KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If Roe v. Wade is overturned, Missouri's so-called trigger law would potentially ban emergency contraceptives, like the morning-after pill.
It's a move that a local group says is unacceptable.
"They’re taking away not only the rights to our body, but the right to prevent something, it's really frustrating," Maddie Womack, founder and CEO of Barrier Babes said.
Womack's founded her nonprofit in 2019, which strives to promote sexual health in the Kansas City area.
"Sex-ed is not inclusive as it is now, unless it is comprehensive sex ed — there's a lot of people left out, a lot of truths left out," Womack said.
She presents at schools and groups who invite her, and distributes condoms at bars and coffeehouses around KCMO.
"When it comes to teaching about options, like as far as birth control goes, there's a whole long list of those, of course. And then abortion is sex-ed," Womack said.
Which is now threatened with the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade.
"It's not just women who have abortions. It is non-binary people, intersex and trans folks that also need abortion care," Womack said. "And they get left out of the conversation, but those are the people it’s going to affect the most."
Under Missouri's trigger law, Plan B, IUD's and possibly hormonal birth control could be banned because the law defines an "unborn child" to include fertilization or conception.
"What's really frustrating to me is that people who are anti-choice will advocate for getting rid of abortion, but they don't advocate sex-ed in school, proper sex-ed," Womack said.
Which is why Womack will continue doing her part to try to lower STI rates and unplanned pregnancies.
To learn more about Barrier Babes, people can visit their website.
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