February 5, 2007 -- Late yesterday, Congressional leaders introduced the Prevention First Act (S. 21 and HR. 819), legislation designed to increase access to reproductive health care, including contraception and sex education. Nancy Northup, President of the Center, issued this statement in response:

"The Center for Reproductive Rights applauds Congressional leadership for paying more than just lip service to reducing the high rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion in this country and instead actually offering practical comprehensive solutions.

"Specifically, the Center is pleased to see that the bill includes a key component to decreasing the number of unplanned pregnancies—better funding and education for emergency contraception. Every year, three million women become pregnant unintentionally, but that rate could be cut in half if emergency contraception was made more readily available to all women.

"For over a decade, our organization has used the law to challenge the government to increase all women's access to emergency contraception, initiating two citizens' petitions to the Food and Drug Administration, and most recently, suing the agency for failing to make the emergency contraceptive Plan B available without a prescription to women of every age.

"In the many years of deliberate delay by the government, millions of unplanned pregnancies could have been prevented. Thanks to the co-sponsors and supporters of the Prevention First Act for making women's health a priority and putting forward solutions that are equipped to deliver."