Washington, D.C. — Right now, where a person lives determines access to birth control and family planning services, leaving millions of women across the country with inequitable access to care. A new Center for American Progress column outlines six guiding principles that state lawmakers should consider when developing policies and measures to strengthen access to birth control and contraceptive care.
Access to contraception and high-quality contraceptive care is essential to expanding women’s social, political, and economic power. Specifically, with improved access to birth control, women have greater educational attainment, increased workforce participation, and higher incomes. Yet systemic barriers continue to stand in the way of better care across the country. To change this, and expand access to contraception and high-quality contraceptive care, state lawmakers should consider the following six principles:
- Contraceptive care should be nondiscriminatory, equity-driven, and coercion-free.
- Contraceptive care should empower and affirm women in their family planning journeys.
- Contraceptive care should emphasize and ensure quality.
- Contraceptive care must include safeguards for privacy and confidentiality.
- Contraceptive care must prioritize safety and efficacy in concert with patient needs.
- Contraceptive care should be easily accessible and available.
“People’s access to birth control and quality family planning services should not be dependent on where they live. Advancing new policies that center equitable access to care at the state and local levels will help more people gain access to care and be empowered to make decisions about their own bodies,” said Kierra Jones, policy analyst for the Women’s Initiative at CAP and author of the column.
Read the column here: “6 Principles To Support Comprehensive Contraceptive Care” by Kierra Jones
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected].