PUTTING PREVENTION FIRST IN OREGON
Putting prevention first in Oregon NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon is committed to maintaining personal freedom and encouraging personal responsibility – to keeping politicians out of women’s most private choices, and empowering individuals to control their own reproductive health and destiny. While Oregon has long been divided over abortion rights, we believe all Oregonians should be able to agree that women and families would be better off if we could reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. The Oregon Prevention First Act is designed to do just that. The Oregon Prevention First Act funds teen pregnancy prevention programs, ensures insurance coverage for contraception, increases the number of women able to obtain family planning services, and enhances access to emergency contraception. Teen Pregnancy Prevention Young women have the right to protect themselves from unintended pregnancies, and should have access to contraceptive services, education, and health care that can help them make responsible personal decisions. Oregon has the 23rd highest teenage pregnancy rate of any state. Of the 9,360 teenage pregnancies each year in Oregon, 32 percent result in abortions.[i] Oregon’s Prevention First Act will fund teen pregnancy prevention programs in our state, including after-school activities, age-appropriate, skills-based comprehensive sex education, and family planning services for young people. Insurance Coverage for Contraception The average American woman will spend five years of her life pregnant or trying to get pregnant, and nearly three decades trying to avoid pregnancy. Without access to contraception, a woman could have between 12 and 15 pregnancies, endangering her health and the health of her children. Laws that guarantee insurance coverage for contraception have dramatically improved women’s access to the full range of prescription contraceptives, including oral contraceptives, diaphragms, and IUD, and should be protected and expanded. Oregon’s Prevention First Act will require insurance plans to cover prescription contraceptives if they cover other prescription drugs. Family Planning Services and Supplies Publicly funded family planning services and supplies help prevent unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion and should be funded at levels that provide services to all eligible women. In Oregon, 395,490 women are in need of contraceptive services and supplies. Of these, 204,820 women need publicly supported contraceptive services.[ii] Oregon’s Prevention First Act will authorize the state to renew its family planning waiver so that family planning services are available to women and men with a family income between 100 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level and teens based on their own income up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Emergency Contraception If a woman’s primary contraceptive method fails or she has unprotected sex, including in sexual assault cases, emergency contraception (EC), also known as the morning-after pill, can be an effective method of preventing an unintended pregnancy. Contrary to conservative claims about EC, EC is safe and effective and does not lead to riskier sexual behavior for women. Oregon’s Prevention First Act will allow pharmacists to provide EC to women without a doctor’s prescription, ensure that sexual assault victims have access to EC in hospital emergency rooms, and educate more Oregonians about EC.
[i] Guttmacher Institute, Contraception Counts: Oregon, available at http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/state_data/states/oregon.html. [ii] Guttmacher Institute, Contraception Counts: Oregon, available at http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/state_data/states/oregon.html. |
