Planned Parenthood Holds Nationwide Demonstrations On February 13
For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2014
Events Urge Elected Officials to Expand Family Planning Access And Support Healthy Families
WASHINGTON, DC – On February 13, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) affiliates and their supporters will hold a nationwide Day of Action, calling on elected officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to pass legislation that helps women and couples prevent unintended pregnancy and plan healthy families by expanding access to birth control and real sex education. Coordinated events will be held by Planned Parenthood affiliates in 25 states across the country, including California, Iowa, Mississippi, and Missouri.
“Currently, 17 million low-income women in the U.S. need publicly funded family planning services, and there is not enough funding to meet the need. Nearly 750,000 teenagers in the U.S. will become pregnant this year," said Cecile Richards, PPFA president. “Our goal is to send politicians the powerful message that it’s time to put aside their differences and put the health of women and families first.”
The Prevention First Act, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY), will expand access to birth control and sex education that women and couples need to plan their families. The bill includes measures to fully fund the nation’s family planning program (Title X), expand access to reproductive health care services through Medicaid, require insurance companies to cover birth control if they cover other prescription drugs, protect the ability of rape survivors to access emergency contraception (EC) in the emergency room, improve public awareness about EC, and provide teens with medically accurate, age appropriate sex education.
“The Prevention First Act will help women and couples plan their families, plan their futures, and plan parenthood by expanding access to critically needed family planning education and health care services," added Richards. "Prevention is the key to building strong, healthy families. This legislation and the prevention legislation pending in states across the country are commonsense measures that people on all sides of the abortion debate can support. We applaud Senate Majority Leader Reid and Representative Slaughter for their leadership, their vision, and their support for healthy families.”
Every year, in communities nationwide, Planned Parenthood affiliates provide nearly five million women, men and teens with the information, education and services they need to protect their health, prevent unintended pregnancy, and plan and space healthy, wanted pregnancies.
Planned Parenthood applauds Representative Slaughter and original co-sponsors Representatives DeGette, Waxman, Lee, Lowey, Abercrombie, Ackerman, Allen, Baca, Baldwin, Berkley, Berman, Bishop, Blumenauer, Boucher, Brown, Capps, Carnahan, Clay, Cohen, Crowley, Cummings, Davis, Davis, Delahunt, DeLauro, Dicks, Dingell, Ellison, Emanuel, Engel, Farr, Fattah, Filner, Frank, Green, Grijalva, Gutierrez, Harman, Higgins, Hinchey, Hirono, Holt, Honda, Hooley, Inslee, Israel, Jackson, Jr., Jackson Lee, Johnson, Jones, Kennedy, Kilpatrick, Kind, Langevin, Lantos, Larsen, Lofgren, Maloney, Matsui, McCarthy, McCollum, McDermott, McGovern, McNulty, Meehan, Meeks, Miller, Miller, Moore, Moore, Moran, Murphy, Nadler, Napolitano, Norton, Olver, Payne, Price, Rangel, Rothman, Roybal-Allard, Ruppersberger, Sanchez, Sanchez, Schakowsky, Schiff, Schwartz, Scott, Scott, Shays, Sherman, Sires, Solis, Stark, Sutton, Tauscher, Tierney, Udall, Van Hollen, Wasserman Schultz, Watson, Weiner, Wexler, Woolsey, Wu and Wynn for making women's health a priority with the introduction of this act.
For a complete list of demonstrations please contact the PPFA Media Department at 202-973-4975.