Family Planning

Access to reliable contraception and other preventive reproductive health care services is an essential part of basic health care for women.  We’re working to ensure that women have access to affordable contraceptive care, including emergency contraception, to help protect their health, prevent unintended pregnancies, and improve their lives.

For more information and resources on insurance coverage of contraception, please visit http://www.nwlc.org/preventive-services-including-contraceptive-coverage-under-health-care-law.

Highlights

Fact Sheet | State Politicians Want Bosses to Make Women’s Health Care Decisions

June 14, 2013

State politicians are introducing bills that would allow a boss to trump women's health and women's access to the health care they need by refusing to comply with the birth control benefit of the health care law. These bill sare not about protecting religion. They are unconstitutional attempts to take away women's decision making, threatening women's health and equality.

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Legal Briefs & Testimony | NWLC Amicus Briefs Supporting the Contraceptive Coverage Benefit

August 12, 2013

The Center is filing friend of the court briefs in lawsuits challenging the federal contraceptive coverage benefit, brought by employers who want to deny their employees this important benefit.  These cases involve suits brought under the First Amendment to the US Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  These cases will decide whether a boss’s religious beliefs trump women’s health and women’s access to the health care they need.

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Fact Sheet | Women’s Access to Preventive Services Affirmed by HHS

February 22, 2013

On February 20, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services released a set of Frequently Asked Questions which clarified many issues related to implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services requirement.  The FAQ is an important step towards ensuring that insurance plans and issuers implement the Women’s Preventive Health Services provision so that women get the comprehensive and affordable services guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act.  While the FAQ leaves some implementation questions unanswered, the National Women’s Law Center is pleased that the Department addressed several major issues to make sure that women have the coverage required by the law.  The charts below summarize implementation issues and how the FAQ responds to them.

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Fact Sheet | If Opponents of Birth Control Have Their Way, Millions of Women Would Lose Access to Birth Control

September 14, 2012

Opponents of birth control in Congress are working night and day to enact new laws and policies that would deny millions of women access to birth control -- including access already guaranteed to women by law. Thankfully, so far, supporters of birth control have stopped the worst of these Congressional attacks.  Although the anti-birth control efforts have taken several forms, they all would have the same effect: taking birth control coverage away from women nationwide. A comparison of opponents’ and supporters’ legislative priorities makes the difference clear: while opponents of contraception would take it away from women, supporters work to ensure that women have access to affordable birth control.

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More Resources

Fact Sheet | Women’s Access to Preventive Services Affirmed by HHS

February 22, 2013

On February 20, 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services released a set of Frequently Asked Questions which clarified many issues related to implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services requirement.  The FAQ is an important step towards ensuring that insurance plans and issuers implement the Women’s Preventive Health Services provision so that women get the comprehensive and affordable services guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act.  While the FAQ leaves some implementation questions unanswered, the National Women’s Law Center is pleased that the Department addressed several major issues to make sure that women have the coverage required by the law.  The charts below summarize implementation issues and how the FAQ responds to them.

 Read more...

Infographics and Internet Memes | Women Can't Afford More Tax Cuts for the Rich

November 28, 2012

What could the average tax cut per millionaire in 2013 support? Check out our new infographic to see.

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Fact Sheet | If Opponents of Birth Control Have Their Way, Millions of Women Would Lose Access to Birth Control

September 14, 2012

Opponents of birth control in Congress are working night and day to enact new laws and policies that would deny millions of women access to birth control -- including access already guaranteed to women by law. Thankfully, so far, supporters of birth control have stopped the worst of these Congressional attacks.  Although the anti-birth control efforts have taken several forms, they all would have the same effect: taking birth control coverage away from women nationwide. A comparison of opponents’ and supporters’ legislative priorities makes the difference clear: while opponents of contraception would take it away from women, supporters work to ensure that women have access to affordable birth control.

 Read more...

Fact Sheet | If You Really Care about Criminal Justice, You Should Care about Reproductive Justice!

September 11, 2012

Working towards a more progressive criminal justice system is an important part of furthering the cause of reproductive justice. A criminal justice system that makes communities safer, protects personal liberty and limits abuses of power by governmental authorities will also further the cause of reproductive justice. Those who support a progressive criminal justice system will identify several common areas of advocacy with the Reproductive Justice movement. These include: opposing the criminalization of behaviors that are closely tied to unmet social service needs, especially mental health and substance abuse services; rejecting mass incarceration and the use of the criminal justice system to address problems better addressed through adequate social services; ensuring procedural safeguards, discouraging selective prosecution and protecting the constitutional rights of the accused; and advocating for fair, appropriate and humane sentences for those convicted of crimes.

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Reports & Toolkits | Contraceptive Equity Laws in Your State: Know Your Rights - Use Your Rights, A Consumer Guide

August 27, 2012

Access to safe and reliable contraception is an essential component of health care for women. The health care law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), appropriately recognizes contraception as a key preventive health service for women, and requires all new insurance plans to provide coverage of the full range of FDA-approved contraceptives without cost-sharing for women. Before this important national victory for women’s health, some health insurance plans excluded coverage for prescription contraceptives even while covering other prescription drugs and devices and preventive care. That gender gap in health care coverage was challenged by states all across the country, which specifically passed laws to require contraceptive equity in health insurance coverage. There are 26 states with contraceptive equity laws. These state laws are the focus of this Consumer Guide.

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