January
2023
Issue 1


This newsletter was developed (in part) with federal funds from the Office of Population Affairs. For more information on the rules and regulations that apply to our programs, please visit
The Wyoming Health Council works to ensure that all people can access safe, unbiased, high-quality sexual and reproductive health care.
2022 A Year in Review
A Note From
Wyoming Health Councils
Executive Director

2022 was a good year for us. Our funding from the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) is now guaranteed for five years as opposed to three. Unfortunately, our funding amount was reduced by approximately $50,000 annually. But, if nothing else, we are survivors. Our clinics continue to provide quality Title X services, and our client numbers are looking good. We are definitely rebounding from the impact of COVID 19. Our social media and website presence have exceeded our expectations, and new partnerships are in the works with WDH’s Office of Maternal Health, the Equality State Research Network, and the Governor’s Council on Persons Living with Disabilities.

The projections for 2023 are not good.  Congress has failed to increase funding for Title X services; and courts cases have been filed to increase or limit access to a full scope of reproductive health services. Pregnancy termination services are still legal in Wyoming pending the outcome of a legal challenge to our state’s “trigger law." Wyoming’s legislature comes back in session this week. We anticipate that bills will be introduced to potentially restrict the provision of confidential family planning services to adolescents; limit access to certain types of contraceptives; and outlaw transgender care for adolescents and young adults. We are prohibited from lobbying, but we can provide education on those issues that impact all of us. As you can read in this issue, we are providing information of the status of federal funding, pending court cases, et.al. Please read and then pass the information on to others who support our work.

Happy New Year,

Rob Johnston

Rob Johnston
Executive Director Wyoming Health Council
Past, Present, Future...
Lets take a look at what we are up against
First Post-Roe Spending Bill Includes No Funding Boost For Family Planning, Angering Groups

The fiscal 2023 omnibus spending bill lawmakers released early Tuesday morning keeps funding flat for the Title X family planning program at $286.5 million for the ninth year in a row, a blow to reproductive health groups that had argued the fall of Roe v. Wade warranted a substantial increase.

“At a time of great crisis for reproductive health in this country, Congress has again utterly failed to safeguard access to the birth control and sexual health services made possible by the nation’s family planning program,” said Clare Coleman, the president of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association. “Without those critical resources, agencies will be forced to shorten hours, lay off staff, and even close their doors, leaving patients without access.”
Family Planning Clinics, a Safe Space For Transgender Patients, Face a New Battle After Roe V. Wade

Fitzy, a 57-year-old former commercial driver and paramedic firefighter, eventually found an appointment 35 miles north, in Lewiston. That August, she made her first drive to the clinic, one of eight outposts of an organization called Maine Family Planning that provides gender-affirming care. Right away, she knew things here would be different. 
“They’re very open here,” she said. “Beyond friendly — they’re very accepting.” 
Most critically, she added: “They get my gender right.” 
That isn’t a given in health clinics. Only recently, an intake coordinator at a Portland hospital consistently misgendered Fitzy. Another physician at that hospital made inaccurate assumptions about her anatomy. It’s the kind of mistake that never happens in Lewiston. 

Since 2018, other clinics closer to her home have started providing gender-affirming care. But the staff at Maine Family Planning are special, she said. She’ll still drive an hour each way to stay their patient.
In Maine, this network of clinics is a lifeline for people seeking reproductive health care that is often unavailable in a regular doctors’ office. Across this state, the most rural in the country, 18 clinics operate under Maine Family Planning’s umbrella, and dozens more get support from the organization. They offer birth control, treatment for sexually transmitted infections, HIV prevention, sex education and wellness check-ups. 
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Will Become Law: 'A Historic Victory 10 Years in The Making

Is a law like the PWFA actually necessary? The health and economic consequences of this type of pregnancy discrimination are profound. Pregnant workers—especially Black, Indigenous, Latinx workers and those being paid low-wages—are routinely fired or pushed out onto unpaid leave when they need pregnancy accommodations, threatening livelihoods at a time when they need the security of a paycheck the most. And others may have no choice but to risk their health in order to provide for themselves and their loved ones—sometimes with devastating results for both the parent’s and infant’s health outcomes.

Our need for compassionate reproductive healthcare and our need for safe, just workplaces are intertwined. We can’t have a future where we achieve safe and healthy communities if we don’t address the ways that our pregnancy status and our status as workers must align. We must do this work even within the workplaces of those fighting for reproductive health, rights and justice: 

Update Thursday, Dec. 22, at 1:05 p.m. PT: In a historic victory, the Senate added the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to the end-of-year omnibus package.

“Today’s Senate vote is a historic victory that has been more than 10 years in the making,” said Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center. “When this end-of year package passes the House and is signed into law, it will no longer be the case that pregnant workers can be ousted from their jobs for simply requesting basic accommodations like permission to sit on a stool, carry a bottle of water, or take additional bathroom breaks.

“Before this legislation, too often, when a pregnant worker needed a minor change in workplace duties or policies because of pregnancy, she was forced to take unpaid leave or be pushed out of work entirely—at a moment when she and her family could least afford it.”
Lawsuit Could End Free Preventive Health Checkups

When Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, its authors cited three overarching goals: to improve access to health care, to slow rising medical costs and to improve health outcomes. One of the main vehicles for achieving all three missions was a requirement that health insurers provide preventive health care services at no cost to patients. If there were no financial barriers, backers argued, patients would be more likely to get preventive services, from colonoscopies to vaccines to heart disease screenings, which would help keep people healthier and out of the hospital and, consequently, lower health care costs.

As a result of that requirement, more than 150 million Americans now have access to scores of preventive health measures at no cost, sparing many from illness and catching diseases early for others.

Now, a federal lawsuit heard in Texas last month could upend or even eliminate the preventive care requirement in the law, known as Obamacare or the ACA. A group of patients and employers are arguing that the requirement is unconstitutional.

They also contend that some preventive health measures violate protections under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 that prohibit federal and state rules from unduly burdening one’s exercise of religion.
The ACA provisions “make it impossible for these plaintiffs to purchase health insurance unless they agree to pay for preventive-care coverage that they do not want and do not need” and prevent them from buying less expensive health insurance without that coverage, they argue.

And a requirement that health plans pay for a drug that prevents HIV “forces religious employers to provide coverage for drugs that facilitate and encourage homosexual behavior, prostitution, sexual promiscuity, and intravenous drug use,” the group argues.
Parental-Notice Birth Control Case
Seen as Step to End Right
The war over reproductive rights is moving to a new front—access to contraceptives—with the opening salvo being fired by a Texas federal judge in a case involving a parent’s right to know when their child seeks family planning services from a federally funded provider.
Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, on Dec. 20 held invalid and set aside a 2021 US Health and Human Services Department provision that was intended to protect client confidentiality by preventing Title X program providers from telling minors’ parents when underage people come in for reproductive health-care counseling.

The final judgment is in effect for now, although Kacsmaryk ordered the parties to file briefs by Friday on whether he should amend the judgment setting aside the rule. The government argued that plaintiff Alexander Deanda wasn’t entitled to the Administrative Procedure Act remedy because he never argued or proved—and the judge didn’t find—an APA violation.

Kacsmaryk held earlier this month that the provision violates parental rights under state and federal law.

While that case is limited to minors, birth-control rights advocates say this won’t be the last one to try to restrict access to contraception. It’s part of “a coordinated campaign,” related to a “long-standing effort to control” reproductive health-care decision-making, said Robin Summers, vice-president and senior counsel at the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association.
Update
Trump judge’s rollback of birth control rights forces Texas clinics to turn away teens

"Texas has yet again set the standard for terrible reproductive health policy. This time it’s a decision by an Amarillo-based federal judge to make it impossible for any teen under 18 to secure birth control without parental consent.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a 2019 Trump appointee and former religious liberties lawyer, has ruled that the family-planning program known as Title X violates a parent’s “fundamental right to control and direct the upbringing of his minor children.”

Kacsmaryk’s final judgment says Title X’s protection of confidentiality for minors seeking contraceptives cannot preempt state law that requires parental consent.

Kacsmaryk’s ruling is the latest indication that, with the constitutional right to abortion now gone, rolling back birth control is next in a number of Republican-controlled states.

His final judgment, delivered Christmas week and mostly overlooked amid holiday distractions, has chilling real-life consequences.

Every Body Texas, the state’s Title X administrator, has since instructed the 32 agencies that operate 156 clinic sites to immediately stop birth-control options without proof of consent.

While Kacsmaryk’s ruling faces certain appeal, Title X clinics and the young women they serve are reeling — and likely will be for some time.

It’s unconscionable to see the growing battle over reproductive rights use young people as political puppets when their life trajectory could be so dramatically damaged by lack of access to contraception. “This ruling decreases access at a time when we should be investing in increasing access."
Ensuring Adolescents' Ability to Obtain Confidential Family Planning Services in Title X
In keeping with medical and ethical standards of care, the Title X national family planning program has long guaranteed confidentiality for all patients, and specifically for adolescents.

Social conservatives have relied on fundamentally flawed rationales in their efforts to undermine policies protecting adolescents’ right to confidentially obtain contraceptive, STI and related family planning services. 

For many young people, family planning providers serve as their most trusted sources of information, and not being able to obtain care confidentially would mean forgoing needed counseling and services entirely.
Bill Guaranteeing Right To Birth Control Blocked in U.S. Senate by Republican

U.S. Senate Democrats tried to pass legislation Wednesday that would guarantee women can continue using contraception if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the long-standing precedent, the way it did with abortion.

But Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst blocked their efforts by objecting to Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey’s request for unanimous consent to pass the bill, saying the measure went too far. Under Senate procedures, no roll call vote was taken. Minnesota

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar spoke in support of Democrats’ legislation, saying the threat to birth control access is not hypothetical, with conservative Republican lawmakers in states throughout the country discussing and proposing bills that would limit access to birth control.
New Survey Finds Supreme Court Decision Fueling Young Adults' Concerns Over Future of Birth Control Access

A new survey released today by Power to Decide finds half (50%) of young adults (18-29) believe birth control will be harder to access in the future, including higher percentages of those who typically face greater barriers to access, such as Black and Hispanic people, and people with annual household incomes under $50,000. When asked if the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization changed their opinion, 57% (including 75% of Democrats, 32% of Republicans and 56% of Independents) reported that yes, the decision leads them to believe birth control will be harder to access. This marks a dramatic shift from the 27% (including 40% of Democrats, 17% of Republicans, and 24% of Independents) who believe it is currently difficult for people in the U.S. to access birth control.

“Millions of people across the country already live in areas without reasonable access to the full range of birth control methods, so it comes as no surprise that we find so many young adults are concerned about their ability to get birth control in the future, especially in the wake of the Dobbs decision,” said Power to Decide CEO Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas says gay rights, contraception rulings should be reconsidered after Roe overturned
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday said landmark high court rulings that established gay rights and contraception rights should be reconsidered now that the federal right to abortion has been revoked.
Thomas wrote that those rulings “were demonstrably erroneous decisions.”

The cases he mentioned are Griswold vs. Connecticut, the 1965 ruling in which the Supreme Court said married couples have the right to obtain contraceptives; Lawrence v. Texas, which in 2003 established the right to engage in private sexual acts; and the 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which said there is a right to same-sex marriage.

Thomas’ recommendation to reconsider that trio of decisions does not have the force of legal precedent, nor does it compel his colleagues on the Supreme Court to take the action he suggested.

But it is an implicit invitation to conservative lawmakers in individual states to pass legislation that might run afoul of the Supreme Court’s past decisions, with an eye toward having that court potentially reverse those rulings.
Quick History Lesson
How Birth Control Became Legal
Griswold v. Connecticut

The Griswold v. Connecticut case was decided on June 7, 1965. This case was significant because the Supreme Court ruled that married people had the right to use contraception.

It essentially paved the road for the reproductive privacy and freedoms that are in place today. Prior to this case, birth control use was either restricted or outlawed.
Reflections on the history behind Eisenstadt v. Baird

NFPRHA’s Board Chair Taisha Hicks shares the history behind this historic case that made birth control legal for all people in the US, regardless of marital status.
The road ahead may look bleak with the challenges we face, but Title X clinics will continue to shine the light and work to ensure that all people can have access to safe, unbiased, high quality sexual and reproductive health care. 
January is
....Self-Love Month....

It’s much too easy to get carried away by life’s troubles and forget to appreciate yourself. Self-Love Month is a time to appreciate yourself and invest time in conscious physical, spiritual, and psychological growth. It involves prioritizing your happiness and well-being. Your needs won’t take care of themselves, pay attention to yourself on this amazing holiday. Self-Love Month is all about building self-worth and getting what you deserve.
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Did you know that understanding your sexual and reproductive health is an act of self-love?

*Sexual health is important for all genders and sexuality*

Sexual Self-Care Ideas

  1. Schedule a wellness visit
  2. Take your birth control pills on time
  3. Visit your OB-GYN/women’s health specialist
  4. Constantly get tested for HIV, AIDS, or any STDs
  5. Talk to your partner about sex
  6. Have an intimate moment with your partner/s
  7. Slow down during sexual activity
  8. Masturbate 
  9. Create a safe space
  10. Sexually explore
  11. Practice self-care when on your period 
  12. Buy yourself sexy and high-quality lingerie 
  13. Get your beauty sleep
  14. Groom yourself
  15. Research sex
  16. Visit a sex museum (There’s one in NYC!)
  17. Get to know your body on your own 
  18. Admire yourself in the mirror 
  19. Set proper boundaries
  20. Attend sex therapy: I can’t stress the importance, especially if you have religious or childhood trauma!
  21. Do Kegels: Great exercise to work the pelvic floor
  22. Prioritize your pleasure
  23. Be honest with yourself
  24. Be more mindful of your thoughts and feelings
  25. Listen to erotic or romantic music
  26. Read an erotica 
  27. Watch ethical porn
  28. Get sexual education
For the New Year
Start Your Self Care With Your Wellness Exam
Your wellness visit is all about you, your body, and your reproductive health!

Wellness visits are also called gynecological exams, pelvic exams, annual exams, or well woman exams. If you have a vulva, breasts, or a uterus, these visits are an important part of taking care of your health (no matter what your gender identity is)!

At your wellness exam you may have a Pap test, sometimes called Pap smears, which are very important tests for finding abnormal cells on your cervix that could lead to cervical cancer. Pap tests find cell changes caused by HPV, but they don't detect HPV itself.

Do I need a Pap test?
How often you get tested depends on your age, medical history, and the results of your last Pap or HPV tests. In general:
  • If you’re 21–24 years old: you can choose to get a Pap test every 3 years, or you can wait until you’re 25 years old to start getting tested.
  • If you’re 25–65 years old: get an HPV test every 5 years, or a Pap test and HPV test together (co-testing) every 5 years. In some places where HPV tests are not as available, you may get only a Pap test every 3 years.
  • If you’re older than 65: you may not need HPV/Pap tests anymore.

You may need to get tested more often if you’ve had problems with your cervix before, have a weak immune system, or if your mother took a medicine called DES while she was pregnant with you. Your doctor or nurse will tell you which tests you need and how often you should get them.

January just happens to be Cervical Cancer Awareness Month!
This video tells the story of Ana, a cervical cancer survivor, who encourages women to recognize abnormal Paps as an opportunity to speak to your doctor about gynecologic health.
WYOMING HEALTH COUNCIL
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Casper, WY 82601

Call Us: (307) 439-2033