Omnibus Passes, Includes Affordable Birth Control Act

From Choice Words

Last night the Senate passed the omnibus appropriations bill, including the “Affordable Birth Control Act.” This provision is a no-cost fix to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which contained language that stopped pharmaceutical companies from providing prescriptions at lower than market costs to health clinics and College and University health centers. Previously, companies were supplying schools and safety-net providers with low cost or no cost birth control. As a result of the DRA, low income women and college students were forced to pay market price, approximately $40-$50 per month.

Choice USA played a big role in passing this legislation. Members ran educational campaigns on their campuses and collected petition signatures. The organization encouraged folks to write letters to their Senators and Representatives. This past summer a group of about forty of us (all students) lobbied on Capital Hill for the passage of legislation then known as “Prevention Through Affordable Access.” Recently, the Choice USA mobilized folks to call their legislators when Senator DeMint attempted to strip affordable birth control from the bill.

This is a victory that directly impacts young people, for whom the costs of birth control on campus and at community health centers have skyrocketed. And it is a victory we as Choice USA members and constituents can claim as our own. This is an example of the power we as young people have to make real change that directly impacts our lives. Congratulations everyone!