Prevention First Act is Introduced in Congress

In January 2009, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Representatives Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) introduced the Prevention First Act (S. 21/H.R. 463). This important legislation aims to prevent unintended pregnancies through common-sense measures to expand access to contraceptives and provide comprehensive sex education.

Specifically, the Prevention First Act:

• Improves access to family planning services by investing in the Title X program and expanding eligibility for family planning services under the Medicaid program.
• Ensures that private health plans offer the same level of coverage for contraception as they do for other prescription drugs and services.
• Ensures that women who survive sexual assault receive factually accurate information about emergency contraception (EC) and access to EC upon request.
• Supports comprehensive sex education programs that helps young people make responsible decisions and includes medically accurate information about abstinence, contraception, and disease prevention.

H.R. 463 full text
S. 21 full text