How Broader Birth Control Access Aligns with Conservative Values and Policy Agendas
WASHINGTON (Jan. 13, 2021)— While birth control access is usually thought of as a left-of-center issue, some of the family planning programs we have today are thanks to Republican politicians. Advocating for broader birth control access can both strengthen conservative messaging on individual autonomy, as well as appeal to voters’ values. As conservative policymakers consider their agendas for 2021, it is important to consider how birth control policy fits within those priorities.
In a new policy study, R Street resident fellow Courtney Joslin and resident senior fellow C. Jarrett Dieterle of the Commercial Freedom team find that increased birth control access aligns with many limited government principles: it removes governmental barriers, decreases regulations and promotes individual autonomy. Because of this, broader birth control access should become a larger part of the conservative platform.
“At the most basic level, clearing away unnecessary regulatory clutter has long been a priority for advocates of limited government, but increasing birth control access also aligns with classical liberal values such as individual autonomy, commercial freedom and personal decision-making,” said Joslin and Dieterle.
Read the full report, “The Conservative Case for Greater Access to Birth Control,” here.
