Statement by Planned Parenthood, on Obama Administration Birth Control Coverage Benefit

The following is a statement by Vicki Cowart, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, on the Obama administration's announcement on birth control coverage benefits:

Vicki Cowart

 “In the face of a misleading and outrageous assault on women’s health, the Obama administration has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring all women will have access to birth control coverage, with no costly co-pays, no additional hurdles, and no matter where they work.

“We believe the compliance mechanism does not compromise a woman’s ability to access these critical birth control benefits.

“However we will be vigilant in holding the administration and the institutions accountable for a rigorous, fair and consistent implementation of the policy, which does not compromise the essential principles of access to care.

“The individual rights and liberties of all women and all employees in accessing basic preventive health care is our fundamental concern.

“Planned Parenthood continues to believe that those institutions which serve the broad public, employ the broad public, and receive taxpayer dollars, should be required to follow the same rules as everyone else, including providing birth control coverage and information.

“As a trusted health care provider to one in five women, Planned Parenthood’s priority is increasing access to preventive health care. This birth control coverage benefit does just that.

“The birth control benefit underscores the fact that birth control is basic health care, and is fundamental to improving women’s health and the health of their families.

“That’s why women have consistently applauded the Obama administration for one of the greatest expansions for women’s health in decades.

“Unfortunately there are significant and immediate threats to women’s health and access to birth control in the House and Senate that would completely take away access to birth control and severely undermine women’s health.

“One bill, the Rubio-Manchin bill, would allow any business or corporation, on the basis of personal religious belief or moral conviction, to take away birth control coverage from their employees.

“Employers should not be allowed to impose their personal beliefs on employees regarding birth control coverage or basic health care.

“Another bill, sponsored by Senator Blunt (R-MO), would drastically undermine women’s health and allow any employer or health plan to refuse to cover any health care service they object to on religious or moral grounds.

“That’s why Planned Parenthood, and women across the country, won’t let up for one minute in our fight to protect the birth control benefit and women’s health.”

PPRM to give away free condoms in recognition of Valentines Day and National Condom Week

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so to kick off National Condom Week, February 14-21, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains is giving away condoms at each of its 28 health centers.

National Condom Week, which originally began at the University of California, Berkeley in the ‘70s, still has great relevance in America. Research shows that every year in the United States roughly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, and approximately 19 million women and men will contract a sexually transmitted disease. Condoms used consistently and correctly provide the best protection against sexually transmitted diseases for sexually active women and men. They also protect against unintended pregnancy.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has named both unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases as two of the state’s “10 Winnable Battles,” which are public health and environmental priorities with large-scale impact on health and the environment, and with known, effective strategies to address them. According to the CDPHE, unintended pregnancy stretches the state budget, costing Medicaid in Colorado more than $160 million annually. Additionally, Colorado has a rate of gonorrhea among 15- to 29-year-olds that is twice the national rate for people of all ages. That rate is even more troubling when considering the side effects that can take place during the most likely child-bearing years. Infections due to gonorrhea are a major cause of pelvic inflammatory disease which may lead to serious outcomes in women including infertility, ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain.

Through an increase in education, awareness, and the normalization of conversations surrounding safe sex practices we can reduce the high statistics surrounding unintended pregnancies and STDs. PPRM encourages men and women to take responsibility for their sexual health; National Condom Week is an opportunity for sexually active partners to discuss whose responsibility it is to provide condoms. In fact, Planned Parenthood’s line of stylish PROPER ATTIRE^® condoms was designed to help women feel more comfortable about buying and carrying condoms. With chic, fashion-forward packaging, PROPER ATTIRE^® condoms allow women to combine their sense of style and commitment to be healthy. PROPER ATTIRE^® condoms are available year‑round at Planned Parenthood health centers, or they can be ordered online by going to www.properattirecondoms.com.

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains Launches a New Sexual Health Text Program for Teens

 Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains is proud to launch a new text messaging program aimed at teens and youth in the Denver Metro area called, “In Case You’re Curious,” or ICYC

The program is simple; just text “ICYC” to 66746. Then text questions whenever you have them. A highly-trained Planned Parenthood Community Education staff member will answer each question within 24-hours. Standard text messaging rates apply.

“The program offers teens and youth in the Denver Metro area a new resource for asking sexual health questions and more importantly, getting medically accurate, age-appropriate answers to those questions,” said Alison Macklin, director of community education for PPRM.

ICYC reaches teens where they already are. Of the 75 percent of teens who owned cell phones in 2010, 87 percent used text messaging at least occasionally. Among those teen texters[1]:

• Half of teens send 50 or more text messages a day, or 1,500 texts a month, and one in three send more than 100 texts a day, or more than 3,000 texts a month.
• Older girls who text are the most active, with 14-17 year-old girls typically sending 100 or more messages a day or more than 3,000 texts a month.

From 2007-2009, there were on average 3,240 births among teens ages 15-19 in the seven county Metro Denver area each year. Forty percent of Colorado high school students report having had sex in their lifetime. On average, 17 babies are born to teens in Colorado every day—or about one baby born every 84 minutes[2]. Teens deserve honest, medically accurate, age-appropriate answers about sexual health.
“ICYC is a cool program because sometimes it’s easy to believe what your friends or people on TV say about sex, but you don’t always know what is true and what is just a myth. With ICYC, you get answers that you know are true,” said Stephanie Cisneros, a Denver teen that uses ICYC.

The ICYC program, which was originally created in 2010 for the Denver Teen Pregnancy Prevention Partnership (DTP3), cannot diagnose conditions or give personal medical advice in a text message; its responses are never a substitute for seeing a doctor. Often, the program directs people to Planned Parenthood’s website for more information or encourages the user to contact a health care professional if their question is beyond the scope of ICYC.

“Planned Parenthood works hard to encourage parent-teen communication when it comes to talking about sex and sexual health. We also encourage teens to involve a parent or trusted adult in any health care decision. But we also know that some youth come from families where they may not have a trusted, safe source to turn to. ICYC can serve as that first source for medically accurate information,” said Macklin.

In addition to the texting program, PPRM has a section on its website designed especially for teens: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/info-for-teens/.

Planned Parenthood leads challenge to yet another Colorado “personhood” initiative

Today, three registered electors, with support from Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and Protect Families Protect Choices, asked the Supreme Court to reject this year’s effort to extend full legal and constitutional rights to fertilized eggs.

Last week, the so-called “personhood” initiative was granted a ballot title by a 2-to-1 decision by the State Title Review Board. In setting a title, the Board grappled with whether the proposed initiative met the state’s constitutional single subject requirement, as well as whether it was likely to mislead voters.

The opponents will file their brief to the Colorado Supreme Court later this month.

Colorado voters overwhelming defeated two similar “personhood” amendments in the 2008 and 2010 elections, rejecting the measures by 3-to-1 margins both times.

“Colorado voters have clearly spoken on this issue. While it’d be ideal for Personhood Colorado to respect the wishes of Colorado voters and leave our state constitution alone, Planned Parenthood is prepared to defeat this initiative for a third time,” said PPRM CEO and President Vicki Cowart. “Like the previous two attempts, we will educate and remind voters that Personhood Colorado’s real agenda is to restrict a woman’s ability to make personal, private decisions about her own body even on issues of contraception and in vitro fertilization.”

Background
This is Personhood Colorado’s third attempt since 2008 to pass a “personhood” initiative in Colorado. Protect Families Protect Choices, a coalition of diverse and numerous pro-choice groups including Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, led the opposition campaigns to defeat Amendments 48 (in 2008) and 62 ( in 2010), by 3-to-1 margins both times.

PFPC supported a ballot title challenge to the Colorado Supreme Court in 2008, which was not successful. A ballot title challenge was not presented in 2010. Due to the new language and structure of the proposed 2012 initiative, PFPC in conjunction with PPRM, is confidently supporting a 2012 Supreme Court challenge to Personhood Colorado’s proposed initiative.

Mississippi defeated a “personhood” amendment in November 2011. Like Colorado’s previous “personhood” measures, these amendments would have far-reaching consequences that jeopardize a woman's health and the care she receives from her physician. If passed, the initiative would lay the legal foundation to outlaw all abortions in Colorado even in cases of rape and incest. Likewise, certain forms of birth control, stem-cell research, and in vitro fertilization could be prohibited as a result.

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains responds to budget cuts

Statement by Vicki Cowart, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, on Upcoming State and National Vote to Take Away Cancer Screenings and Birth Control from Colorado Women:

The most conservative members of Congress are not focused on jobs or on the economy, but on taking away women’s access to basic health care — cancer screenings, birth control, and annual exams.

Having failed last week to eliminate breast exams, cancer screenings, and birth control that millions of American women count on, these extremists insist on pushing another attack on these critical health services with a new vote against Planned Parenthood this week.

The attack has been copied by conservative members of the Colorado Senate who introduced an amendment targeting abortion providers in the state’s budget bill. This amendment would have hurt women, while doing nothing to reduce the deficit or fix the economy. It would have denied thousands of Colorado women access to life-saving screenings and birth control. While the Senate version of this amendment was voted down, it will likely be debated again by the House.

Colorado is facing serious fiscal issues that demand the full attention of our elected officials.

Attacking Planned Parenthood and other providers' ability to administer preventive care hurts women. No state or federal funding goes towards abortion, as mandated by law.

Doctors who provide essential health care services for women like PAP tests, breast cancer screenings, STI testing, and contraceptive services should not be denied state funds to provide these services simply because they also provide safe, legal, abortions.

This is just one more indication of how far out of the mainstream the Conservative leadership is, and how they would sacrifice the health and well-being of women to pursue their extreme political agenda.

The fact is that 93 percent of the health care Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains provides is preventive, and every federal dollar Planned Parenthood receives goes toward providing preventive health care to women.

Any elected official who votes for this extreme proposal is voting against access to lifesaving cancer screenings and birth control.

Planned Parenthood does not want one woman to be diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer, when our health centers could have caught that cancer through early screening.  Every year Planned Parenthood provides nearly one million screenings for cervical cancer and 830,000 breast exams nationwide.  We also provide affordable birth control to nearly 2.5 million patients and nearly four million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV testing.

The continued misleading attacks on Planned Parenthood expose a cynical and coldhearted willingness to further a divisive political agenda even if it will deny women access to lifesaving cancer screenings and birth control.

Thankfully, in Colorado and nationally, our champions are standing firmly in support of Planned Parenthood and have made clear this extreme proposal is unacceptable, and we are confident they will stand firm in their commitment to American’s women and reject this extreme proposal.

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains to host Pro-Choice Lobby Day tomorrow

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains invites the public to attend the annual Pro-Choice Lobby Day hosted with the Protect Families Protect Choice coalition.  Pro-Choice Lobby Day is an educational, informative experience that offers participants a hands-on and behind-the-scenes look at how the legislative process works.

The purpose of this year’s Lobby Day is to lobby in support of SB-177, which would preserve and expand access to teen pregnancy and dropout prevention programs for Medicaid eligible youth.  The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy estimates that the cost of teen pregnancy to Colorado was $167M alone in 2004.  This includes the cost related to Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), lost state revenue, child welfare, and incarceration.

Lobby day participants will also work to increase awareness and support for a program that funds breast and cervical cancer screenings for low-income women.

The Women’s Wellness Connection provides free breast and cervical cancer screenings to women across Colorado who are uninsured or underinsured.  As part of Figure-setting recommendations presented to the Joint Budget Committee, the WWC will experience painful reductions.  In FY 2009-10, almost 17,000 women received cancer screenings through this program.  With a reduction in funding, it is estimated that 5,100 women will not receive services and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment estimates that 85 cases of cancer might go undetected.

Any interested member of the public who support women’s health and reproductive choice is invited to attend Pro-Choice Lobby Day. RSVP to Tory Francies at 303.813.7776 or Tory.Francies@pprm.org.

Planned Parenthood responds to Colorado Senate Republicans’ anti-choice agenda

Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado issued the following statement today in response to the Colorado Senate Republicans’ Agenda to Support Colorado Families, which declared to end state funding to abortion providers. 

Said PPVC President Vicki Cowart (pictured left):

  
“Under current law, public money cannot be spent on an abortion unless it threatens the woman’s life or results from rape or incest. This prohibition applies to Medicaid recipients as well. Furthermore in Colorado, Planned Parenthood does not receive state or federal family planning grant funds.  Rather, we provide preventive family planning services to those who need our services with support from private donations. Consequently, the issue of state funding for abortion services is a non-issue.

“The declaration put forth by the Colorado Senate Republicans to end state funding of abortion providers is a misguided, misinformed political move that does nothing to support Colorado families. In contrast, Planned Parenthood works everyday to support women and their families. Last year PPRM provided almost 350,000 methods of birth control, 52,000 STD tests and 18,000 annual exams and screenings for breast and cervical cancer. Through a special cancer prevention program, we are able to provide free breast and cervical cancer screenings to underserved Colorado women who do not have health insurance. Our more than 123,000 annual clients depend on us for their essential preventive and reproductive health care needs.”