Senator Luis Sepúlveda Stands Up For Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights

ALBANY, NEW YORK (5/31/2018) – Senator Luis Sepúlveda, Member of the Senate Standing Committee on Mental Health and Development Disabilities, and his colleagues in the Senate Democratic Conference support a vote on the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act and the Reproductive Health Act.

Both women’s rights bills have major support among New York voters. Additionally, Senator Sepúlveda and the Senate Democrats issued a report, Pricy Predicament: Access To Affordable Emergency Contraception, which outlined the need for better contraceptive care to be provided to New York women by health insurance companies.

“We must do everything in our power to expand access to the full range of reproductive health services and the women in New York are entitled to have these basic health care services,” Stated Senator Sepúlveda. “The Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act and Reproductive Health Act would ensure that the women in New York are guaranteed access to affordable, safe, and essential reproductive health options.”

If enacted, the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act, would require health insurance companies to include coverage of all FDA-approved contraceptive options, as well as contraceptive counseling, and services. This legislation passed the State Assembly by a 103-43 margin. The Reproductive Health Act will modernize New York’s nearly 50 year old statutes regarding abortion and ensure that New York State law treats abortion as health care, not a criminal act. This measure passed the State Assembly by a 93-44 margin.

The Senate Democratic report, Pricy Predicament: Access To Affordable Emergency Contraception, highlights that over-the-counter emergency contraception is 95% effective in preventing pregnancies if taken within 24-hours.

The average cost of over-the-counter emergency contraception is approximately $60 which could be a major deterrent for low-wage New York women. The Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act would address those concerns by ensuring health insurance companies cover these options at zero additional costs.

To view the full report, please visit: https://www.scribd.com/document/380492674/Pricey-Predicament-Access-to-Affordable-Emergency-Contraception

“I will continue to fight to protect a women’s right to make her own reproductive health choices. The bills my colleagues and I advanced have a strong support from New Yorkers and deserve a vote. I urge all my Senate colleagues to work together on this and other issues important to all New Yorkers,” Senator Sepúlveda concluded.