Family Planning and Preventive Care
Half of pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended. The most effective way to prevent unintended pregnancy and to reduce the number of abortions is to support women who do not want to be pregnant to use contraception regularly and effectively. Publicly funded family planning programs are a cost-effective way to increase access to contraception and reduce unintended pregnancy.
Preventive care is vital to living a long and healthy life. Planned Parenthood provides many preventive care services including breast and cervical cancer screenings, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Planned Parenthood Delaware supports increased public funding for family planning and preventive care. All people deserve access to family planning and preventive care regardless of income and insurance status.
In Delaware:
- Over 40,000 women are in need of publicly subsidized family planning services.
- Current programs cover 50% of the population in need. Increased funding could prevent an additional 4,900 unintended pregnancies and 2,500 abortions each year.
- The state ranks 21st in the nation on public funding for contraception;
- For every $1 spent on family planning, taxpayers save $3.00 in Medicaid costs.
Data Source:
Guttmacher Institute
Refusal to Provide Patient Care: “Conscience Clauses”
In recent years, opponents of reproductive rights have fought to limit women’s access to emergency contraception, birth control and abortion through “conscience clauses.” These clauses allow medical professionals to refuse needed medical care based upon their personal beliefs.
For example, if a woman comes to an emergency room or pharmacy after being the victim of rape, she may be refused emergency contraception. Or, she may not even be told of its existence because of an individual medical person’s objections.
Medical personnel (including doctors, nurses and pharmacists) have an obligation to offer their patients all treatment options available regardless of their personal beliefs.
Planned Parenthood opposes medical personnel imposing their moral beliefs on those they are seeking to treat and supports requirements that protect patients’ rights to be offered all treatment options.
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