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Earlier this year, Mississippians may have noticed something unusual across from the state Capitol: a ⁠20-foot inflatable IUD named “Freeda Womb.”

It was hard to miss. That was the point. We joined advocates that day because Mississippians deserve the freedom to make their own decisions about contraception. Politicians should not be making those decisions for them.

World Contraception Day, which was observed this past weekend, is a good time to remember why that matters.

⁠Nearly every American woman uses contraception at some point in her life. Federal data show that more than 99% of sexually experienced women ages 15 to 49 have used contraception.

People use contraception for different reasons. For one of us, birth control was part of the journey to become pregnant through IVF.  In fact, doctors prescribed birth control as the first step in the IVF process.

That experience is an important reminder that healthcare is rarely simple, and that a single medication, thought to be only effective for one purpose, can assist patients with vastly different healthcare goals. Hormonal birth control can also help ⁠regulate menstrual cycles and manage conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome and ovarian cysts. Some methods can also help with ⁠heavy bleeding and menstrual pain.

Being able to decide if and when to start or grow a family can shape far more than someone’s health. It can affect their ⁠education, ⁠career and economic opportunity, and their ability to  ⁠support themselves and their families. Having control over those decisions gives people greater control over the future they are working to build.

We have watched ⁠rights that once seemed settled come under new challenges. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the Court should “reconsider” other precedents. He specifically named ⁠Griswold v. Connecticut, the case that recognized a constitutional right to contraception for married couples, which signals that the debate surrounding the constitutional foundation for certain privacy rights will likely continue.

This is ultimately about what kind of Mississippi we leave to the next generation. We do not want our children growing up with fewer freedoms than their parents and grandparents had.

For the last two legislative sessions, lawmakers have fought to protect the right to contraception in Mississippi. Twice, the legislation has died in committee. We refuse to back down because we believe Mississippians deserve to know their right to contraception is protected. When lawmakers return to Jackson, we will be there again, fighting to make that right explicit in state law.

The legislation would protect Mississippians’ ability to obtain and use contraception, as well as healthcare providers’ ability to provide it. It would not dictate anyone’s choices. It would ensure those choices remain with Mississippians themselves.

Now is the time to act.

We should not wait until a right is taken away to protect it. The fact that contraception is available in Mississippi today is not a reason to do nothing. It is a reason to make sure that freedom is still there tomorrow.

Just last week, Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FDA, ⁠refused twice during her Senate confirmation hearing to say that an IUD is contraception rather than an “abortifacient,” or medication to induce abortions.

When Sen. Patty Murray pressed her for an answer, Overton said she would be “fully briefed” on the FDA’s previous decisions if confirmed. That comes after Trump administration officials ⁠falsely labeled IUDs and other forms of birth control as “abortifacients.” That should concern anyone who believes decisions about birth control should remain between patients and their healthcare providers.

Democrats and Republicans will always have disagreements. This does not need to be one of them. The bottom line is that decisions about whether and how to use contraception are personal. They are matters of health and medical privacy, not decisions politicians should make for someone else. 

Last year, Tennessee enacted the ⁠Fertility Treatment and Contraceptive Protection Act, protecting access to both ⁠contraception and fertility treatment, including IVF. The legislation ⁠passed both chambers with support from members of both parties and was ⁠signed into law by Tennessee’s Republican governor in April 2025.

If Tennessee can find common ground on protecting contraception, Mississippi can, too.

Freeda Womb may be gone from the Capitol. The issue that brought her there is not.

To coincide with World Contraception Day, we are asking our colleagues to stand with us and put the right to contraception into Mississippi law.

Sen. Kamesha Mumford represents Mississippi Senate District 26, and Rep. Zakiya Summers represents Mississippi House District 68. They are working to protect the right to contraception in Mississippi law.