[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 56 (Wednesday, April 18, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H1924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 BIRTH CONTROL AND MINORITY COMMUNITIES

  (Ms. CHU asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. CHU. For women of color, access to birth control can mean the 
difference between life or death. Without birth control, they face more 
reproductive cancers, more unintended pregnancies, and more sexually 
transmitted infections. And because many times they can't afford to pay 
for health care, such diseases have a more disproportionate effect.
  Without affordable health care--and birth control being part of that 
health care--women's health is at risk. In fact, birth control pills 
prevent 200,000 ovarian deaths and 100,000 deaths overall for women. 
Without birth control being covered, out-of-pocket costs for women and 
their health care needs can be up to $600 per year. It's like a tax on 
women. That's not fair.
  That's why I support President Obama's decision that birth control 
should be part of all health care plans. Women do not have to be 
second-class citizens.

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