Jacobs in the News

Lydie Lake and Rory Quealy of the George Washington University student newspaper wrote about a study by Julia Strasser and colleagues that tracked changes in the abortion and contraceptive services workforce between 2019 and 2021. They found a drop in the number of physicians working in these areas and an “encouraging rise” in the number of advanced practice clinicians offering such care.

Julia Strasser provided an invited perspective on a new study that found Black women experience worse IVF outcomes and neighborhood deprivation does not explain differences in IVF success. “These findings highlight the need for health services researchers to consider not only differences in race and ethnicity, but other structural factors that may affect both access to care and underlying needs for treatment,” Strasser commented.

A study by Julia Strasser and colleagues found the number of physicians providing contraceptive services is decreasing. "Researchers suggested that investing in women’s health and primary care physicians, along with state-level expanded scope of practice policies, could strengthen that segment of the workforce," wrote Rebecca Pifer about the research.

In an article about the possibility of an over-the-counter birth control pill, Julia Strasser explained that such an option can eliminate such access barriers but “can never replace what is lost because of abortion access barriers.”

Julia Strasser provided an invited perspective on a new study that involved a survey of pregnant adults who sought abortions in Ohio. “This study supports the conclusion that a 6-week [abortion] ban is, in fact, a near-total ban,” she explained.

Susan Wood spoke with Robin Young about the potential for an over-the-counter progestin-only pill to increase contraceptive options. She explained the difference between progestin-only pills and progestin-estrogen combination pills and why the pills should be sold without age restrictions.

Susan Wood explained that when FDA first considered emergency contraceptive Plan B in the 1990s, its mechanism for preventing pregnancy wasn’t totally clear. Now that we know it blocks ovulation, she suggests FDA update the language on its website to be clear, given growing false claims that emergency contraception is the same as abortion.

Susan Wood applauded the prospect of an over-the-counter birth control pill and expressed a hope that FDA would approve the application promptly. She also commented, “This is not a substitute for access to abortion care in the U.S., but will provide one more tool for the toolbox for preventing unintended pregnancies and more options for family planning.”

Susan Wood spoke to Ahmed Aboulenein about prospects for medication abortion drugs becoming available over the counter: “I personally don’t see it happening in the next couple of years.”