The smartest American women you know have not spent the past few hours googling "how to move to Canada" or "can a human hibernate for four years," although those are both entirely reasonable responses given our circumstances.
Instead, they're reminding other women that if they haven't already, they should really call their gynecologist and make an appointment to get an IUD.
And here's why: The Affordable Care Act may have its flaws, but it guaranteed access to free birth-control for women. And that progress is very much at stake. Donald Trump has vowed to ask Congress to repeal Obamacare on his first day in office.
Meanwhile, the new vice president, Mike Pence, has favoured legislation that mandates women must bury or cremate fetal remains, as part of an anti-abortion strategy. Reproductive healthcare is always under attack, but it's about to be a very scary time to have unreliable birth control.
Enter, the IUD.
As a prescient Erin Gloria Ryan wrote on The Daily Beast last week, "Getting an IUD now—right now—is a simple move that can at least get a lady who isn't ready to be a mother through the next legislative term as unpregnant as possible."
Intrauterine Devices, as they're known, are some of the most effective methods of birth control out there. They not only last between three and nine years, but can be removed whenever you decide to believe in the republic again. And until Trump's inauguration, they're free.
Sure, they're not exactly a breeze to have inserted. But you're a woman! You're strong. You can manage the pain. And take it from us, it's really not that bad. And besides, which would you rather get all up in your uterus—a cutie device that will let you decide when and if to have children or the Trump-Pence administration?
