On November 9, 2016, I glanced at my schedule and saw that the next patient was here to receive an intrauterine device (IUD), a form of highly effective long acting contraception. I greeted her and asked her to confirm that she still wanted an IUD today. She became very emotional and exclaimed, “Yes, of course I do. I’m so glad I had this appointment already, because in a couple of months I might not be able to afford an IUD.”

I listened to her tearfully describe her fears and anxieties about what reproductive health care might look like under the new administration. Would Roe v. Wade be overturned, and could women…