Planned Parenthood Applauds the Passage of the Prevention First Act in the Senate Committee on Health Regulation
The Prevention First Act is a commonsense bill that prevents unintended pregnancy by expanding access to birth control in Florida.
April 15, 2008
Sarasota, FL – Today, members of the Senate Committee on Health Regulation passed the Prevention First Act, SB 780, by Senator Nan Rich (D-34) by a vote of 7-0. The Prevention First Act (SB 780) increases access to birth control and reduces unintended pregnancies by guaranteeing access to emergency contraception for rape survivors, protecting the right to birth control for all women, and protecting the right to have lawful and valid prescriptions filled at the pharmacy.
“The passage of the Prevention First Act in today’s committee hearing represents a great step towards real solutions to preventing unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion,” said Adrienne Kimmell, Executive Director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. “Preventing unintended pregnancy and reducing the need for abortion is something we can all agree on.”
Americans agree that expanding access to birth control is the best way to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. A poll recently conducted by Geoff Garin of Peter Hart Research on behalf of Planned Parenthood and the National Women’s Law Center, found:
• 76% of all voters (and 79% of voters who are conflicted about abortion) strongly agree that we should do everything we can to try to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in America through common-sense measures such as comprehensive sex education and access to contraception.
• 71% of all voters (and 81% of voters who are conflicted about abortion) strongly agree that We need to get to the real root of the problem by reducing unintended pregnancies in the first place through common-sense measures such as comprehensive sex education and access to contraception.
• 73% of voters (and 82% of voters conflicted about abortion) strongly favor making it easier for women at all income levels to obtain contraceptives.
Senators Aronberg (D-27), Jones (R-13), Lawson (D-6), Siplin (D-19), Fasano (R-11), Peaden (R-2), and Atwater (R-25) voted in support of this mainstream and commonsense bill. Senator Alexander (R-17) was not present.
“Each year, Planned Parenthood provides over 110,000 women, men and teens in Florida with the preventive health care they need to stay healthy and plan their families,” added Kimmell. “We know best that prevention is the key to building strong, healthy families – and the Prevention First Act is a commonsense measure that will do just that.”
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The Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates (FAPPA) is the state public policy office representing Florida’s seven Planned Parenthood affiliates with 27 health care centers across the state. FAPPA works to advance public policy in areas of reproductive health care, family planning and medically-accurate sex education in order to make comprehensive reproductive health care available to all.