Before the contraceptive mandate went into place with the Affordable Care Act, I cared for a 29-year-old woman who I’ll call Laura. Laura wanted a Mirena IUD (a hormonal IUD) for her birth control. She had been having trouble with the birth control injections and was concerned that she would not remember to take a pill every day.

Laura had private health insurance through her job, but apparently her employer (a catering company) had opted out of covering contraception. Therefore, she could not afford the upfront cost for the Mirena and ultimately decided to switch to birth control pills since they were the least expensive option.

Now that the contraceptive coverage mandate has been nullified by the current administration, I fear that more situations like Laura’s will take place.