This map shows you all the places where the pill is free
Demonstrators rally outside of the US Supreme Court during oral arguments in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby March 25, 2014 in Washington, DC.
Can you imagine what would happen if birth control were subsidized in the United States?
It might seem like a dream for reproductive rights-minded women in the US, particularly as reproductive rights were dealt some serious blows in 2014 — recall the Supreme Court ruling that allowed employers to opt out of covering birth control for employees for religious reasons.
As Lauren Barbato over at Bustle points out, the "Hobby Lobby" ruling was particularly damaging because it cements the idea that "a company owner's 'religious freedom' trumps an employee's right to choose a form of health care."
While access to birth control and abortion are hot topics in the US, there are some places where the pill is more readily available.
We've pulled together a map of the countries where the pill is free due to government subsidies. This map is compiled of data from a 2011 Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, curated by Slate, which examined reproductive laws around the world.
Here are the places where the pill is free:
Without federal support, local stations, especially in rural and underserved areas, face deep cuts or even closure. Vital public service alerts, news, storytelling, and programming like The World will be impacted. The World has weathered many storms, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to being your trusted source for human-centered international news, shared with integrity and care. We believe public media is about truth and access for all. As an independent, nonprofit newsroom, we aren’t controlled by billionaire owners or corporations. We are sustained by listeners like you.
Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World.