The Life of a LARC: A Critical Analysis of LARC Promotion Practices and the Lived Experiences They Engender

There is, at present, significant enthusiasm across the political spectrum for long acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), which promise an affordable, reliable, and safe means by which to reduce rates of unplanned pregnancy and abortion. As LARC promotion efforts are officially adopted by states and the world’s most influential health organizations, sustained critical attention is warranted to the diversity of ways in which LARC may or may not do the work it is intended to do in the world: to empower people to choose not to get pregnant. This project analyzes recent LARC promotion practices and policies, and seeks to better understand the lived experiences of the women who choose LARC.