Donald Trump's presidency may have come as a shock (or not). Perhaps the most controversial President, with little to no experience of actually any politics, Trump will impact not only those he targeted in his campaign (yes, I'm talking about the wall he plans to build) but also women across the United States.
Trump was undoubtedly vociferous about his intention of revoking Obamacare stating that "On November 8...we will be able to immediately repeal and replace Obamacare" during his speech in Philadelphia. With Obamacare, certain plans under the Health Insurance Marketplace are compulsory to cover a plethora of contraceptive methods, from birth control pills to diaphragms. Albeit Trump said he would replace Obamacare with another form of health insurance, there is a general consensus that this replacement could potentially remove the ability to get free birth control - one of the ACA (Affordable Care Act) benefits.
An IUD - a long-lasting method of birth control implanted in the uterus - can cost up to $1000 and to pay this without any form of insurance can erode a woman's wallet quickly. If Obamacare is revoked and insurers do not cover this contraceptive, many women will be unable to use this form of contraceptive, either settling for a form of contraceptive that is more expensive or one with more severe negative side effects.
The implementation of Obamacare in 2010 led to the sudden increase in demand for IUDs due to their cheaper price, practicality and the absence of a need for copayment. Mirena, a hormonal IUD, lasts for 5 years while ParaGard, a non-hormonal copper IUD, can last up to a staggering 12 years, much longer than Trump's presidency. Long-lasting with a 99% effective rate, the IUD seems perfect and women all over the Internet have expressed the need to exploit the cheaper price through Obamacare now,
The withdrawal of Obamacare will lead to 22 million Americans being impacted by the loss of their health insurance. Thus, roughly 11 million women will be affected by the change in affordability of contraceptions once Trump's presidency is instated. However, despite all of the benefits of the IUD from its long-lasting effectiveness to the chance of getting it hormone free, the myths of IUD still linger in the atmosphere with a small percentage of women claim that the IUD is their preferred method of contraception.
So, in the hustle and bustle of women on the internet encouraging others to go and get an IUD before Trump's inauguration on the 20th of January in 2017, as a woman, it's still important to weigh up the pros and cons of this form of contraception.