{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-murray-menendez-maloney-kelly-and-porter-lead-over-100-democrats-in-introducing-the-access-to-birth-control-act", "Booker, Murray, Menendez, Maloney, Kelly, and Porter Lead Over 100 Democrats in Introducing the Access to Birth Control Act", "2021-11-18", "2021", "2021-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\u2014Today, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) led the reintroduction of the Access to Birth Control Act in the Senate. Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Robin Kelly (D-IL), and Katie Porter (D-CA) reintroduced the bill in the House. Over 100 Democrats are cosponsors of the bill.\n\nThe legislation\u2014which has been endorsed by 50 national and local advocacy organizations\u2014would guarantee patients\u2019 timely access to birth control at the pharmacy\u2014including by addressing pharmacies\u2019 refusals of contraception that prevent patients from obtaining their preferred form of birth control medication.\n\n\u201cBirth control is a vital part of reproductive health care and basic family planning,\u201d said Senator Booker. \u201cAt a time when reproductive rights are under increasing attack throughout the country, protecting Americans' access to contraception is more important than ever. The Access to Birth Control Act would ensure that all people not only have autonomy over their health but also have affordable and timely access to birth control.\u201d\n\n\u201cBirth control is essential health care\u2014full stop. And it\u2019s health care that helps ensure everyone can control their own bodies, lives and futures,\u201d said Senator Murray. \u201cWith reproductive rights under attack from every angle, we\u2019ve got to stand up and make clear that no one should be able to come between a patient and the birth control they need\u2014including being turned away at the pharmacy.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am proud to lead my colleagues in reintroducing the Access to Birth Control Act to ensure patients seeking birth control can access their health care without unnecessary barriers or delay,\u201d said Chairwoman Maloney. \u201cDuring the Trump Administration, some health care providers\u2014including pharmacists\u2014denied patients care simply based on their personal views. Health care providers must do their jobs based on science\u2014not ideology\u2014and we cannot let this dangerous trend continue. I\u2019ve been a fierce advocate for equitable access to reproductive health care for many years, and I won\u2019t stop fighting until everyone can access the care they need, when they need it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am pleased to join Senators Booker and Murray in introducing this important legislation to ensure women are able to access their contraceptive of choice at the pharmacy of choice without fear of intimidation or harassment,\u201d said Sen. Menendez. \u201cThis is a critical step forward in making sure we protect a woman\u2019s settled right to access full and equitable reproductive care, including birth control.\u201d\n\n\u201cAccess to birth control is an essential part of women\u2019s healthcare, and a pharmacist\u2019s or provider\u2019s personal views should not factor into a woman\u2019s access to birth control,\u201d said Representative Kelly. \u201cWomen\u2019s healthcare is constantly under attack, and we must provide solutions to protect their access to care. I am proud to co-lead this legislation to ensure that every woman who wants to access birth control is able to easily obtain it.\u201d\n\n\u201cBodily autonomy is essential to social equality and economic security,\u201d said Representative Porter. \u201cEveryone ought to have the freedom to make their own health care decisions, including if and when they would like to have children. I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues today in introducing legislation that will better protect patients seeking to make decisions about their own bodies.\u201d\n\n\u201cPeople\u2019s access to birth control should never be restricted by a pharmacy employee\u2019s personal beliefs,\u201d said Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of National Women\u2019s Law Center. \u201cWe\u2019re glad to support this bill that will make sure everyone can leave a pharmacy with the birth control they need, without discrimination, harassment, or delay. At a time when extremist politicians are trying every way possible to take away our reproductive health care, it\u2019s urgent to secure federal protections like the ABC Act. We thank Senator Booker and Representative Maloney, Chairwoman of the Oversight Committee, along with Senator Murray, Chair of the HELP Committee, and Representatives Kelly and Porter for taking action and urge Congress to pass it.\u201d\n\n\u201cContraception is a protected fundamental right and access to contraception is necessary for people to make and exercise decisions about whether and when to become pregnant,\u201d said Dr. Joia Crear-Perry, Founder and President National Birth Equity Collaborative. \u201cThe Access to Birth Control Act will especially aid in closing the disparities gap for women of color who historically have faced challenges accessing contraception and medication due to systemic racism. Establishing certain duties for pharmacies to ensure safe and equal access to contraception is a critical step in protecting women's sexual reproductive health and wellbeing. \u201d\n\n\"Birth control is a lifeline used at some point by 98% of U.S. Catholics to plan and support their families, manage health conditions, and achieve their educational and employment goals,\u201d said Jamie Manson, President of Catholics for Choice. \u201cIt is dangerous and wrong for a pharmacist to refuse essential care based on their personal religious beliefs, because refusal compromises a patient\u2019s health, economic security, and moral autonomy \u2013 all of which our Catholic social justice values compel us to protect. Catholics for Choice is proud to support the Access to Birth Control Act to ensure that people can get the care they need without delay, following their own individual consciences without obstruction or coercion.\"\n\nAccording to the National Women\u2019s Law Center, pharmacists have refused to fill prescriptions for birth control or provide emergency contraception over the counter to patients in 24 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, the ongoing coronavirus crisis has exacerbated barriers to contraception access, with one in three women experiencing delays in obtaining their birth control during the pandemic.\n\nThe Access to Birth Control Act ensures patients seeking FDA-approved contraception, including emergency contraception and medication related to contraception, are able to access it in a timely manner and not be prevented from doing so by a pharmacy.\n\nIf a contraception medication is out of stock, the bill requires pharmacies to either refer the patient to another pharmacy or order the medication, depending on the patient\u2019s preference.\n\nThe bill also protects patients from being intimidated, threatened, or harassed by pharmacy employees who personally object to the use of contraception.\n\nIn the event that a pharmacy violates one of these requirements, the bill establishes liability for civil penalties for the pharmacy and a private cause of action for patients to seek relief.\n\nClick here to read a summary of the Access to Birth Control Act.\n\nClick here to read the full legislative text of the Access to Birth Control Act.\n\nClick here to read the full list of Members introducing the Access to Birth Control Act.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:30:49Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-murray-menendez-maloney-kelly-and-porter-lead-over-100-democrats-in-introducing-the-access-to-birth-control-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4580429997295141, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}