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Planned Parenthood Applauds Introduction of Prevention First Act in U.S. House of Representatives
WASHINGTON, DC — Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) President Cecile Richards issued the following statement in response to the introduction of the Prevention First Act today in the U.S. House of Representatives. As the nation's leading advocate and provider of reproductive health services, Planned Parenthood supports the Prevention First Act, which will increase access to family planning, improve health care for low-income women and families, and prevent unintended pregnancies:
"Today's introduction of the Prevention First Act signals a real step forward for health care in America. Currently, more than 17 million women in the U.S. need publicly funded family planning services, and there is not enough funding to meet the need. Nearly 750,000 teenagers in the U.S. will become pregnant this year. Prevention is the key to building strong, healthy families, and the Prevention First Act will help women and couples plan their families, plan their futures, and plan parenthood by expanding access to critically needed family planning education and reproductive health care services.
"On February 13, Planned Parenthood Federation of America affiliates and their supporters will hold a nationwide Day of Action, calling on elected officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to pass the Prevention First Act and state legislation that are key to preventing unintended pregnancy and reducing the need for abortion by expanding access to birth control and real sex education.
"For making women's health a priority with the introduction of this act, Planned Parenthood applauds Representative Slaughter and original co-sponsors Representatives DeGette, Waxman, Lee, Lowey, Abercrombie, Allen, Berman, Bishop, Capps, Carnahan, Clay, Cohen, Crowley, Davis, DeLauro, Dingell, Emanuel, Engel, Farr, Filner, Frank, Grijalva, Gutierrez, Higgins, Hinchey, Hirono, Holt, Honda, Inslee, Langevin, Lantos, Larsen, Maloney, Matsui, McCarthy, McCollum, McDermott, McGovern, McNulty, Miller, Moore, Moran, Murphy, Nadler, Napolitano, Holmes Norton, Payne, Price, Rothman, Schakowsky, Schiff, Schwartz, Scott, Sires, Stark, Tauscher, Van Hollen, Weiner, Wexler, Woolsey, Wu, and Wynn. Ackerman, Baca, Baldwin, Berkley, Blumenauer, Boucher, Brown, Cummings, Davis, Delahunt, Dicks, Fattah, Green, Hooley, Israel, Jackson, Jr., Jackson Lee, Johnson, Kennedy, Cheeks, Kilpatrick, Kind, Meehan, Meeks, Miller, Moore, Olver, Roybal-Allard, Sanchez, Shays, Sherman, Solis, Sutton, Tierney, Tubbs Jones, Udall, Wasserman Schultz and Watson.”
Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate. We believe that everyone has the right to choose when or whether to have a child, and that every child should be wanted and loved. Planned Parenthood affiliates operate more than 840 health centers nationwide, providing medical services and sexuality education for millions of women, men, and teenagers each year. We also work with allies worldwide to ensure that all women and men have the right and the means to meet their sexual and reproductive health care needs.
