[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 48 (Wednesday, April 20, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E707-E708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE PREVENTION FIRST ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 20, 2005

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I was proud to introduce the 
Prevention First Act. While our conservative leaders continue to limit 
a women's right to choose, they are doing very little to ensure that 
millions of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases 
(STD) are prevented. If they are opposed to abortion, they should be 
for preventing unintended pregnancies. By emphasizing prevention first, 
my bill will help protect women's reproductive health, reduce 
unintended pregnancies, decrease the spread of STDs, and give women the 
tools they need to make the best decisions possible for themselves.
  For most women, including women who want to have children, 
contraception is not an option; it is a basic health care necessity. 
Contraceptive use saves scarce public health dollars. For every $1 
spent on providing family planning services, an estimated $3 is saved 
in Medicare expenditures for pregnancy-related and newborn care.
  Many poor and low-income women cannot afford to purchase 
contraceptive services and supplies on their own. About 1 in 5 women of 
reproductive age were uninsured in 2003, and that proportion has 
increased by 10 percent since 2001. Half of all women who are sexually 
active, but do not want to get pregnant, need publicly funded services 
to help them access public health programs like Medicaid and Title X, 
the national family planning program. These programs provide high-
quality family planning services and other preventive health care to 
underinsured or uninsured individuals who may otherwise lack access to 
health care and alternative options for birth control. Each year, 
publicly funded family planning services help women to prevent an 
estimated 1.3 million unplanned pregnancies and 630,000 abortions. Yet 
these programs are struggling to meet the growing demand for subsidized 
family planning services without corresponding increases in funding. 
The Prevention First Act authorizes funding for Title X clinics and 
allows States to expand Medicaid family planning services.

[[Page E708]]

  Improved access to emergency contraception (EC) can further reduce 
the staggering rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion in this 
country. EC prevents pregnancy after unprotected sex or a contraceptive 
failure. The Alan Guttmacher Institute estimates that increased use of 
EC accounted for up to 43 percent of the total decline in abortion 
rates between 1994 and 2000. In addition, EC is often the only 
contraceptive option for the 300,000 women who are reported to be raped 
each year. Unfortunately, many women do not know about EC and many face 
insurmountable barriers in accessing this important product. The 
Prevention First Act mandates that the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services implement an education campaign about EC and requires that 
hospitals receiving Federal funds provide victims of sexual assault 
with information and access to EC.

  Contraceptives have a proven track record of enhancing the health of 
women and children, preventing unintended pregnancy, and reducing the 
need for abortion. However far too many insurance policies exclude this 
vital coverage. While most employment-related insurance policies in the 
United States cover prescription drugs in general, the many do not 
include equitable coverage for prescription contraceptive drugs and 
devices. Although 21 States now have laws in place requiring insurers 
to provide contraceptive coverage if they cover other prescription 
drugs, 29 states still do not have any laws. Out of pocket expenses for 
contraception can be costly. Women of reproductive age currently spend 
68 percent more in out-of-pocket health care costs than men, much of 
which is due to reproductive health-related supplies and services. The 
Prevention First Act requires that private health plans to cover FDA-
approved prescription contraceptives and related medical services.
  Teens face additional barriers regarding access to services and 
information. Sixty percent of teens have sex before graduating high 
school. Efforts by conservatives to restrict access to family planning 
services and promote abstinence-only education programs that are 
prohibited from discussing the benefits of contraception, actually 
jeopardize adolescent health and run counter to the views of many 
mainstream medical groups.
  Nearly 50 percent of new cases of STDs occur among people ages 15 to 
24, even though this age bracket makes up just a quarter of the 
sexually active population. Clearly, teens have the most to lose when 
faced with an unintended pregnancy or an STD infection.
  Moreover, 1 in 3 girls becomes pregnant before the age of 20, and 80 
percent of these pregnancies are unintended. Teen mothers are less 
likely to complete high school. Furthermore, children of teenage 
mothers have lower birth weights, are more likely to perform poorly in 
school, and are at greater risk of abuse and neglect. Improving access 
to contraceptive services and information does not cause non-sexually 
active teens to start having sex. Instead, teens need information to 
help them both postpone sexual activity and to protect themselves, if 
they become sexually active. The Prevention First Act provides funding 
to public and private entities to establish or expand their teenage 
pregnancy prevention programs, and my bill requires federally funded 
programs that provide information on the use of contraceptives to 
ensure that the information is medically accurate and includes health 
benefits and failure rates.
  Reducing unintended pregnancy and infection with STDs are important 
public health goals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
included family planning in their published list of the ``Ten Great 
Public Health Achievements in the 20th Century.'' My bill, the 
Prevention First Act, will improve access to family planning services 
for all women in need and will go a long way in fulfilling the promise 
of this important public health achievement.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to cosponsor my bill today.

                          ____________________