indiana ranked the 7th highest maternal mortality rate in the United States in 2024, with the rate of death of patients age 25 or over higher than the national average. In 15% of maternal deaths in 2022, the patients did not receive any prenatal care at all, and 22% did not start prenatal care until the second trimester. Reliable scientific studies have shown this is largely due to barriers to accessing care. The Indiana Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) identified 25 counties as “maternal care deserts, counties that either do not have a hospital or an inpatient delivery center.” Indiana’s MMRC also found that 65% of pregnancy-related deaths in 2020 occurred among women with a history of requiring contact with the Department of Child Services. In all of these cases, care prior to the pregnancy would have made all the difference in terms of access to medical professionals and contraceptives.

Our second priority is to reduce teen pregnancy. In 2022, Indiana ranked 15th in teen pregnancy in the United States for teens between the ages of 15-19. When Colorado implemented a free state-wide birth control program in 2017, they saw the teenage pregnancy rate cut by 57%. Indiana ranked 9th among states with abortions due to rape in 2019 in spite of being 17th in overall population. While reports of rape in Indiana are fairly low compared to other states (34th), one rape is too many; in an imperfect world where victims are blamed and rape kits take a long time to process (there is currently a concerning number of backlog, untested rape kits in the state), women and teens should not have to worry about a potential pregnancy in conjunction with sexual assault.

Our third priority is to reduce state costs, both in the short term and long term. The federal and state government spent $21 billion in 2022 on births, abortions, and miscarriages resulting from unintended pregnancies. Colorado’s estimated cost savings across their Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women and Children programs among others totaled an estimated $69 million. Rapid repeat births declined by 12% among women of all ages, allowing women to actually be able to recover from giving birth and adjust to a new member of their family before becoming pregnant again. Statistically, every dollar spent on contraceptive services saves almost $6 of public spending through reducing unwanted pregnancies. Each year, public investments in contraception save approximately $10.5 billion. But this is not just a way to cut costs on social programs; this is an investment in the state’s future. Enrollment in college is 20% higher for those who have legal access to birth control early in life than those who do not. Women with access to contraception in their 20s earn $2200 more per year on average by their 40s than women who did not. This increase in education and earning potential does not extend only to women. Men with partners who have access to legal contraception are more likely to complete college as well.

In closing, while we have referenced numerous statistics, these numbers are worth noticing. Effective and affordable birth control saves lives, saves money, and can lead to a higher quality of life. In a world filled with misconceptions and deliberate falsehoods about contraceptives, it is more important than ever to have an educated population with a wide swath of opportunities ahead of them. We urge Indiana lawmakers to consider what we have proposed and why with the hope Indiana will be a safe and healthy place to live and be a shining example of leadership to the rest of the country.