As an IUD, I know all about spineless little guys trying to get as far as they can into our reproductive systems.
Editor’s note: Freeda is Americans for Contraception’s 20-foot IUD that’s traveling across the country on an “IUD Express Tour” to call attention to attacks against contraception access.
I’m a 20-foot inflatable IUD, and I’m having the wildest summer of my life. Since June, I’ve been road tripping for two months across the U.S. But I’m not just on vacation—I’m on a mission, making sure Americans know that their right to birth control is under threat.
I am not a Tesla logo. I am not a pogo stick. I am an IUD, and I defend your freedoms every day.
I’ve stood tall in Washington, D.C., and at state capitols. I’ve inserted myself near U.S. landmarks like the LOVE statue in Philadelphia, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. I’ve made friends with legislators, TikTokers, and even Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers. I’ve met Zach Bryan fans in Nashville, Olivia Rodrigo fans in Philly, and Chappell Roan fans at Lollapalooza. (Up next: Burning Man!)
From my first day on the ground, I’ve learned that some people don’t even know what I am. Fellas, I am not a Tesla logo. I am not a pogo stick. I am an IUD, and I defend your freedoms every day.
Many people don’t realize this, but across the country, Republican politicians are blocking, voting against, or vetoing bills that would protect our right to birth control like IUDs. I block things for a living, and these guys are scary good at it.
Perhaps you don’t consider a giant inflatable IUD a credible source of information. But here are the facts:
- Birth control is under attack. At least 13 states have introduced bills that could restrict access to IUDs and other basic birth control. In 2022, 90 percent of House Republicans voted against the Right to Contraception Act, a bill that would have protected the right to birth control nationwide.
- When state legislatures in Nevada and Virginia passed bills—with bipartisan support—to protect the right to birth control, their Republican governors vetoed them.
- A far-right agenda crafted for the next Republican president, Project 2025, seeks to revoke access to free emergency contraception for 48 million women, restrict Title X funding—threatening affordable birth control for millions—and defund Planned Parenthood, which provides birth control for 2 million women annually.
- If IUDs lose our jobs, the freedom to plan our families is at risk. More than 4 million women in the U.S. use us to prevent pregnancy, manage painful periods, treat endometriosis, and more.
One of us had to stand tall as a barrier to the GOP’s creepy plans. So I teamed up with Americans for Contraception to tour the U.S. and never looked back.
Every person who walks by me and says, “What the hell is that?” is another person who’s about to learn about how tenuous their freedom to plan their family really is. In this summer of coconuts and couches, it’s easy to doubt that we could really lose our right to birth control. But a lot of people also doubted that abortion rights would ever really be taken away.
Keep in mind: When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade—an outcome Donald Trump has repeatedly taken credit for—Justice Clarence Thomas called for the court to “reconsider” another fundamental decision: Griswold v. Connecticut.
Griswold is the Roe of birth control. It’s a 1965 Supreme Court case that established the right to birth control as a matter of privacy. Before that, it was illegal in many states and municipalities to use birth control or even share information about how to prevent pregnancy.
Justice Thomas’ threat to Griswold sends a chill down my polyurethane spine. The Supreme Court could be deciding the future of birth control sooner than we think.
From the Supreme Court to Congress, these GOP weirdos are obsessed with policing our private lives. I will continue to stand tall and tell Americans about the urgent need to #ProtectProtection before the GOP rips it away—but I can only stay inflated for so long.
So I’m calling on you: Before you vote this year, find out whether your representatives are protecting your freedom to plan your family. If they aren’t, can you really trust them to protect the rest of your freedoms?
As an IUD, I know all about spineless little guys trying to get as far as they can into our reproductive systems. This election is our chance to stop them.
Here’s where the 20-foot IUD, Freeda (Womb), will be next:
Aug. 19-23: Chicago
Aug. 27: Toledo, Ohio
Aug. 28: Cleveland, Ohio
Sept. 6 and 7: New York City
Up next:
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