Urge the Anti-Choice Movement to Help Us Prevent Abortions

PPFA: 'Prevention First Act' Historic Advance for Women's Health; Legislation Introduced by Sen. Harry Reid Will Help Solve Pressing Public Health Problems

1/24/2005 5:35:00 PM

To: National Desk, Legal Reporter

Contact: Gustavo Suarez, 212-261-4339, or Erin Libit, 202-360-7890, both of Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Web: http://www.plannedparenthood.org

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) today introduced the "Prevention First Act," a landmark bill that will expand access to family planning services, ensure comprehensive medically accurate sex education, end insurance discrimination against women, promote emergency contraception, especially for sexual assault survivors, reduce the rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections and reduce the need for abortion among women of all ages.

"We are the richest country to ever exist and home to some of the best educational institutions in the world, and yet our rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections are among the highest in any industrialized nation," Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) President Gloria Feldt said. "We hear a lot of talk these days about reducing the number of abortions. It's time for anti-choice politicians to put their money where their mouths are. The 'Prevention First Act' is a critical step in improving access to family planning services and education and reducing the need for abortion."

The "Prevention First Act" would increase access to family planning services, improve women's health, reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy and reduce the number of abortions - all while saving scarce public health dollars. Every dollar spent on providing family planning services saves an estimated three dollars in expenditures for pregnancy-related and newborn care for Medicaid alone. The legislation would also ensure equity and fairness in contraception coverage by ensuring that private health plans offer the same level of coverage for contraception as they do for other prescription drugs and services.

"Improving access to contraception should be a shared national goal," added Feldt. "The vast majority of Americans see nothing controversial whatsoever in contraception -- they understand access to family planning services is a human right and an essential tool in protecting public health. For most women, including women who want to have children or already have them, contraception is not optional -- it is a basic health care necessity."

Each year six million American women become pregnant, and approximately half of those pregnancies are unintended. Half of those unintended pregnancies end in abortion. Thirty-four percent of teenage girls become pregnant at least once before turning 20, and nearly half of new cases of sexually transmitted infections (18.9 million new cases in the United States in 2000) are among people ages 15-24, even though that age bracket makes up only a quarter of the sexually active population.

Further information on the Prevention First Act is available at http://www.plannedparenthood.org.

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Planned Parenthood Federation of America is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary family planning organization. We believe that everyone has the right to choose when or whether to have a child -- and that every child should be wanted and loved. Planned Parenthood affiliates operate nearly 850 health centers nationwide, providing medical services and sexuality education for millions of women, men, and teenagers each year -- regardless of race, age, sexuality, disability or income.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

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/© 2005 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

The idea presented is a great compromise between the two sides of the abortion issue.
Most importantly the babies/fetuses benefit.