121 million live in states restricting contraceptive access
Why it matters: Contraception access has become a political flashpoint since the Supreme Court ended Roe v. Wade, with Democrats unsuccessfully pressing to codify nationwide contraceptive access and some patients concerned that conservative state legislatures could enact new curbs.
What they found: States on both coasts generally had policies aimed at ensuring access, such as requiring insurers to offer no-cost coverage and allowing nurse practitioners or pharmacists to prescribe birth control.
Nearly 35% of Americans, or 121 million people, currently live in a state that actively restricts access.
Of the 16 states the group identified in that cohort, the most restrictive including Kansas, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama and Wyoming.
The most protective included California, Washington, Connecticut, New York, New Mexico, Maryland and Oregon.
Another 18 states were considered a mix between the two.
"Reproductive health care access depends on where you live," said Cathryn Streifel, senior program director at PRB and co-author of the scorecard.
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