Emergency Contraception Purchases Remain Steady in Flathead Valley Amid National Spike

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson and its possible implications for contraceptive protections have sparked nationwide concerns about birth control access. While northwest Montana’s pharmacies have yet to see the emergency contraception demand surges that have overwhelmed online retailers and national chains, requests for birth control have risen in the area’s clinics. In the midst of uncertainty about reproductive legislation, local healthcare providers hope to reassure residents about birth control options, which remain accessible and legal in Montana. 

Mandie Fleming, family planning manager at Flathead Family Planning, said that as the Supreme Court neared closer to its Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, her team stocked up on emergency contraception pills such as Plan B One Step. 

There are three ways for clinic visitors to obtain emergency contraceptives at Flathead Family Planning, a division of the Flathead City-County Health Department. Emergency contraceptives can be purchased over-the-counter at the Family Planning office, in a vending machine in the Health Department building, which can be accessed even when Family Planning is closed, and with a prescription after a visit with one of the clinic’s medical professionals. While Family Planning asks for a $20 payment for Plan B purchased over-the-counter, Fleming says that arrangements can be made to lower the cost of the pill. 

“We really want to make sure that it’s accessible,” Fleming said. “We never want the inability to pay for birth control to be a barrier.”  

Nationally, major drugstores and online purveyors have seen a significant uptick in demand for emergency contraceptives like Plan B One Step. Online healthcare provider Wisp reported a 3,000% increase in emergency contraceptive sales after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. For some retailers, demand has risen so rapidly that the chains have restricted customer purchases. As of Tuesday afternoon, Walmart, Amazon, Rite Aid and CVS had introduced product limits for customers seeking to buy emergency contraceptives like Plan B. 

While “we have ample supply of Plan B and Aftera across all of our CVS Pharmacy stores and CVS.com,” CVS Health spokesperson Ethan Slavin told NBC News, purchase limits have been introduced to ensure equitable access and regulated supply. 

Despite these national trends, pharmacies and clinics across the Flathead have seen relatively stable demand for over-the-counter emergency contraceptives. Kalispell’s Albertson’s Pharmacy, Logan Health Medical Arts Pharmacy and Rosauers Pharmacy told the Beacon that they all typically carry a limited supply of the medication, which remains in stock. The pharmacies reported that demand for emergency contraceptives has generally been low and has not increased with the recent Supreme Court ruling. Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies in Kalispell both currently have supplies of emergency contraceptive pills in their stores. Whitefish Pharmacy in Whitefish has seen similarly low demand, reporting that the store has only dispensed one emergency contraceptive pill this calendar year. Beargrass Gift and Drugs in Columbia Falls has not stocked emergency contraceptive pills since it opened seven months ago, and no customers have asked to purchase it. 

While demand for emergency contraceptives remains “pretty typical” at Flathead Family Planning, Fleming says that calls about other forms of birth control have increased. 

The same is true at All Families Health, a sexual and reproductive health clinic in Whitefish that is currently the only abortion provider in the area. 

“We are definitely seeing a lot of appointments for birth control, especially the more long-lasting kinds like IUDs,” Jill, a clinic assistant at All Families, told the Beacon, requesting that only her first name be published. “There are so many options out there and most people are able to find something that they’re happy with.”

Like Flathead Family Planning and many of the Flathead’s pharmacies, All Families has not seen a considerable increase in demand for emergency contraceptives like Plan B. Yet more appointment requests for long-term birth control methods like IUDs could indicate women in the Flathead are preparing for an uncertain future. 

Above all, Montana’s reproductive care providers hope to emphasize that contraception remains well within reach.  

“Right now we’re just operating as normal and we don’t want there to be a lot of fear in the community,” Fleming said, underscoring that Flathead Family Planning is open and ready to provide a variety of healthcare and consultation services.  

“[Birth control] is still available and widely accessible and we want people to know that,” Jill said.