FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2019
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, 202-344-5805, asandusky@nfprha.org
NFPRHA Celebrates Major Milestone in Legal Access to Contraception
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA), representing publicly funded family planning providers and administrators across the country, celebrates the 54th anniversary of the 1965 landmark Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, which first recognized an individual’s right to privacy in family planning matters and legalized contraception for married people. The Griswold decision paved the way for family planning and sexual health access – including the creation of the Title X family planning program, which was signed into law in 1970 by President Richard Nixon.
“As we honor the hard fought path to legalizing birth control 54 years ago today, efforts to erode publicly funded family planning have gained momentum at the state and federal levels, putting access to high-quality family planning and sexual health care at risk for millions of people,” said Clare Coleman, President & CEO of NFPRHA. “We find ourselves in a period of unprecedented attacks by anti-family planning policymakers who are determined to block access to the care and information people need to stay healthy and live meaningful lives.”
It is estimated that at least $737 million is needed to fully fund the Title X program and meet the existing need for publicly funded family planning just for women across the country. The program is currently funded at $286.5 million and has withstood years of stagnant or cut funding. As a direct result, Title X has served an estimated 1.2 million fewer people through the program.
“Family planning care helps women and men improve their economic security, care for their families, and achieve their health goals. It also saves billions in taxpayer dollars every year,” said Coleman. “On behalf of the provider network and patients it serves, we call on Congress and legislators across the country to fulfill the promise of Griswold by helping to secure public resources that support cost-effective, community-based, high-quality family planning programs for those who need it most.”
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NFPRHA is a membership organization representing publicly funded family planning providers and administrators nationwide. NFPRHA advances and elevates the importance of family planning in the nation’s health care system and promotes and supports the work of family planning providers and administrators, especially those in the safety net. For more information, visit nationalfamilyplanning.org.