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Thank Sen. Obama for putting prevention first!
Senator Obama is one of the lead co-sponsors of the Prevention First Act (S.21). The Prevention First Act would reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in America by getting to the root of the problem - through prevention. This bill would ensure that reliable sex education is taught in schools, would increase access to birth control, and would help Americans plan for healthy pregnancies and healthy families. As couples everywhere prepare to celebrate Valentine's Day, please share your warm feelings with Sen. Obama. Thank him for showing a commitment to women and healthy families by supporting the Prevention First Act! You can add your own message to the text below. Learn more about the Prevention First Act.
Dear [ Decision Maker ] , As couples around the country celebrate Valentine's Day, I wanted to thank you for supporting legislation that would make it easier for all Americans to prevent unintended pregnancies by putting prevention first. The Prevention First Act (S.21) is a commonsense solution that gets to the root causes of unintended pregnancy by expanding access to family planning services, and through real sex education. This bill will help women, men, and couples access the health information and services they need to plan their families. Thank you very much for co-sponsoring this important legislation!
Sincerely, |
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| Background Information |
The Prevention First Act is a family planning initiative that expands access to preventive health care services and education programs to help reduce unintended pregnancy, prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and support healthy families by improving women’s health — all while saving scarce public health dollars.
The Prevention First Act will -
- Increase access to family planning services by increasing funds to Title X clinics that help women plan healthy pregnancies, prevent unintended pregnancies, lower rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS, and detect breast and cervical cancer at its earliest stages. Without an increase in funding, the Title X program will continue to struggle to meet the growing demand for subsidized family planning services.
- Increase access to health care for low-income families by expanding Medicaid coverage for family planning. This measure demonstrates both the health and fiscal benefits of helping low-income women avoid unintended pregnancies and have full access to reproductive health and contraceptive services, as well as plan healthy pregnancies.
- Ensure equity in prescription insurance and contraceptive coverage by requiring private health plans to offer the same level of coverage for contraception as they do for other prescription drugs and services.
- Reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy by improving awareness about Emergency Contraception (EC). EC is an essential component of comprehensive health care that should be easily accessible to all women, including those who have experienced contraceptive failure, those who have had unprotected intercourse, and those who have been sexually assaulted.
Provide sexual assault survivors access to emergency contraception (EC). Widely respected professional organizations such as the American Public Health Association (APHA), American Medical Association (AMA), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) agree that EC should be offered to all victims of sexual assault in the emergency room if they are at risk of pregnancy. - Protect teens through REAL Sex Ed. Teens need accurate, complete information to help them both postpone sexual activity and protect themselves if they become sexually active. The bill would fund comprehensive, medically accurate sex education for teens to learn about abstinence, contraception and health. The bill would also provide $20 million in annual funding for competitive grants to public and private entities to establish or expand teen pregnancy prevention programs.
