Students might have access to more affordable birth control and other contraceptive methods if state lawmakers vote on legislation aimed at preventing unintentional pregnancies.
A multiple-bill package, called Prevention First, was introduced June 23 in the state House of Representatives and the state Senate by state Rep. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, and state Sen. Gilda Jacobs, D-Huntington Woods.
“This package of bills is a pregnancy prevention package,” Jacobs said.
The goals of the package include providing affordable, equitable access to birth control, as well as information and tools for prevention.
“It’s called Prevention First for a reason,” Warren said. “We want to empower Michigan residents with every tool that we can, so that they can make good decisions about their bodies and their sexuality.”
The legislation might make purchasing contraceptives easier, said Katie Duke, a psychology senior.
“Generic brands are pretty cheap through insurance,” she said. “For people who have to have the higher-end birth control, it’s like $50 a month, and most kids our age can’t really afford that.”
In addition to making the contraceptive more affordable, the legislation would require pharmacists to dispense birth control despite any moral or ethical beliefs.
“On asking people to violate their conscience … I think that’s a mistake,” state Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township, said. “There should be a reasonable way to approach matters of conscience.”
Despite any personal beliefs, the decision made between a doctor and patient should not be challenged, Jacobs said.
“A decision has been made between a woman and her doctor, and nobody should enter into that relationship and change a medical decision,” she said.
Pharmacists should not have to put aside religious beliefs to provide any type of contraception, said Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan.
“Anything that would compel a pharmacist to violate his own religious conscience we would oppose,” he said.
The bill package also would encourage the equitable coverage of birth control by insurance companies and increased availability of information on various forms of pregnancy prevention.
As soon as this fall, a House committee could discuss the package, after which the bills would head to the House floor for a full vote, Warren said.
Continuing discussions and finding common points of interest among lawmakers is important, Jacobs said.
“No matter what side of the issue someone is on … you want to be sure that every baby that’s born is a wanted, planned child,” she said.
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