Planned Parenthood launches app that allows Iowa women to get birth control online
DES MOINES, Iowa — Planned Parenthood launched an mobile app in Iowa designed to increase access to birth control by allowing women who qualify to get contraceptives through their smartphone.
Iowa is now one of 27 states where women can download the app, called "Planned Parenthood Direct." Women 14 or older answer questions through telehealth screening on the app that's reviewed by a provider. If a doctor clears a woman for contraceptives, she can receive birth control pills by mail for $20/pack, which includes all fees for service and shipping. Women can also schedule health appointments on the app.
“Obviously not every encounter is going to be appropriate for an app like this," said Erin Davison-Rippey, state executive director of Planned Parenthood North Central States, the regional affiliate of which Iowa is a part. "We already know that we will be adding UTI treatment in the near future and there are other potential possibilities for other things that would work with an app. We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to really expand access.”
For advocates, access is the key. Davison-Rippey and others point to closures of four Planned Parenthood clinics in the state within the last few years, after the legislature defunded the organization when it decided to forgo federal money for family planning services.
More recently, because of a rule on abortion referrals, the Trump administration effectively forced Planned Parenthood out of a federal program known as Title X that helps low-income women get health care services like birth control and cancer screenings. Planned Parenthood officials say 14,000 Iowans will be affected by the group's withdrawal from the program.
“It’s really timely to be able to make sure folks have access to this app," Davison-Rippey said, adding that many people will likely use it for convenience.
The app also provides an avenue to reach women in rural parts of the state who might be far away from providers. Decreased access in rural Iowa wasn't lost on lawmakers this past session; Governor Kim Reynolds advocated for legislation that would allow women to get birth control at pharmacies without prior doctor authorization.
That bill enjoyed support from Democrats and Republicans, advancing out of the Iowa Senate with broad support. Ultimately, it did not move out of the Iowa House.
In May, a women's health start-up called Nurx launched in Iowa, promising a more affordable way to get birth control and other prescriptions online and delivered directly to Iowans.
