Dear Editor:
The Missouri House of Representatives has passed Rep. Sheila Solon's HB1679, which would increase access to birth control by allowing pharmacists to prescribe oral contraceptives. This is a progressive move by the Legislature, one that I wholeheartedly applaud, but legislators aren't doing enough to protect their constituents' reproductive health care needs.
This session, Missouri lawmakers have attempted to defund Planned Parenthood, pass a multitude of TRAP laws and enact a "personhood" constitutional amendment which could potentially make some forms of birth control illegal. All of these bills disproportionally affect low-income women throughout the state, threatening their reproductive rights and devaluing their autonomy. Our policymakers must do better because Missourians deserve better.
Proactive legislation like HB1679 legislation that increases access to family planning and decreases barriers to care is rare. If lawmakers truly want to decrease the abortion rate (which has been steadily decreasing since 1980) they should increase funding to Title X family planning agencies. In 2013, publicly funded family planning programs like Title X helped prevent nearly 700,000 abortions in the U.S. by providing affordable, accessible birth control.
In connection with the recent celebration of Mother's Day, let's recognize that it's critical for women to be able to choose the timing and spacing of the children they choose (or don't choose) to have, and equitable access to birth control is in the best interest of all Missourians.