Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Statement on Anniversary of Affordable Care Act
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Contact: [email protected]
Washington, DC — Today, on the 11th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law, NARAL Pro-Choice America Chief Research and Communications Officer Adrienne Kimmell released the following statement in response:
“The Affordable Care Act was signed into law eleven years ago, granting millions of people across the United States access to life-saving healthcare coverage. Its implementation was one of the greatest advancements for reproductive freedom and gender equity in this country, especially the landmark requirement that health insurers cover birth control without co-pays—giving millions of people more control over their own lives.
For the last year, our country has grappled with the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. This public health crisis shines a spotlight on the stakes for millions of people, especially as some politicians put their extremist ideology above science and the collective health, safety, and well-being of the American people. NARAL and our more than 2.5 million members across the country will never stop fighting to ensure every body has access to the care they need.”
NARAL looks forward to the Biden administration building on its commitment to the health and rights of women and LGBTQ+ people by rescinding the Trump administration’s regressive policies. These policies undermine the ACA’s nondiscrimination protections by allowing virtually any employer or university to declare themselves exempt from the ACA’s birth control coverage policy and imposing onerous and arbitrary requirements on insurers offering health plans that include coverage of abortion care on the ACA marketplaces.
Attacks on the ACA and reproductive freedom are wildly out of touch with the values of the majority. Seven in 10 Americans support reproductive freedom and the American public overwhelmingly supports access to contraception.
When Republicans waged war on the Affordable Care Act in 2017, NARAL and its members mobilized to let members of Congress know we wouldn’t stand by and allow them to jeopardize the healthcare coverage of millions of Americans. Our members made thousands of phone calls and sent 50,000 messages to Congress opposing the repeal efforts, ultimately helping to stop these dangerous efforts in their tracks.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates and chapters have fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom—including access to abortion, contraception, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its more than 2.5 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 7 in 10 Americans who believe every person should have the freedom to make the best decision for themselves about if, when, and how to raise a family.