One of the most frustrating things to be revealed post-election is the absolute ignorance that most American voters had about each candidate and what they stood for. There have been stories coming out about people who voted for Donald Trump while being completely misinformed about his policies vs. VP Kamala Harris’s policies. There are also anecdotes from voters who voted for him because they figured, “Well, he won’t actually do this to ME and MY family.” Now, these voters are learning that yes, the leopards will eat their faces. Searches for “What is a tariff?” spiked on the day after the election. What a wild time to finally do your own research.
While many people woke up to news sites finally covering the dangers of Trump’s policies, those of us who were actually paying attention realized that our worst fears were about to come true. Another search term that surged after Trump was declared was for birth control options. In fact, as soon as he was declared winner in the wee hours of the morning, people in red states like West Virginia, Mississippi, Indiana, Arkansas, and Kentucky were searching things like, “Is Trump going to get rid of birth control.”
At 4 a.m. on Nov. 6 — right around when news broke that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump defeated the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris — Google searches for “birth control” more than doubled, according to Google Trends. The states where the term was searched the most were all ones that Trump won: West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas and Indiana.
Those states have instituted near-total bans or restrictions on abortions.
Related searches include variations of the phrase “Is birth control being banned,” along with “Is Trump going to get rid of birth control,” per Google Trends.
During his first term in office, Trump rolled back a previous requirement that employers include birth control coverage in their health insurance plans without a co-pay. The 2017 decision, the administration said, was to protect religious freedom and moral sensibilities as birth control promotes “risky sexual behavior.”
The nonprofit organization A Step Ahead Chattanooga, which provides contraception to Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama, shared on Instagram that requests for birth control were up 287% following the election.
After the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was handed down in 2022, multiple states enacted “trigger bans” that severely limited — or outright banned — access to abortion.
During this year’s election, voters in some states approved measures to permanently enshrine abortion access into the state’s constitutions. In September, Trump, 78, said that women “will no longer be thinking about abortion” if he won the election “because it is now where it always had to be, with the States, and a vote of the people.”
This is terrifyingly new territory for America’s women. The ones who voted for that orange wannabe dictator are in for a rude awakening. I checked the search trends again, and as of Monday evening, another red state, Louisiana, was the top state using search terms involving “birth control.” And while I admit to taking comfort in the schadenfreude from some of these stories about people f-cking around and finding out, at the end of the day, I know that access to birth control is not only important to women, but to society in general. Even those who voted to enshrine abortion rights in their state’s constitution are in for a wake up call when there is a federal abortion ban. As evidenced by the search demographics, the women who live in red states know that they’ll be screwed. Meanwhile, the Trump voters in blue states who were WoRrIeD aBoUt ThE eCoNoMY really are about to Find Out.
I had my yearly obgyn appointment last month. My IUD is five years old, but they keep telling me that it will be good for eight years. During my appointment, I asked my gyno if I could change it out anyway because I didn’t know if it would even be allowed in three more years. She told me, “We’ll know who wins the election in four weeks. If he wins, I’ll get you back in ASAP.” My very first phone call on November 6 was to make that appointment. I know the IUD process sucks, but for me, it’s my best option right now. I know that’s not an option for everyone, though, so please make sure you have a plan in place come January.
Biden/Kamala’s policies when presented blindly to Trump supporters were favored over Trump’s own policies. I think we’re post policy. https://t.co/RxrawO90CM
— Jack Inacker (@JackInacker) November 9, 2024
— American Times ★ Docuseries (@ExportedFromMI) January 15, 2017
Photos credit: Avalon.red, Thought Catalog on Unsplash, Sandro Tavares on Pexels
This is so scary to see. I feel terrible for my American family members and friends who will now have an even harder time controlling their reproductive futures.
I’m Canadian but grew up in a very pro-choice household(my mom is a retired midwife/OB nurse) and my beliefs were made even stronger by being deeply involved in a rape crisis centre’s board. All this to say, I have been donating to American Planned Parenthood and the national network of abortion funds on top of my Canadian charities since 2016 and let me tell you, post election, the donor emails were coming in hot!
For anyone interested in really understanding this issue on both the state and federal level, I can’t recommend enough Jessica Valenti’s daily news letter, Abortion Every Day. She is an incredible voice covering this issue.
Stay safe out there ladies!
I got my tubes cauterized last year because of roe v wade. The thought of an IUD scared me since I’ve never been pregnant. I’m so glad I have a great doctor who never questioned my choice.
You’re lucky. Many doctors won’t cauterize tube’s for women under a certain age. Reason: “Just in case you change your mind about having children” My daughter wanted to have hers done after having her 4th child and they wouldn’t do it. She was 27 at the time.
My concern about the IUD is that it is very likely to be banned as part of abortion bans. The legislators who write these laws completely ignore the actual science and have redefined hormonal contraceptives and even non-hormonal IUDs as abortifacients (anything that could potentially prevent implantation has been declared abortion under the “pharmacist conscience” rules that allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for women). It is likely that women with an IUD will be required to have them removed as the bans increase and are implemented
My advice to women of child-bearing potential who want to preserve their ability to get pregnant is to speak to your GYN about getting a diaphragm or cervical cap just to have at the ready if worse comes to worst
Don’t I know it Swack! I had been vocal for years about not wanting children and they had offered sterilization to me before but I was hesitant. They asked me why I changed my mind on it and when I told them roe v wade, they immediately pulled up a surgery schedule. I’ve recommended them to a few other friends since-it was such a great decision for me and I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.
@Pottymouth, I think you’re right, they will eliminate as many forms of contraception as possible, likely including IUDs.
But diaphragms and cervical caps assume sexual activity with enough advance notice and consent to put them in – scarily enough, I think many people with uteruses (uteri?) are now preparing for the possibility of rape, and preventing any potential pregnancy that may come from such a violation.
The likelihood of which very possibly just increased: given how emboldened racists and misogynists have been in just the last six days, it seems they feel the election results are a license to bring out their most violent, vile, horrific selves and just harm whoever they want (see for example: Beverly Hills high school students this past week attacking teachers and students they assume voted for Harris). And it sure doesn’t seem like the next administration will do anything to curb that.
So if the odds used to be 1 in 4 women experience sexual assault in her lifetime back when we had at least a modicum of restraint in this country, I’m terrified what the next 4 years will bring.
Pottymouth, this is terrifying. How can they force us to have it removed?
I called my former OBGYN in order to confirm the exact type and date mine was placed so that I know myself. I had to change providers with a job change and wasn’t completely sure.
I’m about to be 40, come on menopause. The last thing I want is an unexpected pregnancy in my
Mid 40’s
If you have economic anxiety, it’s going to go through the roof if you have a child that you didn’t plan for and can’t afford. My empathy is in very low supply for the people that willingly voted for this man, however there are a lot of people in red states that didn’t. I really feel for them because it’s not just as easy to get up and move away from your family, your job and everything you know and live somewhere else. Jobs and housing aren’t just falling out the sky, and now they may suffer immediately without a chance to really prepare.
Many people who voted for him have no idea what they have unleashed and how much worse their life and future generarions are going to be now. The country is being decimated by the whims of the 1% being fanatically supported by Evangelicals (who certainly use birth control and divorce and use social programs like ss/medicaid). I have a real hard time feeling sorry for women who voted for this, but weep for the women who didn’t and the suffering future generations are going to have to endure.
I’ve spent this past week in a helpless fury. There should be no question that someone who has spent years studying medicine should be in charge of medical decisions, not a politician. There should also be equal rights for everyone–it should not be based on anatomy. Before the election, women were put at risk, became infertile, and died. It’s beyond damaging to my soul that these people are now looking up the consequences of their choices! I take back what I wrote about Alabama Barker, btw. In retrospect it’s great that she didn’t want to vote because she hadn’t properly informed herself. Too bad too many people have clearly done the opposite.
Oversimplified, but they will make policies that force women to have babies while in turn cutting programs and funding to help women care for and educate those babies they were forced to have.
I live in New England and the post election interviews with people who voted for Trump make my head spin. What’s really sad is many are immigrants or adult children of immigrants. They actually believe Trump cares about their future, is going to do all he can to help people prosper, yadayada. I mean, I suppose they are right in that he figures if they prosper it’s more people to con out of their $$. And wow is Trump putting some nut jobs in cabinet positions.
Someone’s gotta provide cheap labor after the mass deportations. If only that were a joke. Tons of uneducated children, an overwhelmed foster care system, realistically how old does someone need to be to work in the fields or clean your toilets? I assume child labor laws are on the chopping block.
@Mightymolly desperate times create desperate action. This has been the GOP plan well before Trump. The goal is to increase poverty and desperation because coupled with removing all regulations protecting employees & union busting, people will be primed for the return of sweatshop conditions
Child labor laws have already been decimated in Arkansas and I believe Mississippi with others not far behind. We all face a dystopian future.
They don’t have to remove the ban on child labor — they can just refuse to prosecute it when it happens. Child labor already exists.
This post was written as if there are no blue voters in red states.
Aud, I see where you’re coming from. Some of my friends and family voted blue from red states, and they were hyper aware of the consequences–I think this was generalized to the (simple) majority of voters there who did not.
I disagree. I think this post was written as if mindless red voters didn’t care to understand anything before casting a vote.
And I’ll just go ahead and say I think the GOP stole this election, full stop, but still way too many stupid people voted for their own demise. I’m not going to spare a single shard of empathy for those who meet the consequences of their own idiotic Republican votes.
This. I’m dead inside right now. I mourned the 2016 election for years, read everything I could to better understand it, and threw myself into election activism. And so I know that willful ignorance and unfathomable selfishness prevailed. The massive outreach effort this time, often led by celebrities and republicans, means everyone heard the message. They just wanted to believe ticking that box would be like winning the lottery and they’d be showered with money. Or they were straight up bigots. Either way.
@Mightymolly I actually read a screengrab on reddit of a liberal talking about their trump voting (now ex) friend and said trump voter *understood what they were voting for was madness* but did so under the belief that, once again, the Democrats would be able to block it.
So to all the people who voted for Trump, I hope that you, personally, get everything you voted for. I saw @hoewhite93 say it far better than I did on a TikTok on the Texas Reddit. I really hope that for them all, too. May no one come to save them from what they thought they could do to other people.
In these dark times, I do hope you continue to cover politics more. I cut off the WaPo, I can’t with the NYT (though I still give them money), and I’m so freaked out over what’s happening this is the only place where I can tolerably read political headlines. I can’t engage with this stuff outside the context of a supportive community.
We are so in a #FAFO era.
I find the Meidas Touch Network a really reliable, hard-hitting source of qualified, honest news on all things political and legal in America. I watch it on YouTube and they also post on IG.
I think part of the issue now is that while it’s easy to say “well you voted for him, how are you surprised?” a lot of the people terrified now, especially in red states, did not vote for him. I have an appointment on Thursday to discuss a hysterectomy and I really want one before January 20 if possible. I’m a federal employee and I’m terrified of losing my job – our entire lives are built around my salary, my retirement, my health insurance. If I lose my job I don’t even know what the next step would be.
I have zero sympathy for Trump voters this time around (I didnt really have any in 2016 but now I really have zero) but I have a lot of sympathy for the millions of people who didn’t vote for him who are now going to be screwed.
(I also have no sympathy for the people who didn’t vote.)
It is my fervent hope that everyone who voted for him gets to experience first hand exactly what they voted for. And I also hope that everyone who didn’t vote for him survives all this as unscathed as possible.
Best wishes @Becks1.
The domino effect of all of this is so devastating. No access to abortion or birth control, possible ban of no fault divorces, possible taking away of millions of people’s access to health care in general, possible reduced access to vaccines for newborns and children or at least the spread of lies about vaccines from batshit crazy RFKII. Women and children are going to die.
I already told my boss he can expect me to be out for a week every month with a PMS migraine if they ban contraceptives. Too many people have this misguided notion that only dirty sluts use the pill and abortions and taking them away is punishment and cure for our promiscuity. It’s going to take these Christofascists losing their own family members to routine miscarriages and conditions like endometriosis and PCOS to learn (if they *can* even learn) that contraception and abortions ARE healthcare.
The Christofascists are so far gone in their cult, they will be fine with their daughters/wives/mothers/sisters dying for their cause. That’s how cults work. Parents sacrificed 300 children in the Jonestown cult. And I always go back to the GOP Congressman who was literally shot at a softball game, and he was still against gun regulations. Or Jason Aldean witnessing the horrific executions of his fans at his concert in Las Vegas and he still glorified murdering people who don’t agree with MAGA in Try That In a Small Town. They are brainwashed, lost causes.
How can we secretly distribute copies of Fast Times to young teen girls? Prime them to join the resistance by teaching them that in a long ago era, girls could explore their sexuality, make mistakes, learn from them, and not have their entire futures sidelined because of it?
#FAFO era
#noshitsherlock era
It’s so disturbing.
I wonder how many women are just going to get their tubes tied, if they’ve had all the children they’ve wanted. I’m long past childbearing age, but I can’t imagine having to scramble like this, when women’s healthcare was once a given. I think these idiots want women to go back to the days of being married, barefoot, and pregnant—hence why they want to cut childcare help after birth. Their reasoning probably is that “if you didn’t want to get pregnant, you should have kept your legs together.” 🤬
I tried to do that when I was still of childbearing age and it was extremely difficult to get a doctor to agree to it because I was childless. I am worried that it will be incredibly difficult for women to get the procedure even while it’s still legal. But let’s be clear that there will be *no shortage* of babies and children to adopt, so if you’re at all considering this approach while still keeping open the option of having children some day, fight fight fight for your right to get the procedure done. I believe there are lists somewhere of doctors who won’t be asshats about it.
Same- they won’t do it if you don’t have kids, and they won’t do it if they don’t think you have had *enough* kids. You know, because it would be just like a woman to change her mind… AARRRRGGGHHH
mightymolly, have you checked in at Planned Parenthood?
@Saucy – That’s a great point. It’s no longer an issue for me (the truth was that my fibroids were a bigger issue than being sterilized, but we only even discovered that because I pushed for a tubal ligation). But please continue getting the word out that there are options!
Thank you for writing this article. I know for gossip we all want some lighthearted garbage to distract us from the world but where the majority of readers are either women or feminine presenting, it’s important to know about issues that impact us while we’re laughing at whatever dumb move the Windsors are pulling.
To all those young gen z men who voted for trump, how do they think they re gonna get laid now? Men think they have won by taking away women’s reproductive rights, yet I’ll happily keep my legs crossed forever if I have to. Good luck to those guys if they think they are going to get laid now.
They’ll cling to their Joe Rogan podcasts for comfort.
How are they going to get laid? “Your body, my choice.” Plus heavy evanglical teaching that it is a woman’s duty to “serve” men. Say bye bye to marital rape being recognized, or any rape. Obviously we wanted it, right?
I am disgusted and terrified and I’m on the very back end of my fertility.
I’m so angry at the people who waited until after the election to do any research! I literally researched every candidate on my ballot especially the judges and what there abortion stance is.. it was all available from the ACLU to domestic violence websites had the information if people wanted information. I don’t think I can forgive them for their laziness and allowing themselves to be spoon fed propaganda. I live in a very red area, my neighbors, at least the senior citizen ones, have actually done the, “na,na,knaw, na.. my president won and yours didn’t” I truthfully was beyond appalled that 78-85 year old women would act with less dignity than a toddler mid tantrum. My only response at the time was, I read project 2025, I know what’s coming and you won’t be laughing long. What else can you say to people who act like this was a popularity contest not a fight to save the American dream. We will never be the same, researching after the fact 😠😡 ughhh. First thing I did was renew my passport that was expiring so I’m ready when he’s sworn in I can bolt if needed. I suggest all women do this before you need a husbands or father’s signature to do so.