Today's Date: March 28, 2024
MDWerks’ Two Trees Beverage Subsidiary to Kick Off Co-Sponsorship of Team Combat League in TCL’s Second Season Debut   •   ADM Names Commonwealth Warehouse Inc. as a 2023 Supplier Award Winner   •   "SHAKIRA DESDE TIMES SQUARE," an Exclusive Special Taking Viewers Behind-the-Scenes of Shakira's Historic Surprise Performance i   •   Family Source Consultants Celebrates Michigan Legislature Passing Landmark Fertility Health Care Act (House Bill 5207) to Legali   •   Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and Wells Fargo Bank Award $750K to CC Housing for Senior Affordable Housing Development   •   Government of Canada signs two bilateral agreements with Quebec to support initiatives to improve health care   •   EIG’s MidOcean Energy Completes Acquisition of Tokyo Gas’ Interests in Portfolio of Australian Integrated LNG Projec   •   KB Home Named to Newsweek’s 2024 List of America’s Most Trustworthy Companies for a Third Consecutive Year   •   Dr. Melissa Ivers Launches Prestigious Scholarship Recognizing Triumph Over Adversity   •   Parental avoidance of toxic exposures could help prevent autism, ADHD in children, new study shows   •   Compass Minerals Announces Amendment to Credit Agreement   •   Midea Group Breaks Revenue and Profit Records with RMB 373.7 Billion in 2023   •   The Lenserf Group Launches Emotional Intelligence Academy for HBCU Interns   •   Our Elders Deserve Better: Families Unite in Their Plea with Governor Hochul to Increase Nursing Home Funding   •   Stora Enso publishes Green and Sustainability-Linked Financing Report 2023   •   Avocado Green Releases 2023 Impact & Sustainability Report, Highlighting Brand Leadership in Environmental and Social Respon   •   Carnegie Learning Wins 2024 EdTech Award for MATHstream   •   Universal Display Corporation Announces University Lecture Series and Participation and Sponsorship of OLED Korea Conference   •   American Indian College Fund Invites Indigenous Academics, Administrators, and Student Services Personnel to Participate in High   •   SLB Announces Agreement to Acquire Majority Ownership in Aker Carbon Capture
Bookmark and Share

Planned Parenthood Poll: Eight In Ten Women Say Birth Control Should Be Covered By Insurers


 


 

New York, N.Y. — Eight out of 10 women in America say that insurance companies should be required to cover birth control pills and other forms of contraception at low or no cost, just as they must for other medications used for prevention, according to a new poll released May 6. This finding comes almost 50 years to the day after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Committee voted to approve the use of the first birth control pill on May 9, 1960. The pill was formally approved as an oral contraceptive by the FDA on June 23, 1960.

 

Since the FDA’s approval of the pill, the number of women who die as a result of pregnancy each year has dropped by half. During that same period, there was a threefold decline in infant deaths. The number of unplanned pregnancies has also declined. And as access to contraception has increased, the rate of abortion has decreased.

 

“The availability of the pill has literally reshaped the lives of women, men and families across the country and around the globe,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). “This highly effective oral contraceptive enables women to plan their own futures in ways they never could before by deciding the timing and spacing of their children, as well as by being able to decide to pursue more education and employment before they start their families. This is one pill that literally changed the world and the way we live.”

 

The survey commissioned by Planned Parenthood Federation of America found that:

·         Eight out of 10 women (79 percent) consider the birth control pill preventive health care, just like other preventive measures like taking medication for blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as vaccines. Seven out of 10 men (68 percent) agreed that the birth control pill is preventive health care.

·         Three out of four women (76 percent) said that the birth control pill is one of the most important medical advances of the last century and has had a positive impact on women’s day-to-day lives.

·         Three out of four people (74 percent) favor requiring insurance to cover the birth control pill and other forms of contraception at low or no cost, like they do for other preventive health care measures and medications.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will write regulations that will determine whether contraceptives, including the pill, are included as a preventive health measure under the Women’s Health Amendment, sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and included in the recently passed health reform legislation. Under the amendment, preventive medications and measures must be covered by insurers at no or low cost.

 

“The 50th anniversary of the pill is a great opportunity to reflect on the immeasurable impact the pill has had on women’s lives, but our work to advance women’s health is far from done,” Richards said. “Even 50 years after the pill was approved, millions of women cannot afford birth control or do not know how to use it effectively. As a result, half of all pregnancies in America are unplanned. First and foremost, all women need affordable contraceptive options regardless of their income or type of insurance, so that they can fulfill their own aspirations for themselves and their children. That's why we are committed to ensuring that under the new health care law all contraception is covered as preventive care at no cost to patients.”

 

Planned Parenthood has long advocated for access to birth control. Its founder, Margaret Sanger, opened the nation’s first birth control clinic in 1916 and drove the research and development of the pill in the 1950s. After the FDA approved the pill, it was still not legal in all states, and Planned Parenthood won the case before the United States Supreme Court in 1965 that made contraception legal for married couples. In recent years, Planned Parenthood has led the effort to ensure that private insurers cover the pill and other forms of contraception, and is currently working to ensure that contraception is covered under the preventive health provisions of the new health care reform law. 

 

One in four American women has sought health care from Planned Parenthood at least once in her life, and today’s poll shows that two-thirds of women (66 percent) trust Planned Parenthood as a provider of birth control pills and other forms of contraception. Planned Parenthood sees 3 million patients each year in its more than 840 health centers, and provides information to millions of people through www.plannedparenthood.org, which includes a widget – “My Method” – to help women select the best forms of contraception for them.  

 

The poll released today was designed by Lake Research Partners and administered by Caravan in an omnibus survey conducted by telephone, using professional interviewers. The survey reached a total of 1,009 adults 18 years of age and older, nationwide in the continental United States. It was conducted April 29–May 2, 2010. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percent. 

 

# # #

 

Planned Parenthood is the nation's leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate. We believe that everyone has the right to choose when or whether to have a child, and that every child should be wanted and loved. Planned Parenthood affiliates operate more than 840 health centers nationwide, providing medical services and sexuality education for millions of women, men, and teenagers each year. We also work with allies worldwide to ensure that all women and men have the right and the means to meet their sexual and reproductive health care needs.



Back to top
| Back to home page
Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News