Florida Senate - 2012                            (NP)    SR 2042
       
       
       
       By Senator Sobel
       
       
       
       
       31-01061-12                                           20122042__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing January 22-28, 2012, as
    3         “Reproductive Rights Awareness Week” in the State of
    4         Florida.
    5  
    6         WHEREAS, women comprise more than half of the population of
    7  the United States and are solely responsible for childbearing,
    8  and
    9         WHEREAS, women who plan their pregnancies are more likely
   10  to seek prenatal care, improving their own health and the health
   11  of their children, and
   12         WHEREAS, the United States ranks 30th in the world in its
   13  rate of maternal mortality and has one of the highest rates of
   14  maternal mortality among all developed nations, and
   15         WHEREAS, family planning services improve health care
   16  outcomes and wellness for women and families, and access to
   17  family planning is directly linked to declines in maternal and
   18  infant mortality rates, and
   19         WHEREAS, women who do not receive prenatal care are three
   20  to four times more likely to die after a live birth than women
   21  who have received even minimal prenatal care, and
   22         WHEREAS, contraception enables women to better prevent
   23  unintended pregnancies and plan for pregnancy when they do want
   24  to have a child, and publicly funded contraceptive services and
   25  supplies prevent nearly two million unintended pregnancies each
   26  year in the United States, and
   27         WHEREAS, nearly half of all unintended pregnancies end in
   28  abortion and abortion rates in the United States increase during
   29  times when contraception is less accessible to low-income women,
   30  and
   31         WHEREAS, the United States has one of the highest rates of
   32  unintended pregnancy among the world’s developed nations, and
   33  half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended,
   34  most of which occur in women who are not using contraceptives,
   35  and
   36         WHEREAS, in addition to the primary purpose of allowing
   37  women to plan and prepare for pregnancy, other health benefits
   38  of contraception include reduced risk of endometrial and ovarian
   39  cancers, ectopic pregnancies, iron deficiency anemia related to
   40  heavy menstruation, osteoporosis, ovarian cysts, and pelvic
   41  inflammatory disease, and
   42         WHEREAS, racial and ethnic health disparities are
   43  particularly pronounced in reproductive health, including
   44  disparities in the rates of contraception usage, unintended
   45  pregnancies, maternal mortality, and sexually transmitted
   46  infections, and these disparities reveal significant barriers in
   47  access to sexual health care, medical care, and medically
   48  accurate sexual education, and
   49         WHEREAS, a majority of American voters believe that matters
   50  related to women’s reproductive rights, including contraception
   51  and abortion, are personal issues that should be decided by
   52  women and their families, health care providers, and clergy
   53  members, and
   54         WHEREAS, public awareness and discourse on the issue of
   55  reproductive rights and contraception are important elements in
   56  ensuring that all women have access to information about their
   57  reproductive rights and health care, NOW, THEREFORE,
   58  
   59  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   60  
   61         That the week of January 22-28, 2012, be recognized as
   62  “Reproductive Rights Awareness Week” in the State of Florida.