Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan 2008 Agenda
Planned Parenthood continues to work toward proactive, commonsense policies that reduce the need for abortion while protecting the right of women to make their own private medical decisions. We have the opportunity to bring together both sides of the abortion debate to focus on ways to improve reproductive health care in our state through prevention-based policies. We continue our challenge to members of the Michigan Legislature and citizens of our state to join us in the prevention of unintended pregnancies by moving forward the Prevention First campaign.
The Prevention First campaign includes four of our five legislative priorities:
1) Increased access to reproductive health care and family planning services
Family planning enables responsible decision-making and creates healthy families. The best way to prevent unintended pregnancies and make abortion rare is to make sure
that women, couples and teens have information about and access to birth control, which
is ensured through family planning services.
2) Passage of contraceptive equity legislation
Contraception is basic health care, used by 95% of women at some point in their lifetimes. Contraceptive equity provides women with critical access to birth control they might not otherwise be able to afford, in order to prevent unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. This is an issue of basic fairness and equity. Twenty-four states have passed contraceptive equity laws that require insurance companies to cover the cost of prescription contraceptives as they would any other prescription drug. Women of reproductive age currently spend 68% more than men in out-of-pocket health care costs. Much of this gender gap in expenses would be eliminated if this legislation were passed. In August, 2006, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission issued a declaratory ruling that failure to cover contraceptives in the same way other prescriptions are covered constitutes sex discrimination. It is time for Michigan’s laws to reflect this ruling.
3) Ensure comprehensive, medically accurate, abstinence-plus sex education
While abstinence-only education has been heavily encouraged at all levels of government,
several recent studies have found these programs to be ineffective. A nine-year, large-scale federally funded evaluation of the federal Title V program found no measurable impact on increasing abstinence or delaying sexual initiation among participating youth. Michigan should join the growing number of states refusing federal Title V funds for “abstinence-only” sex education programs that deny teenagers potentially lifesaving information about prevention and responsible decision making. Only
comprehensive, medically accurate sex education, including abstinence and birth control, prepares people to make responsible decisions. While Michigan school districts vary vastly in the curriculum they utilize, the majority of the districts do not include a comprehensive approach to sex education. It is time to ensure that schools have a truly comprehensive policy that teaches a broad program designed to prepare adolescents to become sexually healthy adults.
4) Ensuring access to and education about emergency contraception
Emergency contraception is a birth control method that can reduce unintended pregnancies. Despite its ability to prevent unintended pregnancies, few health care providers and women know of its availability and effectiveness. By requiring health care providers to learn about this birth control method, we could reduce unintended pregnancies in Michigan. In recent years, pharmacists have refused to dispense emergency contraception and even basic birth control based on their own beliefs. Pharmacists should not be able to impose their own beliefs on their customers. We must pass legislation to ensure health care provides fulfill their duty to dispense all legal valid prescriptions. Additionally, survivors of sexual assault deserve immediate access to safe, efficient methods of pregnancy prevention. Emergency rooms should be providing rape victims with information about and timely access to emergency contraception. Decreasing the number of unwanted pregnancies as a result of sexual assault will lessen the physical and psychological trauma already incurred by victims.
5) Safeguarding continued access to safe legal abortions
In addition to advancing proactive polices to prevent unintended pregnancy through the Prevention First campaign, Planned Parenthood also believes that abortion should remain safe and legal. We believe in supporting women and their families, whatever decision they choose, recognizing that women have the integrity and judgment to make responsible personal decisions.
For many years in Michigan, we have led the nation in passing anti-choice laws to limit access to abortions through waiting periods, parental consent laws, bans on specific procedures, clinic regulations and the procurement of state-prepared materials. This has not resulted in reducing the number of abortions. It is time to stop passage of further laws that restrict women’s ability to make their own personal medical decisions.
Planned Parenthood believes that access to comprehensive health care is the real
solution. Please work with us as we work to achieve these goals.
