Bill Text: FL S1520 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Birth Control Matters Day

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-07 - Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration [S1520 Detail]

Download: Florida-2011-S1520-Introduced.html

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       Florida Senate - 2011                            (NP)    SR 1520
       
       
       
       By Senator Rich
       
       
       
       
       34-01922-11                                           20111520__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing April 12, 2011, as “Birth
    3         Control Matters Day” in Florida.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, access to family planning is directly linked to
    6  declines in maternal and infant mortality rates and improves
    7  health care outcomes and fosters wellness in women and families,
    8  and
    9         WHEREAS, contraception enables women to better plan for
   10  pregnancy, and when women plan their pregnancies, they are more
   11  likely to seek prenatal care, improving their own health and the
   12  health of their children, and
   13         WHEREAS, more than 60 percent of women between the ages of
   14  15 and 44 are currently using a contraceptive method, and 98
   15  percent of sexually experienced women have used contraception at
   16  some point in their lives, and
   17         WHEREAS, on average, a woman spends 30 years of her life
   18  trying to avoid getting pregnant, and
   19         WHEREAS, half of all the pregnancies in this nation are
   20  unintended, with the United States having one of the highest
   21  rates of unintended pregnancy among the world’s most developed
   22  nations, with unintended pregnancies accounting for 69 percent
   23  of pregnancies among African American women, 54 percent of
   24  pregnancies among Latino women, and 40 percent of pregnancies
   25  among Caucasian women, and
   26         WHEREAS, 71 percent of American voters support full
   27  coverage of the cost of prescription birth control, with no out
   28  of-pocket costs to women, and
   29         WHEREAS, publicly funded contraceptive services and
   30  supplies prevent nearly two million unintended pregnancies each
   31  year, and, in Florida, 65,500 unintended pregnancies were
   32  averted as a result of publically funded contraceptive services
   33  and supplies in 2008 alone, and
   34         WHEREAS, in addition to the primary purpose of allowing
   35  women to plan and prepare for pregnancy, other health benefits
   36  of contraception include reduced risk of endometrial and ovarian
   37  cancers, ectopic pregnancy, iron deficiency anemia related to
   38  heavy menstruation, osteoporosis, ovarian cysts, and pelvic
   39  inflammatory disease, and
   40         WHEREAS, the impact of copayments and other cost sharing as
   41  a barrier to accessing affordable contraception is reflected in
   42  the fact that, each year, half of all pregnancies in this nation
   43  are unintended, resulting in the United States consistently
   44  lagging behind other developed nations in maternal and infant
   45  mortality rankings, and
   46         WHEREAS, for every dollar invested in contraception, $3.74
   47  is saved in Medicaid expenditures for pregnancy-related care,
   48  and national studies find that for every dollar invested in
   49  family planning, $24 is saved in health care costs, and
   50         WHEREAS, the cost of prescription birth control is a major
   51  factor in a woman’s decision to consistently use prescription
   52  birth control, with copayments for birth control pills typically
   53  ranging between $15 and $50 per month, and out-of-pocket
   54  expenses for other methods of prescription birth control even
   55  more costly, and
   56         WHEREAS, research shows that more than a third of American
   57  women have struggled with the cost of prescription birth control
   58  at some point in their lives and, as a result, have used birth
   59  control inconsistently, with more than half of the women between
   60  the ages of 18 and 34 reporting a time when cost made it
   61  difficult to use birth control consistently, and
   62         WHEREAS, 1,941,120 women in this state are in need of
   63  contraceptive services and supplies, and
   64         WHEREAS, the American Medical Association, the American
   65  College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy
   66  of Family Physicians, the Society for Adolescent Health and
   67  Medicine, the American Public Health Association, and the March
   68  of Dimes support improved access to contraception, NOW,
   69  THEREFORE,
   70  
   71  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   72  
   73         That April 12, 2011, is recognized as “Birth Control
   74  Matters Day” in Florida.