As abortion access disappears in Tennessee, a nonprofit that offers free long-acting birth control sees demand spike

Demand for long-acting contraceptives has spiked this year as abortion access vanishes in Tennessee. One nonprofit in Nashville has seen nearly twice as many patients compared to the previous year.

A Step Ahead offers free birth control that can last up to 10 years through IUDs and implants — both of which can be removed, also at no cost. After starting in Memphis, the nonprofit now has six affiliates around the state, funded by private donations and some government grants. Patients can even get a free ride through Lyft if they need transportation.

New revenue has allowed for a marketing push that includes billboards and bus signs around Middle Tennessee. But executive director Jenny Matthews says the organization is trying to sidestep the abortion debate — not capitalize on it.

“Most people can get behind the work we’re doing, and they’ve gotten behind the work before this ruling,” she says, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that left abortion up to the states. “We feel like we don’t have to get into any debate. We can just provide more and more people with services and expand our reach.”

Tennessee’s strict abortion ban, triggered by the Supreme Court’s decision, took effect Aug. 25. The law makes no exceptions, even for the first few weeks of pregnancy or in cases of rape and incest. Doctors who perform abortions must justify that it was needed to save the mother’s life.

Matthews says web traffic on her organization’s site has jumped sevenfold this year. Most patients are uninsured, unwed and already have children. But anyone is welcome, even if they have private insurance or Medicaid.

The nonprofit works with Neighborhood Health and the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center to provide the medical care. Despite the influx, Matthews says most patients can still get an appointment within a month of a phone consultation.

“We’ve always been about access, so this is not in response to anything other than us wanting people to have the choice of birth control they want,” Matthews says. “There’s no agenda for us.”