On June 5th, a bill to protect Americans’ access to birth control was thwarted by Senate Republicans. Democrats unanimously supported the bill with two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), crossing party lines to back the legislation. However, the vote failed 51 to 39, short of the 60 votes needed for the bill […]
Supreme Court Upholds Religious and Moral Exemptions for ACA Birth Control Coverage
In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court upheld a Trump Administration rule which expands the types of organizations that can claim religious or moral exemptions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The rule allows these organizations to refuse to cover birth control under their health insurance plans. Justice Thomas wrote the majority opinion, and was […]
Supreme Court Considers Affordable Care Act Religious Exemption Rule
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will consider yet another case regarding whether employers can decline to cover contraceptives in their health care plans. Reproductive rights groups warn that depending on the outcome of the case, tens of thousands of American women could lose vital contraceptive coverage. The case, Little Sisters of the Poor and Paul […]
New Form of Birth Control Being Tested for Approval by FDA
Ovaprene, a new form of birth control, is being tested and would be the first barrier form of contraception to be released to the market since the internal condom in 2006. In recent years, most forms of contraception created are hormonal, including the birth control pill, the shot, the ring, and the patch. Hormonal forms […]
Birth Control Delivery Startups Threatened by CVS Proposal to Cut Reimbursement Rates
Birth control mail order services are in danger after CVS indicated it would cut reimbursement rates for home delivery, putting members in jeopardy of losing access to their birth control due to rising costs. #CVSDeniesCare began trending on Twitter Thursday after birth control mail order service Pill Club posted a public plea to the pharmacy […]
Federal Appeals Court Blocks Trump Administration’s Birth Control Exemptions
Last Friday, the 3rd U.S Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a nation-wide injunction to block the Trump administration from enforcing new rules that would allow employers to obtain exemptions from an ACA requirement that insurance must cover women’s birth control. This decision upheld a district court decision issued in January that blocked regulations issued by […]
Study Proves that Global Gag Rule Increases Unplanned Pregnancies
The medical journal The Lancet released a study on Thursday examining the impact of the global gag rule, officially known as the Mexico City Policy, on the rate of abortions in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers discovered that rather than decrease the amount of abortions as anti-choice advocates advertised, the policy increased abortion rates by approximately forty […]
University of Notre Dame Health Insurance Will No Longer Cover Birth Control
Early this week, the University of Notre Dame announced that beginning in January 2018 the university insurance plan will no longer include birth control coverage for students except in cases where it is being used “for a medical condition and not as pregnancy prevention.”
Tom Price, Opponent of Abortion and Contraception Access, to lead Department of Health and Human Services
He has a 100 percent rating from the National Right to Life Committee and a zero rating from Planned Parenthood.
Zika Virus Raises Need for Increased Access to Reproductive Healthcare
As the Zika virus spreads, at least five countries have advised women to delay pregnancy, advice that many women’s rights advocates have criticized as unrealistic and offensive given restrictive abortion laws and the inaccessibility of birth control in many of the affected areas.
Judge Rejects Order to Block Catholic Hospitals Denying Women Tubal Ligations
A San Francisco Superior Court judge declined to issue an emergency order that would prevent Mercy Medical Center, a Catholic hospital, from refusing a women’s request for a tubal ligation.
Uncategorized
New Study Shows More Women Choosing LARCs
Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is the “fast-growing” form of birth control in the United States, according to a new report released this month.
Teen Births In Colorado Dip 48 Percent Thanks To LARCs
Just five years since Colorado introduced an innovative family planning initiative providing little to no-cost long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) to low-income women in 68 clinics, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced a 48 percent decline in teen births and abortions statewide.
“Yes Means Yes” Sex Education Could Spread to California High Schools
Rather than depending on the popular mantra “no means no,” consent under this legislation requires an “affirmative, conscious and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity.”
Women Are Saving Hundreds of Dollars on Contraception Following the ACA’s Implementation
Since the Affordable Care Act took effect, women have saved dramatically on birth control and emergency contraception.
Black Communities Overwhelmingly Support Reproductive Rights
A new study has found that the majority of Black men and women believe in a woman’s right to choose and want women to have access to abortion care and contraception.
Planned Parenthood Cleared to Apply for License in New Orleans
The Louisiana health department has allowed Planned Parenthood to apply for a license to provide abortion services in New Orleans, backtracking on a previous rule that barred the organization from opening a clinic in the city.
New York Attorney General Moves to Expand Access to Contraceptives
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman introduced the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act of 2015 last week to enhance the availability of contraception for New Yorkers.
Obama Administration Clarifies ACA Birth Control Benefit After Reports of Conflicting Policies
The Obama administration announced yesterday in new guidance to health insurance companies that insurers are obligated to cover all forms of birth control under the Affordable Care Act.
US Ranks 16th Worldwide on 2015 Social Progress Index
The 2015 Social Progress Index assesses and scores countries worldwide across three categories: Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity.
