Slaughter and Murray Introduce Emergency Contraception Education Bill
Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA.) introduced a bill last week that would establish a public education program to inform women and their health care providers about emergency contraception. According to a press release, the program, established through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would educate consumers, nonprofits, universities, clinics, the media, and other interested groups about the uses, safety, and availability of emergency contraception.
In the press release, Representative Slaughter said, "We need to do everything we can to ensure that all women continue to have access to contraception and the choices about what works best for them." She continued, "Studies show that emergency contraceptive use in the United States remains low, and 1 out of 3 women of reproductive age remain unaware of the method. We must educate women about their options so they can make well informed choices about reproductive health."
Slaughter and Murray introduced the same bill to Congress in 2002, 2005, and 2007, but the legislation has never passed committee hearings.
Emergency contraception is effective in preventing pregnancy up to five days (120 hours) after unprotected sex, birth control failure, or rape, but it is most effective (95 percent) if taken within 24 hours. Emergency Contraception does not terminate an existing pregnancy.
Media Resources: Senator Murray Press Release 6/17/10; Ms. Magazine Blog 6/18/10; Feminist Daily Newswire 9/2/2009
6/18/2013 Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voter Requirements - On Monday, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed register to vote.
In an opinion written [PDF] by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court ruled that the Arizona statute violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA, also known as the "Motor Voter Law") of 1993, which created a federal form that individuals can mail in to register to vote in federal elections. . . .
6/18/2013 Pakistani Women's University Bus, Hospital Bombed - A bus for a women's university in Pakistan and the hospital that treated victims from the blast were bombed on Saturday, killing 14 students and 24 others at the hospital.
The bus was transporting female students and teachers from Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University in Quetta, located in the southwestern part of Pakistan. . . .
6/18/2013 Taliban Attack In Afghan Capital As NATO Transfers Power - Yesterday, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) transferred responsibility for the country's security forces to the Afghan government after a bomb blast targeting a political official left three civilians dead in Kabul. . . .
