NARAL Pro-Choice America Applauds Senate for Expected Introduction of the Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act

Washington, DC – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, commended Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Evan Bayh (D-IN) for the expected introduction of their Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act in the Senate tomorrow. This bill would guarantee that women in the military stationed overseas have timely access to emergency contraception.

Reps. Michael Michaud (D-ME), Susan Davis (D-CA), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), James Langevin (D-RI), Jane Harman (D-CA), and Chris Shays (R-CT), lead a bipartisan coalition of pro-choice and pro-life lawmakers in support of H.R.2064, the House version of this bill.

"Americans have made it clear that they are tired of political posturing on the issue of choice. They want solutions – and this bill marks another step in the right direction," Keenan said. "Tomorrow's expected Senate introduction moves Congress one step closer to ensuring that women who volunteer to serve their country will have access to this safe, effective back-up form of birth control. We applaud Sens. Clinton, Bayh, and the many other cosponsors. These senators and representatives who bridge the abortion divide should be commended for protecting the reproductive health of our brave servicewomen."

The Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act would guarantee that the approximate 350,000 women in the military have access to emergency contraception (EC), also known as Plan B ® or the "morning-after" pill, on every overseas military base. Servicewomen and doctors alike have reported that they cannot obtain the medication when they need it. A panel of medical experts at the Department of Defense approved this policy in 2002. But only weeks later President Bush's political appointees overruled the decision without explanation – yet another example of this administration placing politics and ideology ahead of women's health.

NARAL Pro-Choice America has worked closely with the authors in the House and Senate to garner support for the measure.

Emergency contraception is a concentrated dose of ordinary birth-control pills that can dramatically reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant if taken soon after sex. EC does not cause abortion; rather it is a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy. The Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sales for adults in August 2006.

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032