Power to Decide Urges Congress to Pass the Right to Contraception Act
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the U.S. Senate will vote on the Right to Contraception Act, a bill that affirms that providers have a right to provide and people a right to receive contraception. The right to contraception was first recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court more than half a century ago in Griswold v. Connecticut but faces growing threats today.
In response, Power to Decide CEO, Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH, released the following statement:
“As an OB-GYN, I’ve seen firsthand that the right to birth control is essential for the well-being of my patients, their families and their communities. For nearly six decades, birth control has allowed millions of people to manage health conditions, plan if and when to have children and achieve their career and educational aspirations. We urge Congress to pass the Right to Contraception Act so that every person has the power to decide their future.
“Despite this, roughly 19 million women in need of publicly funded family planning currently live in contraceptive deserts — counties where they lack reasonable access to a health center offering the full range of contraceptive methods. This paired with escalating attacks on birth control only exacerbates an already alarming reproductive health landscape. Unfortunately, these attacks on birth control and reproductive health at large are not new, nor do they fall equally.
“For centuries, people of color have experienced and continue to experience reproductive coercion and violations of their autonomy. Systemic racial inequities in our health care system also put reproductive well-being out of reach for many of those same people. It impacts the ability of historically marginalized communities to access the care they need. Consequently, access to contraception and trust in those who provide it remains a struggle for far too many people, and now the right to use it is also under threat.
“The Right to Contraception Act is the first step to ensuring that birth control is protected for people everywhere. We know that access to birth control is overwhelmingly popular. At Power to Decide, we remain committed to ensuring that everyone has access to the information and care they need to make informed decisions about their birth control journey without barriers.”
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Power to Decide is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to advance sexual and reproductive well-being for all by providing trusted information, expanding access to quality services, and catalyzing culture change.
Bedsider, a program of Power to Decide, is an evidence-based digital platform that offers medically-accurate, relevant, and resonant information on all aspects of reproductive well-being, including sex and relationships, sexual health and birth control. Find a birth control method that works for you at Bedsider.org.
