Laws impacting access to reproductive health care

Each year, state legislatures debate measures that impact access to reproductive health services, including sex education, contraception, abortion, prenatal care, and birthing. The unrelenting attacks on these critical services create significant barriers to accessing care -- especially for poor women, teens, and women living in rural communities -- and run counter to the national agenda of expanding access to health care. Instead, legislators and public health advocates should prioritize policies that give people the tools and education they need to build and maintain healthy lives.

This presentation will provide a general overview of the laws restricting access to reproductive health services, the efforts to increase access to those services, and a 2009 state legislative update. It will suggest ways to convert challenges to reproductive health access into opportunities to advance an agenda in support of women's health, well-being, and equality.