In the span of the past week alone, the GOP has moved to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and House Speaker Paul Ryan confirmed that Republicans plan to defund Planned Parenthood. So what might that mean for those who rely on the ACA or Planned Parenthood for access to free birth control?
If you live in New York, you might still be able to get free birth control even if Obamacare is repealed.
New York state legislators have begun taking considerable measures to ensure that no matter what happens to Obamacare, access to birth control will not be taken away. On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that he is introducing legislation that would protect a woman's right to free birth control as well as expanding the program to include male contraception. Schneiderman actually proposed the bill back in 2015. iIt was passed by the State Assembly in 2016, but didn't make it to the Senate floor. Now, "on the eve of the Trump administration, and as Congressional Republicans move to repeal the Affordable Care Act," he is reintroducing the bill. Called the "Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act of 2017,” the bill would give New Yorkers the right to complete access to cost-free birth control, regardless of what happens in Congress. Given that many of us seem to be concerned about our reproductive rights at the moment, here's hoping New York's bill paves the way for the rest of the country.
New York state legislators have begun taking considerable measures to ensure that no matter what happens to Obamacare, access to birth control will not be taken away. On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that he is introducing legislation that would protect a woman's right to free birth control as well as expanding the program to include male contraception. Schneiderman actually proposed the bill back in 2015. iIt was passed by the State Assembly in 2016, but didn't make it to the Senate floor. Now, "on the eve of the Trump administration, and as Congressional Republicans move to repeal the Affordable Care Act," he is reintroducing the bill. Called the "Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act of 2017,” the bill would give New Yorkers the right to complete access to cost-free birth control, regardless of what happens in Congress. Given that many of us seem to be concerned about our reproductive rights at the moment, here's hoping New York's bill paves the way for the rest of the country.
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