Today’s episode is a serious topic but I wouldn’t feel right if we didn’t discuss the threat to bodily autonomy in this country post the overturning of Roe V. Wade by the US Supreme Court. This conversation was recorded before the actual decision came through and we collectively got the heads up when the documents were leaked back in May. 

Before we introduce the conversation with Cynthia Plotch Co-Founder of Stix,  here is some food for thought regarding the implications of this ruling. 

1. Abortion is healthcare. 
   1. While childbirth is ‘natural’. It’s incredibly dangerous. It’s especially dangereous in America who leads the pack for maternal mortality of industrialized countries and then even more dangerous for Black birthing people who are at least 3x more likely to die during childbirth compared to our peers. 
2. Roe v Wade has dire implications on HIPPA (patient privacy)
   1. Source: What Does the Overturn of Roe v. Wade Mean for You?
   2. Source: HIPAA won’t protect you if prosecutors want your reproductive health records

   3. In a state that has outlawed abortion, HIPAA wouldn’t necessarily keep records of the procedure from being used as evidence.

3. Roe v Wade may have implications on Fertility treatments: The trigger laws mentioned above could affect access to IVF and how doctors can practice it, according to Lucky Sekhon, M.D, a double board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, infertility specialist, and OB-GYN at RMA of New York.

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, trigger laws can go into effect immediately that recognize an embryo as a person—”[and] if a fertilized egg is considered a person, anti-abortion laws could make it illegal to discard embryos,” says Dr. Sekhon. During the process of IVF, only about 60% of fertilized eggs successfully develop into an embryo, according to Dr. Sekhon. She also states that “it’s possible that some states that have bans on abortion may also restrict how many eggs can be fertilized at once so that embryos are not discarded”. 

Source: Will A Roe v. Wade Overturn Impact Fertility Treatments? Here’s What Experts Say

4. Lastly-I want to emphasize that the most marginalized will be the most impacted. 

Women with the resources to travel to other states to terminate pregnancies will do so leaving those without the means to suffer some unimaginable consequences. 

Guest Feature:

Cynthia Plotch, named to Inc.’s Top 100 Female Founders and Forbes 1000 Entrepreneurs in 2021, is Stix’s co-founder. Along with Jamie Norwood, they co-founded Stix, a health brand that empowers women to make confident health decisions, starting with reproductive and vaginal health products and sex education. 

Ahead of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, STIX launched a donation Bank for their emergency contraceptive called Restart. The mission of the Restart Donation Bank is :

to make emergency contraception more accessible, convenient, and free of judgment.

To address inequities in reproductive care, they’ve provided over 7,000 free doses of Restart™, their morning-after pill. Powered by the Restart™ Donation Bank, anyone who otherwise wouldn’t have access can get essential reproductive health care when it’s needed most.

To get involved, here’s what you can do: 

• Buy Restart™ for use now or to save for later. 
• Get on the waitlist to request a free dose of Restart™ if the cost is not in your budget.
• Donate to the Restart™ Donation Bank to provide emergency contraception to someone in need.