This morning, the Women’s Law Project proudly joined fellow advocates and stakeholders to urge the Pennsylvania Legislature to pass House Bill 2813 to protect equitable access to affordable contraception.
This contraception equity bill is especially critical as we endure ongoing attacks on contraception access by the federal government. WLP communications director Tara Murtha gave these remarks at today’s event:
If you weren’t already convinced that attacks on reproductive rights were designed to control people and not at all about “life,” children, or the supposed sanctity of motherhood, the recent and ongoing political attacks on contraception access make that clear.
Equitable access to contraception is a public health good and has been recognized as such for literally decades.
“No American woman should be denied access to family planning assistance because of her economic condition.”
The great liberal Richard Nixon made that declaration back in 1969 shortly before signing Title X, the nation’s family planning program, into law. We knew back in the 1960s what we still know to be true today: inequitable access to contraception is a primary factor in people’s ability to choose the size of their family and by extension, maintain their health and economic security.
In addition to reducing unplanned pregnancy, contraception reduces pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality, meaning fewer people die from reasons related to childbirth. Contraception also reduces the risk of some reproductive cancers and is used to treat many common conditions, such as endometriosis.
We know that as contraception use increases, infant mortality decreases. That means, fewer infants die.
Despite this undisputed evidence about the life-saving benefits of contraception, the supposedly “pro-life” Trump Administration has worked tirelessly to systemically deprive the American people of access to affordable contraception.
First, the Trump Administration not only re-instated but expanded the global gag rule.
Then came the domestic gag rule. This rule was essentially an ultimatum that forced healthcare providers to choose between their commitment to providing comprehensive, evidence-based care and the financial need for federal reimbursement for serving patients with basic healthcare like contraception, STI screenings, and pap smears.
Many facilities, including the Planned Parenthoods in Pennsylvania, chose to forego funding rather than compromise patient care. Still, the domestic gag rule slashed the Title X national family planning network’s patient capacity in half.
The Trump Administration has also made many attempts to dismantle the ACA, despite evidence it has reduced children’s uninsured rate, reduced maternal mortality, and despite not having a replacement plan.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania is going backward. Since 2004, maternal mortality has doubled in Pennsylvania, where Black women made up 11 percent of women yet account for 31 percent of all pregnancy-related maternal deaths.
I’ll note here that oral arguments in California v. Texas, the case that could lead to the dismantling of the ACA, are scheduled at the U.S. Supreme Court on November 10.
While working to dismantle the ACA, the White House issued rules that expanded the religious and moral exceptions to the contraceptive mandate to the point of meaninglessness, empowering nearly any employer to deprive their employees of access to zero co-pay contraception.
These efforts are cruel, anti-science, and out of step with the American people. These attacks target low-income workers and women of color, the very people our federal government calls “essential” while working to deprive them of their most basic human rights.
In this climate, grounding our rights in state protections is more urgent than ever.
We support House Bill 2813 and strongly urge the Pennsylvania Legislature to prioritize its passage.
Thank you to Rep. Leanne Krueger, Rep. Kevin Boyle, Rep. Tina Davis, and all of the co-sponsors and fellow advocates who are working on passing this critical legislation into law.
The Women’s Law Project is a public interest law center in Pennsylvania devoted to advancing and defending the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people in Pennsylvania and beyond.
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