Senator Baldwin Joins Effort to Break Down Barriers to Safe, Effective Contraception

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As women’s reproductive rights are under attack in Wisconsin and across the country, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) today joined over a dozen of her Senate colleagues in introducing the Convenient Contraception Act, legislation that would improve access to contraceptive products, including over-the-counter contraceptives.

The bill provides individuals covered by private health insurance with the option to receive up to a full year of contraception at the time their prescription is issued instead of the current three-month supply or less that is standard in many states— removing barriers to safe and effective contraception that can reduce unintended pregnancies, maternal mortality rates, and socioeconomic and racial disparities in health care.

“With Wisconsin women living under an archaic 1849 criminal abortion ban without the freedom to control their bodies, it is more important than ever that they can easily access safe, effective contraception,” said Senator Baldwin. “Some insurance plans put an undue burden on women by requiring them to pick up contraception multiple times a year, forcing some women to take time off of work, organize child care, or drive long distances just to renew their prescription. This commonsense legislation will expand access to contraception so that women in states like Wisconsin have one less barrier to overcome when trying to control their own bodies, families, and futures.”

Currently, many private health insurance plans require a patient to pick up their contraception prescription multiple times over the duration of a prescription, creating an unnecessary burden and increasing the likelihood of gaps in protection. The Convenient Contraception Act permits individuals covered by private health insurance plans to pick up their full prescription supply, up to one year, at one time and requires these plans to cover the full cost at the time of pick-up. Removing barriers to contraception can help reduce racial and ethnic disparities and decrease the likelihood of unintended pregnancies, which have been linked to adverse health effects, including maternal depression, intimate partner violence, low birth weight, and preterm birth.

This legislation is led by Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) and Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Convenient Contraception Act is endorsed by American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses; Catholics for Choice; Center for American Progress; Contraceptive Access Initiative; Every Mother Counts; In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda; MomsRising; NARAL Pro-Choice America; National Council of Jewish Women; National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association; National Partnership for Women & Families; National Women’s Law Center; Physicians for Reproductive Health; Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Power to Decide; The Collaborative; and What to Expect Project.

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