Florida Senate - 2011 (NP) SR 1520
By Senator Rich
34-01922-11 20111520__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing April 12, 2011, as “Birth
3 Control Matters Day” in Florida.
4
5 WHEREAS, access to family planning is directly linked to
6 declines in maternal and infant mortality rates and improves
7 health care outcomes and fosters wellness in women and families,
8 and
9 WHEREAS, contraception enables women to better plan for
10 pregnancy, and when women plan their pregnancies, they are more
11 likely to seek prenatal care, improving their own health and the
12 health of their children, and
13 WHEREAS, more than 60 percent of women between the ages of
14 15 and 44 are currently using a contraceptive method, and 98
15 percent of sexually experienced women have used contraception at
16 some point in their lives, and
17 WHEREAS, on average, a woman spends 30 years of her life
18 trying to avoid getting pregnant, and
19 WHEREAS, half of all the pregnancies in this nation are
20 unintended, with the United States having one of the highest
21 rates of unintended pregnancy among the world’s most developed
22 nations, with unintended pregnancies accounting for 69 percent
23 of pregnancies among African American women, 54 percent of
24 pregnancies among Latino women, and 40 percent of pregnancies
25 among Caucasian women, and
26 WHEREAS, 71 percent of American voters support full
27 coverage of the cost of prescription birth control, with no out
28 of-pocket costs to women, and
29 WHEREAS, publicly funded contraceptive services and
30 supplies prevent nearly two million unintended pregnancies each
31 year, and, in Florida, 65,500 unintended pregnancies were
32 averted as a result of publically funded contraceptive services
33 and supplies in 2008 alone, and
34 WHEREAS, in addition to the primary purpose of allowing
35 women to plan and prepare for pregnancy, other health benefits
36 of contraception include reduced risk of endometrial and ovarian
37 cancers, ectopic pregnancy, iron deficiency anemia related to
38 heavy menstruation, osteoporosis, ovarian cysts, and pelvic
39 inflammatory disease, and
40 WHEREAS, the impact of copayments and other cost sharing as
41 a barrier to accessing affordable contraception is reflected in
42 the fact that, each year, half of all pregnancies in this nation
43 are unintended, resulting in the United States consistently
44 lagging behind other developed nations in maternal and infant
45 mortality rankings, and
46 WHEREAS, for every dollar invested in contraception, $3.74
47 is saved in Medicaid expenditures for pregnancy-related care,
48 and national studies find that for every dollar invested in
49 family planning, $24 is saved in health care costs, and
50 WHEREAS, the cost of prescription birth control is a major
51 factor in a woman’s decision to consistently use prescription
52 birth control, with copayments for birth control pills typically
53 ranging between $15 and $50 per month, and out-of-pocket
54 expenses for other methods of prescription birth control even
55 more costly, and
56 WHEREAS, research shows that more than a third of American
57 women have struggled with the cost of prescription birth control
58 at some point in their lives and, as a result, have used birth
59 control inconsistently, with more than half of the women between
60 the ages of 18 and 34 reporting a time when cost made it
61 difficult to use birth control consistently, and
62 WHEREAS, 1,941,120 women in this state are in need of
63 contraceptive services and supplies, and
64 WHEREAS, the American Medical Association, the American
65 College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy
66 of Family Physicians, the Society for Adolescent Health and
67 Medicine, the American Public Health Association, and the March
68 of Dimes support improved access to contraception, NOW,
69 THEREFORE,
70
71 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
72
73 That April 12, 2011, is recognized as “Birth Control
74 Matters Day” in Florida.