Kazarian bill to protect access to contraception heard in House Corporations

As the Trump Administration continues to undermine women's access to reproductive health care on a national level, advocates are working to ensure protections on the state level. Last night, in the House Corporations Committee, testimony was heard on Representative Katherine Kazarian (Democrat, District 63, East Providence)'s bill H7625. Upon passage the bill would:

• Protect the current $0 cost-sharing for contraception by preserving in Rhode Island law the provision of Affordable Care Act (ACA) that says birth control is a preventive health care service.
• Allow prescribing and dispensing of birth control up to a full year at a time.
• Ensure affordability and accessibility of the most effective forms of contraception, including long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) option such as IUDs and implants.

Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and New York have passed similar laws, and the Rhode Island House passed this legislation last year, only to see the bill stall in the Senate. In the first video below, Rachel Jarosz, a nurse, explains how providing contraception helps reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions. The speakers that follow also lay out the case for Kazarian's bill. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLxc373U5epQMUah779JapIBD5mqYGojX

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