Access to Contraception

The Reproductive Rights program has done extensive work to increase access to birth control and emergency contraception (EC) throughout the state.

We have advocated for legislation requiring insurers who offer prescription drug coverage to provide coverage for contraception, and later fought to uphold that law against a challenge by religious-affiliated social service organizations.

We have also worked to increase access to EC; we have fought for laws requiring hospital emergency rooms to offer access to and counseling on EC, advocated on behalf of women who were denied access to EC, and pursued disciplinary actions against pharmacists who refused to fill prescriptions for EC.

Most recently, we led the charge in New York to oppose broad provider refusal regulations enacted under President Bush that could dramatically reduce access to reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion. President Obama proposed to overturn those regulations in February 2009, and we are hopeful that they will be fully rescinded.