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108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 896
To establish a public education and awareness program relating to
emergency contraception.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 11, 2003
Mrs. Murray (for herself and Ms. Cantwell) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a public education and awareness program relating to
emergency contraception.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Contraception Education
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) Each year, 3,000,000 pregnancies, or one half of all
pregnancies, in the United States are unintended, and half of
all of these unintended pregnancies end in abortion.
(2) The Food and Drug Administration has declared emergency
contraception to be safe and effective in preventing unintended
pregnancy.
(3) The most commonly used forms of emergency contraception
are regimens of ordinary birth control pills. Taken within 72
hours of unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure,
emergency contraception can reduce the risk of pregnancy by as
much as 89 percent. Recent medical evidence confirms that
emergency contraception can be effective up to five days after
unprotected intercourse or contraception failure.
(4) Emergency contraception, also known as post-coital
contraception, is a responsible means of preventing pregnancy
that works like other hormonal contraception to delay
ovulation, prevent fertilization or prevent implantation.
(5) Emergency contraception does not cause abortion and
will not affect an established pregnancy.
(6) It is estimated that the use of emergency contraception
could cut the number of unintended pregnancies in half, thereby
reducing the need for abortion.
(7) New data from the Alan Guttmacher Institute estimates
that 51,000 abortions were prevented by use of emergency
contraception in 2000 and that increased use of emergency
contraception accounted for up to 43 percent of the total
decline in abortion rates between 1994 and 2000.
(8) Emergency contraceptive use is the United States
remains low, and 9 in 10 women of reproductive age remain
unaware of the method.
(9) Although the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists recommends that doctors routinely offer women of
reproductive age a prescription for emergency contraceptive
pills during their annual visit, only 1 in 5 ob/gyns routinely
discuss emergency contraception with their patients, suggesting
the need for greater provider and patient education.
(10) In light of their safety and efficacy, both the
American Medical Association and the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists have endorsed more widespread
availability of emergency contraceptive pills, and have
recommended that dedicated emergency contraceptive products be
available without a prescription.
(11) Healthy People 2010, published by the Office of the
Surgeon General, establishes a 10-year national public health
goal of increasing the proportion of health care providers who
provide emergency contraception to their patients.
(12) Public awareness campaigns targeting women and health
care providers will help remove many of the barriers to
emergency contraception and will help bring this important
means of pregnancy prevention to American women.
SEC. 3. EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION EDUCATION AND INFORMATION PROGRAMS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Emergency contraception.--The term ``emergency
contraception'' means a drug or device (as the terms are
defined in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
Act (21 U.S.C. 321)) or a drug regimen that is--
(A) used after sexual relations; and
(B) prevents pregnancy, by preventing ovulation,
fertilization of an egg, or implantation of an egg in a
uterus.
(2) Health care provider.--The term ``health care
provider'' means an individual who is licensed or certified
under State law to provide health care services and who is
operating within the scope of such license.
(3) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the same meaning given
such term in section 1201(a) of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1141(a)).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services.
(b) Emergency Contraception Public Education Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the Director
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall
develop and disseminate to the public information on emergency
contraception.
(2) Dissemination.--The Secretary may disseminate
information under paragraph (1) directly or through
arrangements with nonprofit organizations, consumer groups,
institutions of higher education, Federal, State, or local
agencies, clinics and the media.
(3) Information.--The information disseminated under
paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, a description of
emergency contraception, and an explanation of the use, safety,
efficacy, and availability of such contraception.
(c) Emergency Contraception Information Program for Health Care
Providers.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services
Administration and in consultation with major medical and
public health organizations, shall develop and disseminate to
health care providers information on emergency contraception.
(2) Information.--The information disseminated under
paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum--
(A) information describing the use, safety,
efficacy and availability of emergency contraception;
(B) a recommendation regarding the use of such
contraception in appropriate cases; and
(C) information explaining how to obtain copies of
the information developed under subsection (b), for
distribution to the patients of the providers.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2004 through 2008.
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