Special Journal Issue on Reshaping the Field’s Approach to Contraceptive Access Efforts

By Nikita Malcolm

CECA is pleased to announce the publication of a timely special issue in the American Journal of Public Health focused on how contraceptive access policy is shaped, how policy is translated into practice, and how a focus on equity, justice, and autonomy has reshaped the field’s approach to contraceptive access efforts.

Developed in collaboration with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), this peer-reviewed special issue:

• Highlights the unique role statewide contraceptive access initiatives play in addressing barriers to access, explores the evolution of these initiatives from approaches based on method effectiveness to person-centered approaches that support access to a broad range of contraceptive methods, and presents key wide-ranging policy considerations.

• Presents emerging evidence that sets the stage for future population-level programmatic guidelines on contraceptive access initiatives, such as a CDC Community Guide Recommendation, that have the potential to increase implementation of best practices, encourage cross-agency coordination, and inform funding proposals to support scaling of similar efforts.

• Features invited papers exploring critical issues related to contraceptive access policy, including principles of person-centeredness and reproductive health equity, community engagement to advance contraceptive access, using evidence to scale evidence-based interventions, and a new framework for sexual and reproductive health, equity, and wellbeing.

Our hope is that this special issue will encourage decisionmakers to explore strategies for fostering and supporting equitable and accessible contraceptive access policy and initiatives to get people the care they want when, where, and how they want it.