►
Description
Councilwoman Cindy Bass (8th District) joined PA State Legislators announcing a state plan that would protect access to birth control for Pennsylvanians with health insurance coverage.
In attendance:
Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky (PA 161st District)
Rep. Tina Davis (PA 141st District)
Rep. Kevin Boyle (PA 172nd District)
Rep. Brian Sims (PA 182nd District)
Rep. Maria Donatucci (PA 185th District)
Rep. Chris Rabb (PA 200th District)
A
A
This
has
huge
ramifications
for
so
many
women.
Nearly
60
million
women
have
taken
advantage
of
this
service
since
2010.
We
all
know
that
unintended
pregnancies
and
unintended
births
are
some
of
the
biggest
drivers
of
poverty
in
our
country
and
have
live,
had
led
many
young
families
and
and
when
into
poverty.
A
B
Thank
you
Kevin
good
morning,
everybody,
my
name
is
Leanne
Krueger,
brenneke
and
I
represent
the
160
first
legislative
district
in
Delaware
County
every
session.
My
colleagues
and
I
fight
back
attacks
on
safe
legal
abortion,
rights
for
women
here
in
Pennsylvania,
and
what
we're
proposing
today
is
legislation
that
is
a
solution
to
this.
Research
shows
that
if
you
want
to
keep
abortion
rates
as
low
as
possible,
the
number
one
solution
is
making
sure
that
birth
control
is
available
to
everyone.
It's
the
number
one
evidence-based
solution
to
solve
this
problem.
Fundamentally,
birth
control
is
preventative
health
care.
B
Investing
in
preventative
health
care,
like
contraception
is
just
smart,
public
policy,
a
small
front
and
investment
to
rein
in
the
much
larger
costs
that
are
associated
with
unwanted
pregnancy.
This
new
legislation
will
save
us
money,
there's
a
reason
that
contraceptive
coverage
was
built
into
the
Affordable
Care
Act
when
it
passed,
because
at
the
time
employers
were
making
excuses
to
not
provide
a
health
benefit
to
a
group
of
people.
B
Fundamentally,
this
is
about
equity
in
our
health
care.
Now
I
believe
that
government
has
no
business
engaging
in
discrimination
in
the
name
of
religion.
The
folks
who
oppose
covering
contraception
frequently
cite
their
personal
faith
for
why
no
women
in
America
should
have
access
to
this
basic
health
care.
So
let's
talk
about
that
for
a
minute.
I
am
a
Christian
I'm,
a
proud
Christian
and
my
values
guide.
My
actions
as
a
legislator
and
I
got
married
right
before
I
started,
grad
school
and
because
I
chose
to
get
my
graduate
degree
at
a
Christian
organization.
B
I
learned
quickly
that
the
birth
control
that
I
needed
was
not
covered
under
the
plan.
However,
at
the
time
had
I
become
pregnant,
my
out-of-pocket
cost
for
a
birth
would
have
been
100
dollars.
Now,
I'm,
not
saying
that
my
institution
intentionally
wanted
to
support
a
policy
that
could
sideline
women
in
their
academic
careers,
but
that
could
have
been
the
outcome.
B
It
could
have
been
possible
to
get
pregnant
and
have
to
leave
school
and
avoid
getting
my
first
job
with
a
graduate
degree,
and
this
is
ultimately
about
what's
fair
birth
control
is
both
an
economic
issue
and
an
urgent
moral
issue.
Here
in
our
Commonwealth
the
wealth
gap
in
America,
the
lack
of
fair
wage
is
an
affordable
health
coverage
for
millions
of
working
women.
The
lack
of
support
for
healthy
pregnancies
in
the
form
of
paid
family
leaves
that's
what
we
should
be
fighting
for
in
our
legislature,
not
signing
back
yet.
B
Another
attack
on
abortion
rights,
every
single
legisla
obsession,
unwanted
pregnancies
and
maternal
death
is
skyrocketing
in
red
states
like
Texas
the
maternal
death
rate
here
more
than
doubled
between
1987
and
2013,
and
is
higher
than
every
developed
country,
except
for
Mexico.
If
we
want
every
pregnancy
to
be
healthy,
if
we
want
every
baby
to
be
born
into
a
family
where
that
baby
is
desperately
wanted,
then
we
must
provide
common-sense
contraceptive
coverage.
In
fact,
28
other
states
have
already
passed
legislation
to
protect
access
to
birth
control.
B
Pennsylvania
is
not
yet
one
of
them,
so
I
and
my
colleagues
are
introducing
a
new
package
of
bills
to
protect
access
to
contraception,
just
to
make
sure
that
insurance
ensures
who
are
ready
covering
other
prescriptions
are
also
now
covering
contraceptives
and
in
the
meantime,
because
things
move
slow
in
our
state
capital
because
they
move
slowly
in
Congress
as
well.
We
need
quick
relief
and
so
I
am
glad
that
our
Attorney
General
Josh
Shapiro
has
sued
the
Trump
administration
on
the
provision
that
representative
Boyle
talked
about
to
reinstate
this
important
provision
of
the
Affordable
Care
Act.
B
C
I
first,
of
course,
would
like
to
welcome
you
all
to
the
district
and
I'd
very
much
like
to
thank
my
colleagues
and
my
friends,
representative
Ann
Kruger
branagh
key
representative
Boyle.
Certainly
representative,
Tina
Davis
for
their
leadership
were
of
course
joined
here
today
by
representative
Rab,
representative,
Donna,
Tucci
and
City
Councilman
bass,
but
I
want
you
to
know
that
a
number
of
our
colleagues
are
as
supportive
as
we
are
of
these
issues,
and
they
can't
be
with
us
here
today,
but
it
should
go
noticed.
C
I
would
also
like
to
thank
and
recognize
the
alliance
councils
of
Pennsylvania,
the
Women's
Law
Project
and
Planned
Parenthood,
who
work
selflessly
each
day
to
not
only
tirelessly
protect
the
rights
of
women
against
harmful
policies,
but
also
directly
provide
healthcare
and
needed
services
to
them.
We
all
owe
them
sincere
gratitude,
whether
it's
motivated
by
hubris
or
a
twisted
ideology
since
the
inauguration,
the
sole
strategy
of
the
Trump
administration.
This
dumpster
fire
of
an
administration
has
been
to
undo
the
work
done
by
President
Obama.
Without
any
consideration
of
the
impact.
C
Each
careless
and
reckless
decision
will
have
providing
birth
control
to
women
with
zero
out-of-pocket
costs
was
a
substantial
and
momentous
advancement
in
reproductive
health
care
in
the
United
States.
Now,
63
million
women
across
the
country
will
be
for
us
to
either
pay
or
go
without
in
Pennsylvania
alone.
That's
two
and
a
half
million
women
that
we're
talking
about
and
make
no
mistake
about
it.
There
is,
in
fact,
a
war
on
women,
though
the
Republicans
have
failed
that
nearly
everything
else
they
have
tried
with
this
Congress
and
this
White
House.
C
They
have
been
successful
in
stripping
away
the
rights
and
protections
of
women.
In
addition
to
forcing
women
to
pay
thousands
for
birth
control,
they've
taken
aim
at
the
only
federal
program
directed
to
family
planning,
they've,
cut
funding
for
teen
pregnancy
prevention
programs,
they've
eliminated
protections
for
victims
of
sexual
harassment
and
assault
on
college
campuses,
they've
appointed
anti-abortion
judges,
including
a
stolen
Supreme
Court
seat
they've,
recently
come
out
in
support
of
a
dangerous
twenty
week.
Abortion
ban
currently
in
Congress.
C
We
cannot
and
we
will
not
allow
these
attacks
to
go
unchallenged.
It
is
incumbent
upon
all
of
us,
not
just
women,
to
get
involved
in
this
fight,
and
that's
why
we're
here
today
the
Commonwealth
of
Pennsylvania
should
immediately
pass
this
bill
into
law
to
protect
the
health
and
security
of
women
and
families
in
the
state.
C
Women
deserve
the
freedom
to
have
the
security
to
plan
their
own
lives,
not
legislators
like
me,
they
are
owed
the
right
to
decide
if
and
when
they
want
to
have
children,
and
we
cannot
allow
the
progress
achieved
through
the
hard
work
and
sacrifice
of
generations
before
us
and
many
standing
here
today
to
be
undone.
We
must
not
allow
this.
If
you
agree
with
us,
please
please
get
involved,
call
your
elected
officials
and
tell
them
to
support
this
desperately
needed
legislation.
Thank
you.
D
Good
morning,
I
have
a
message
for
Donald
Trump
stay
away
from
our
vaginas
leave
us
alone,
I
wake
you
up,
then
I
wake
everybody
up,
stay
away:
okay
and
I'm
going
to
be
very
blunt
this
morning,
because
I
don't
want
to
use
the
words
we
use
our
lady
parts.
Our
private
areas
are
our
personal
spaces.
No,
we
need
to
call
it
like.
It
is
because
this
is
an
administration
that
has
no
respect
for
women.
They
have
no
respect
whatsoever,
and
so
we
need
to
call
them
out.
This
is
an
attempt
to
exert
power
over
women.
D
We
know
that
most
companies
corporations
are
run
by
men
and
the
idea
that
they
would
have
such
a
level
of
control
over
the
personal
lives
of
the
women
under
their
employment
as
a
Power
Move,
and
so
we
need
to
strike
back.
We
need
to
be
loud.
We
need
to
be
forceful.
We
need
to
recognize
exactly
what's
happening
here
and
so
I
want
Donald
Trump
to
know
that
this
is
the
face
of
a
woman
of
color.
D
Clearly
here
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia
born
and
raised
and
and
a
Democrat
and
I'm,
not
going
anywhere,
and
so
we
want
him
to
understand
that
we
are
serious
about
protecting
the
rights
of
women
protecting
what's
at
stake
here,
protecting
all
folks
who
have
been
under
attack
in
this
administration.
So
we
want
to
send
that
message
loud
and
proud.
I
stand
here
in
support
of
all
of
the
women
and
the
enlightened
men
who
have
joined
us
today
and
I
want
to
say
that
we
have
to
continue
this
fight.
D
A
E
Good
morning
my
name
is
Lexi
white
and
I
am
the
policy
manager
with
new
voices
for
reproductive
justice.
We
are
human
rights
and
reproductive
justice
organization
that
advocates
unapologetically
for
the
full
health
and
well-being
of
black
women,
women
of
color
and
girls
here
in
Pennsylvania,
and
also
in
the
battleground
state
of
Ohio
through
community
organizing
policy,
advocacy
leadership,
development
and
integrated
voter
engagement
in
our
communities.
E
We
have
been
under
attack
since
our
current
administration
took
office
and
sadly,
we've
been
under
fire
before
the
three
core
conditions
of
reproductive
justice
include
the
right
to
control.
If,
when
and
how
we
have
children
and
how
we
raise
our
children,
it
would
be
irresponsible
for
me
as
an
advocate,
to
stand
here
this
morning
and
not
acknowledge
and
assert
the
reality
that
for
black
women
and
women
of
color
the
if
when
and
how
around
many
of
these
family
planning
decisions
has
historically
and
strategically
been
exploited,
denied
coerced
and
controlled.
E
Federal
and
state
attacks
on
provisions
that
mandate
and
protect
contraceptive
coverage
threatened
to
put
birth
control
out
of
reach
for
millions
of
women,
including
black
women
and
women
of
color,
many
of
whom
have
become
newly
insured
under
the
Affordable
Care
Act
and
Medicaid
expansion
in
places
like
Pennsylvania
for
elected
leaders
who
will
take
on
the
fight
of
protecting
birth
control
in
Pennsylvania.
The
good
news
is,
the
voters
are
with
you
when
polled
a
significant
majority
of
black
and
black
men
and
women.
E
Voters
recently
agreed
that
whether
a
woman
has
public
or
private
health
coverage,
she
should
have
access
to
a
full
range
of
pregnancy
related
care,
including
birth
control.
Similarly,
ninety
percent
of
respondents
agreed
that
a
woman
should
be
able
to
access
birth
control
through
her
health
insurance,
regardless
of
how
her
boss
feels
about
birth
control
and
even
larger
majority
of
respondents,
94
percent
agreed
that
a
woman's
ability
to
control
whether
and
when
she
has
children
is
an
important
part
of
her
financial
stability.
E
We
know
that
since
the
Affordable
Care
Act
out-of-pocket
spending
on
birth
control
has
significantly
dropped.
The
truth
is
equitable.
Access
to
birth,
control
and
contraceptives
helps
women
to
complete
their
education
to
obtain
and
keep
a
good
job
to
support
themselves
financially
and
to
invest
in
their
children's
future.
With
twenty
six
percent
of
black
women
in
Pennsylvania
living
in
poverty
and
higher
rates
of
reproductive
health
conditions
that
require
treatment
by
birth
control
amongst
women
of
color,
we
simply
cannot
afford
to
have
political
decision
making
about
birth
control
be
removed
from
the
context
of
our
full
experiences.
E
Now
is
an
urgent
moment
to
take
a
stand
for
birth
control
access
and
contraceptive
equity.
It
is
an
urgent
moment
to
demand
that
our
elected
officials
do
the
same.
It
is
an
urgent
moment
to
provide
evidence-based
solutions
to
health
disparities
that
affect
women
and
families
across
the
Commonwealth
of
Pennsylvania.
Now
is
the
time
to
speak
up
and
out
the
progress
we
have
made
as
women
and
the
progress
we
have
made
as
women
of
color
and
the
full
health
and
well-being
of
our
families
and
communities
fundamentally
depends
upon
it.
Thank
you.
A
Thank
you,
XE
and
I
thought
Lexi's
statistics
that
she
talked
about
were
we're
pretty
powerful
in
regards
to
how
the
broad
the
support
for
birth
control
access
is
among
Americans
I.
Think
one
statistic
really
says
it
all.
Actually,
a
majority
of
registered
Republicans
do
not
believe
that
employers
should
be
able
to
deny
birth
control
access
to
to
women.
So
I
think
that
that
really
says
a
lot.
Our
next
speaker
is
Maggie
Groff
from
from
Planned
Parenthood.
F
Good
morning
my
name
is
Maggie
Groff
with
Planned
Parenthood
southeastern
Pennsylvania.
Well,
here
we
are
in
2017.
Actually
it's
almost
2018
more
than
60
years
after
the
invention
of
the
birth
control,
pill
and
politicians
are
still
trying
to
take
birth
control
away
from
us.
This
makes
no
sense.
Birth
control
is
not
controversial.
It's
basic
health
care,
most
people
use
it
or
benefit
from
a
partner
using
it,
and
the
public,
as
we've
heard,
strongly
supports
it.
F
In
fact,
birth
control
has
been
named
one
of
the
great
public
health
achievements
of
the
20th
century
by
the
center
of
Disease
Control.
The
impact
on
the
US
economy
alone
is
astounding,
and
the
impact
on
the
empowerment
of
women
is
even
greater.
Women
have
made
progress.
We
are
able
to
maintain
our
health
and
plan
our
futures
more
than
ever
before.
F
Yes,
because
of
birth
control,
one
third
of
the
wage
gains
women
have
made
since
the
1960s
are
the
result
of
access
to
birth
control
and
the
number
of
women
who
complete
college
is
six
times
what
it
was
before.
Birth
control
became
legal
by
creating
barriers
to
get
birth
control.
Politicians
are
threatening
our
basic
health
care
and
all
that
progress,
that's
why
Planned
Parenthood
is
proud
to
stand
with
this
effort
to
increase
access
to
birth
control,
we're
facing
unprecedented
attacks
in
our
health
care
and
rights.
F
Despite
the
fact
that
birth
control
is
essential
to
women's
economic
and
social
advancement,
the
Trump
administration
is
laser,
focused
on
chipping
away
at
access
to
it,
determined
to
ignore,
establish
science,
public
opinion
and
decades
of
social
and
economic
progress.
That
birth
control
has
made
possible.
We're
here
today
to
join
in
this
effort
and
say
not
on
our
watch
we're
here,
because
birth
control
has
expanded
opportunities
for
women
in
so
many
ways
by
advancing
economic
empowerment,
educational
opportunities
and
improved
outcomes
for
children.
It
has
reduced
rates
of
unintended
pregnancy,
teen,
pregnancy,
abortion
and
even
cancer
deaths.
F
The
health
benefits
are
proven
time
and
time
again.
That's
why
Planned
Parenthood
and
our
millions
of
supporters
are
fighting
back
to
ensure
that
everyone,
regardless
of
income
or
zip
code,
has
access
to
birth
control.
The
Trump
administration
continues
to
attack
access
to
this
basic
health
care
through
numerous
means.
Attacks
on
employer
provided
health
insurance
on
the
federal
programs
like
title
10
or
repeated
attempts
to
deny
access
to
Planned,
Parenthood
health,
centers
and
threatened
decades
of
progress
that
we've
made
all
to
pursue
an
extreme
agenda
for
generations.
F
Birth
control
has
been
an
essential
part
of
women's
health
and
lives,
and
it's
made
a
difference
for
millions.
Nearly
nine
in
ten
women
will
use
contraception
at
some
point
in
their
lives,
whether
it's
for
family
planning
or
for
other
medical
reasons
like
treating
endometriosis
but
before
the
Affordable
Care
Act,
birth
control
provision
went
into
effect,
one
in
three
women
struggled
to
pay
for
and
to
to
access,
affordable,
prescription,
birth
control,
and
it's
no
wonder
without
insurance
coverage.
F
Birth
control
pills
can
cost
as
much
as
six
hundred
dollars
a
year
with
other
methods
like
IUDs
costing
even
more.
The
Affordable
Care
Act
helped
to
ensure
that
over
62
million
women
had
access
to
birth
control
by
guaranteeing
that
it
was
covered
in
health
insurance
plans.
This
was
simple
and
common-sense
policy
that
made
sure
that
plans
that
women
pay
for
we'll
all
include
the
healthcare
that
they
need,
but
the
actions
of
the
Trump
administration
mean
that
too
many
women
will
face
risk
of
losing
access
to
birth
control.
F
A
G
Good
morning
my
name
is
Tara
mirtha
and
I'm.
The
director
of
communications
at
the
Women's
Law
Project,
the
Women's
Law
Project,
is
a
public
interest.
Legal
organization
focused
on
protecting
and
advancing
the
rights
of
women
and
girls
in
Pennsylvania
and
beyond.
We've
been
in
the
business
of
women's
rights
since
before
I
was
born.
G
Yet
even
knowing
this,
we
never
could
have
imagined
that
we
would
have
to
stand
here
today
explaining
the
public
health
benefits
of
equal
access
to
contraception.
It's
hard
to
believe
we're
standing
here,
fighting
yet
another
attempt
by
the
rich
men
in
power
to
working-class
and
low-income
women
of
contraception.
Yet
another
attempt
to
reserve
reproductive
rights
for
the
rich.
G
According
to
our
Attorney
General
Josh
Shapiro,
the
rollback
of
the
contraception
mandate
in
the
Affordable
Care
Act
is
unconstitutional.
I
want
to
say
it's
also
deeply
stupid
because,
as
many
people
already
today
have
rightfully
pointed
out,
access
to
contraception
is
a
public
health
good,
it
saves
lives,
it
reduces
maternal
and
infant
mortality
to
public
health
crises.
Our
so-called
pro-life
friends
in
Harrisburg
and
DC
have
failed
to
even
address.
G
It
is
medicine
for
a
host
of
medical
conditions
that
are
not
pregnancy
and
it
prevents
pregnancy,
which
is
itself
a
medical
condition,
something
we
actually
have
to
argue
in
2017.
I
keep
thinking
about
the
administration's
justification
for
the
rollback
of
the
contraception
mandate.
They
said
that
it
promotes
quote
risky.
Behavior
I
will
concede
that
point.
G
History
shows
us
that
access
to
contraception
does
promote
risky
behavior.
It
enables
women
to
pursue
education,
it
promotes
workplace
equality,
it
enables
Planned
Parenthood,
in
other
words
the
risky
behavior.
The
Trump
administration
is
trying
to
stop.
Is
women
exercising
control
over
our
own
lives,
financial
independence,
participation
in
public
life?
So
this
latest
effort
isn't
stupid.
It's
part
of
an
incremental,
ongoing,
escalating
and
strategic
effort
to
deprive
women
of
reproductive
freedom
as
a
means
to
deprive
us
of
control
over
our
lives
of
Independence
and
of
a
say
in
public
life.
G
But
here
we
are
look
around
and
listen
to
all
the
women
that
we've
already
heard
speak
today
and
are
enlightened
men.
The
Councilwoman
pointed
out
it's
too
late.
Clearly
we're
here
and
I'm
proud
to
stand
here
today
with
representative
lien
Kruger
brenneke
Davis
at
Boyle,
prep,
Sims
Raab.
Everyone
here
today
collaborating
to
support
women's
independence
and
participation
in
public
life
and
to
say
that
we
are
not
going
anywhere.
We
won't
be
quiet,
we'll
continue
to
protect
our
rights
and
we
will
not
go
back.
Thank
you.
H
Good
morning,
thank
you.
My
name
is
Audrey
and
Ross
and
I'm
with
access
matters.
I
am
here
today
very
pleased
to
stand
here
before
you
on
behalf
of
the
Alliance
of
Pennsylvania
councils.
The
Alliance
is
made
up
of
four
title:
10
family
planning
grantees
across
the
commonwealth,
access
matters
serving
southeastern
Pennsylvania
adagio,
health
in
western
Pennsylvania,
the
Family
Health
Council
of
central
Pennsylvania
and
maternal
and
family
health
services
in
northeastern
Pennsylvania.
H
H
Together
we
are
stewards
of
access,
access
to
affordable
health
care,
access
to
birth
control
and
more.
We
care
deeply
about
what
we
do:
the
providers
we
serve
and
the
people
we
serve
since
January
we've
seen
an
unprecedented
number
of
attacks,
which
many
of
the
speakers
today
have
already
touched
on
attacks
on
our
funding
on
our
ability
to
provide
information
and
services
and
even
on
the
clients
we
serve.
H
The
rhetoric
and
actions
coming
out
of
Washington
and
even
from
some
in
Harrisburg,
demonstrate
a
deeply
held
disdain
for
the
clients
and
for
our
clients
and
a
complete
lack
of
compassion.
We've
weathered
attacks
on
Medicaid,
the
Affordable,
Care
Act,
and
funding
and
support
for
title
10
and
other
important
programs.
The
clients
we
serve
have
and
continue
to
face
discriminatory
policies
and
proposals
from
a
the
president
of
a
country
that
was
founded
by
immigrants
and
one
that
should
continue
to
embrace
its
diversity.
The
agenda
is
all
too
clear.
The
hypocrisy
is
incredible.
H
They
even
are
proposing
to
cut
certain
programs,
but
then
in
rulemaking,
telling
clients
suggesting
that
employees
who
lose
coverage
due
to
the
expanded
exemption
can
simply
head
to
a
title.
10
family
planning
clinic
to
receive
birth
control,
but
again
proposing
to
cut
funds
to
those
very
clinics,
and
so
we
forge
ahead
because
we
forge
ahead.
H
These
forward-thinking
lawmakers
are
moving
in
tandem
with
public
health
champions
across
the
country,
who
are
ensuring
that
no
matter
what
happens
in
DC,
the
people
of
Pennsylvania
will
be
protected
and
insured
continued
access
to
the
affordable
birth
control.
They
need
to
plan
as
their
pregnancies
and
they're
doing
this
by
proposing
the
this
package
of
bills.
H
I
Good
morning,
my
name
is
dr.:
Jennifer
Chuang
I'm,
a
pediatrician
that
specializes
in
taking
care
of
teenagers.
So
my
job
as
an
adolescent
medicine
pediatrician
in
the
state
of
Pennsylvania
is
to
make
sure
that
teenagers
reach
adulthood
with
purpose,
resiliency,
Worth
and
dignity.
This
is
not
easy
to
do
in
real-life
circumstances
that
our
teenagers
face,
such
as
unplanned
pregnancy.
An
uneasy
reality
is
that
many
teenagers
have
sex.
Fortunately,
these
numbers
have
slightly
declined
over
the
years,
but
regardless
adolescents
are
having
sex
and
a
heterosexual,
sexually
active
teenager
who
does
not
use
contraception.
I
Contraception
has
a
90%
chance
of
becoming
pregnant
than
one
year.
That
is
astounding.
In
a
study
from
2006
to
2010,
two-thirds
of
sexually
active
females
reported
receiving
contraceptive
services
in
the
last
year.
While
this
number
is
promising.
I
do
wish
that
the
number
were
closer
to
a
hundred
percent.
You
may
ask
why
is
it
so
hard
for
teenagers
to
consistently
use
contraception,
including
IUDs
implants,
birth
control,
pills,
birth
control,
injection
just
to
name
a
few?
I
There
are
several
barriers
that
our
kids
face
in
trying
to
prevent
pregnancy,
including
dialogue
with
our
partner
about
starting
a
sexual
relationship.
Knowing
where
to
access
services,
finding
transportation
to
get
to
their
office,
finding
time
outside
of
school
or
work
or
whatever
activities
are
supposed
to
be
yet
to
go
to
the
office
and
then
to
go
to
the
pharmacy?
On
top
of
all
of
these
barriers,
the
cost
of
contraception
is
prohibitive.
I
For
many
of
our
teenagers,
it
is
not
easy
for
an
adolescent
to
fork
up
forty
to
fifty
dollars
a
month
to
pay
for
a
month's
supply
of
birth
control.
It
is
unrealistic
to
expect
that
our
young
people
will
pay
this
amount.
Instead,
teenagers
will
not
obtain
contraception,
and
we
will
see
unintended
teen
pregnancy
rise.
We've
made
good
progress
in
the
last
several
years.
Less
kids
are
having
sex,
less
kids
are
getting
pregnant
and
less
kids
are
having
abortions.
I
J
Thank
you
and
good
morning
all
my
colleagues
and
peers
this
morning
have
already
given
us
the
facts
and
figures
surrounding
reproductive
rights
and
health.
I
want
to
put
a
little
different
spin
on
this
laws,
and
governmental
policies
are
meant
to
treat
all
citizens
equally
without
subjugation
once
a
law
or
governmental
practice
treats
one
group
differently
than
another.
We
run
the
risk
of
prejudice,
double
standards
and
unintended
consequences,
doctor-patient
relationships,
medications,
treatments,
etc
are
so
personal
that
they
are
actually
protected
under
the
HIPPA
laws.
J
If
a
woman
has
polycystic
ovary
syndrome,
chances
are
she's
going
to
need
some
form
of
contraception
to
stabilize
our
condition.
She
shouldn't
have
to
plead
and
expose
her
case
for
coverage,
that
is
an
unintended
consequence,
unwanted
pregnant
pregnancies,
with
unintended
consequences
regardless
of
personal
beliefs.
Everyone
is
to
be
treated
equally
under
the
law.
I
believe
that
is
what
our
forefathers
had
in
mind
when
they
wrote
the
Constitution
Constitution,
the
Bill
of
Rights
and
there's
lawmakers.
That
is
our
obligation
to
our
citizens.
Thank
you.
K
Good
morning,
so
many
important
things
have
been
said
about
why
it's
so
important
to
support
this
legislation
that
my
colleagues
have
introduced
in
the
Pennsylvania
House
of
Representatives
I
am
NOT
going
to
add
to
those
facts
and
figures.
They
speak
for
themselves.
I'm,
just
gonna.
Tell
you
briefly
my
story:
when
I
was
38,
I
decided
to
have
a
vasectomy
I,
don't
want
to
tell
you
about
it,
but
I
feel
that
I
have
to
because
not
enough
men
stand
up
and
talk
about
reproductive
justice,
whether
it's
from
the
context
of
Planned
Parenthood,
personal
health
what-have-you.
K
All
the
benefits
and
privileges
that
we
men
take
for
granted
are
subsidized
by
the
reproductive
labor
of
women.
It's
a
fact.
We
are
over-represented
in
pretty
much
everything
specifically
in
this
moment,
the
legislature
and
that's
why
we're
in
the
trouble
we're
in
now.
Frankly,
so
for
all
of
you,
men,
all
of
you,
enlightened
and
proto
enlightened
men
who
vote
the
right
way,
who
believe
in
reproductive
rights
for
the
women
in
your
lives,
I
need
you
to
stand
up.
I
need
you
to
speak
out.
K
We
are
over-represented
in
power,
but
we're
underrepresented
in
terms
of
us.
Taking
the
initiative
to
say
why
this
is
important,
our
voices
are
not
being
heard
and
they
are
important
in
this.
In
this
course,
we
cannot
gender
this
issue.
This
is
a
human
rights
issue.
All
of
the
things
that
these
women
have
been
talking
about
benefit
men,
all
of
them
all.
K
The
things
that
we
take
for
granted
are
things
that
women
have
to
wake
up
in
the
morning
and
think
about
all
the
time
with
great
stress-
and
interestingly,
stress
is
one
of
the
reasons
that
is
causing
this
public
health
crisis,
particularly
among
women
of
color,
poor
women.
Trans
women
is
the
amount
of
stress
just
embodying
just
inhabiting
the
bodies
they
were
born
into
or
chose.
K
A
Just
wanted
to
reiterate
one
of
the
points
that
represent
made
the
bill
that
representative
Brown,
okie
and
I
have
actually
does
mandate
that
insurance
companies
provide
coverage
for
vasectomies.
So
you
know
I
think
that
men
and
women
need
to
work
together
on
birth
control,
can't
just
be
100%
all
women.
So
at
this
point
we're
done
with
remarks
and
I.
Think
representative
Brown
a
key
and
I,
and
everyone
would
see
if
anyone
had
any
questions.
B
So
that's
why
the
action
of
our
Attorney
General
is
so
important
because
nothing
moves
quickly
in
our
legislature.
A
frankly
unless
it's
anti-choice
legislation
last
session,
we
saw
a
bill
that
appeared
on
the
system
at
5:00
p.m.
on
a
Friday.
The
first
committee
vote
happened
that
Monday
and
it
was
poised
for
a
final
vote
just
two
days
later,
so
when
the
political
will
is
there
for
a
bill,
it
can
move
quickly.
However,
I
have
not
seen
any
bills
that
support
women's
health
in
an
active
way
move
quickly.
B
So
our
Attorney
General
has
said
that
he
is
suing
the
Trump
administration
over
that
directive
to
try
to
stop
them
in
the
courts
and
in
the
meantime,
we
are
one
of
the
states
that
has
no
existing
protection
in
our
law
to
expand
and
protect
birth
control
access.
That
is
what
we're
trying
to
do
with
this
legislation,
but
the
quick
resolution
will
come
in
through
the
attorney
general's
office.
Hopefully.
H
So
it's
very
troubling
I
mean
we
are
very
concerned
about
that
and
we're
working
with
our
providers
to
try
to
get
information
out
on
you
know
through
other
avenues
and
I.
Think
that's
really
the
crux
of
it:
everyone
needs
to
come
together
and
use
whatever
resources
are
available
to
get
that
information
out
there,
because
there
is
they've
not
made
it
a
priority,
in
fact,
obviously
removed
funds
to
support
public
awareness,
education
and
outreach
for
that
piece.
I.
I
Just
wanted
to
add
that
in
medicine
were
not
exactly
taught
a
lot
about
social
media,
but
in
recent
months
several
of
us
have
become
very
mobilized.
I'm
part
of
8,000
physician,
Democratic
women
who
are
mobilized
on
social
media
to
get
the
word
out,
including
about
the
enrollment
of
the
ACA
I'm.
Also
a
member
of
the
American
Academy
of
Pediatrics
and
a
group
of
us
call
ourselves
Tweety
attrition
to
tweet
about
this
as
well.
I.
A
Mentioned
this
point
during
the
press
conference,
but
the
rollback
of
this
coverage
is
extremely
unpopular
and
it's
not
just
unpopular
amongst
us
and
on
the
left.
I
saw
one
statistic
that
had
81%
of
registered
Republicans
felt
as
though
insurance
company
should
be
mandated
to
provide
birth
control
to
women.
B
With
no
further
questions,
I
want
to
thank
all
of
the
advocates
who
joined
us
today
when
I.
Thank
all
the
elected
officials
who
have
joined
us
as
well.
There
is
time
for
your
elected
official
to
sign
on
as
a
co-sponsor
to
this
to
these
bills,
so
the
call
to
action
today
is
to
call
them
and
to
ask
them
to
stand
up
and
protect
access
to
contraception
in
Alania.
Thank
you
very
much.