Right to Choose and Access to Abortion Care

Planned Parenthood, the world's oldest and largest not-for-profit reproductive health care organization, is dedicated to the principle that every individual has a fundamental right to decide when and whether to become a parent. In 1970, New York State emerged as a leader in protecting women's health by being the first state in the nation to legalize abortion. In 1973, the Supreme Court followed suit by legalizing abortion throughout the United States with the Roe v. Wade decision.

However, over the past 36 years anti-choice organizations have tried to erode access to abortion through intimidation, harassment, and abortion bans. They have also tried to erode the legal underpinnings of legal abortion through legislation that would elevate the legal status of a fetus, at any stage of development, to that of an adult.

PPANY believes that women have the right to obtain confidential, safe, legal abortion care and that no woman should be denied abortion care and the ability to decide when and whether to become a parent solely because of age, economic or social circumstances. PPANY advocates for the strengthening of New York's abortion laws to protect women's health and safety and opposes any effort to restrict access to abortion services in New York and nationally.

Family Planning Funding

Every year, more than 400,000 low-income women in New York State access family planning services through clinics that receive public funding from state programs. These services fill an otherwise unmet need for women who often have inadequate or no health insurance. Publicly subsidized family planning services allow low-income women to get cancer screenings, sexual transmitted infection testing, pap tests and other basic health care services. These services also include contraceptive services and family planning counseling, which prevent thousands of unintended pregnancies and abortions each year.

Despite overwhelming public support and the individual, social and economic benefits associated with family planning services, these programs remain significantly under funded. While the number of women seeking these basic health care services, and the cost of providing them continues to rise, the funding for family planning in New York State has remained level for over the last few years — resulting in an unjust, two-tired health care delivery system.

Additionally, a small but vocal group of family planning opponents would like to see public funding for family planning dismantled or restricted so that public health organizations including Planned Parenthood would be unable to provide women with uncensored information about abortion or abortion services.

PPANY supports increased public family planning funding that does not restrict or prevent health care providers from talking to women about, and providing the full range of, reproductive health care options, including abortion.

Responsible Sex Education

Research shows that medically accurate, age-appropriate comprehensive sex education programs including abstinence, are effective in helping young people postpone intercourse, reduce their number of sexual partners and increase the use of condoms and other forms of contraception. In contrast, research has found that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that teach abstinence as the only acceptable method of contraception outside of marriage — are ineffective.

Seventy-two percent of New York voters believe that age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education should be taught in New York's public schools. Currently, there are no dedicated public dollars in New York State for comprehensive sex education.

PPANY supports funding the teaching of responsible, age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education, including information about both abstinence and contraception, in public schools.

Emergency Contraception (EC)

Emergency contraception (EC), sometimes known as the "morning-after pill" or emergency birth control, is a safe and effective means of preventing pregnancy. Available for more than 30 years, it contains hormones found in birth control pills. To be effective, EC must be started within 120 hours after intercourse. Timely access to EC after unprotected sex is critical. In 2006 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter use of EC for women and men ages 18 and older. Many states including New York have introduced legislation to increase access to emergency contraception to women and men 17& under.

PPANY supports efforts to enhance access to emergency contraception to women and men of all ages.

Access to Birth Control

There is a growing nationwide trend of pharmacists refusing to fill valid, legal prescriptions for contraceptives, including emergency contraception. Some pharmacists insist that they should be able to deny women access to basic contraceptive care on the grounds of religious or moral objections. In addition, states around the country are adopting legislation that explicitly permits pharmacists to refuse to fill such prescriptions, even if the patient has no other options for care.

A woman, not her pharmacy, should decide whether or not she is ready to become a parent. Laws permitting pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for contraception and/or EC are dangerous to women's health because they interfere with the doctor-patient relationship and ignore a woman's medical needs and decisions.

PPANY supports policies requiring pharmacies to ensure that valid, legal prescriptions, including emergency contraception are filled in a timely manner.

Protecting Our Teens' Health

Planned Parenthood Advocates of New York believes that minors' health and safety is best protected by ensuring their confidential access to reproductive health services, including family planning, disease prevention, and abortion. Some individuals and organizations believe that the government should mandate parental notification or consent for teenagers to access reproductive health care. While Planned Parenthood supports and promotes communication between parents and their teens, requiring parental notification or consent would reduce the numbers of teens seeking care and put them in danger. We believe it is important for teens to have access to safe health care, even if they can't come to their parents for whatever reason.

PPANY opposes government-mandated parental consent and parental notification requirements.

Affordable, Accessible Health Care

Making health care more accessible and affordable is one of the most important issues facing our country. Planned Parenthood's health centers are an integral part of New York State's health care safety net. Many women, including the majority of Planned Parenthood patients, do not have a general practitioner and rely on their reproductive health care provider as their primary source of health care. Through this relationship, women have access to a broad range of reproductive health care services that promote and protect their general health and well-being.

PPANY supports the inclusion of a full range or reproductive health care services in any health care reform agenda..