LANSING, MICHIGAN – Half of all pregnancies are unintended, and one in four teen girls has a sexually
transmitted disease. Those are alarming numbers. The only effective way to change those grim statistics is with
prevention.
That's why members of the House and Senate are introducing a multi-bill Prevention Package that will:
- Give women affordable access to birth control;
- Ensure that young people receive medically accurate, abstinence-plus sex education;
- Guarantee that women who survive rape or sexual assault are offered information about, and access to, emergency contraception.
"There are young women in Michigan whose safety, emotional well-being, even their lives, depends on swift action on
our part," Warren said. "It's time for us to work together for the sake of those women."
"We understand that in order to keep our kids safe and prevent unintended pregnancies, young people must have balanced,
medically accurate and realistic comprehensive sex education and STD prevention education," said Sen. Gretchen
Whitmer. "We have a responsibility to provide young people with the tools they need to safeguard their sexual
health and protect themselves from STDs and this legislation does just that."
Studies show that the vast majority of Americans want these policies. Eighty-eight percent of Americans support access
to birth control, and 86 percent of Americans support public funding for low income women's birth control and
preventative health screening.
These bills not only address the basic health rights of Michigan citizens, they will save the state millions of dollars
at a time when the state's economy is fragile. For every dollar spent on family planning services, three dollars are
saved on social services in the first year alone.