In previous Senate sessions, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid has introduced prevention first legislation. This legislation would work to prevent unintended pregnancies, thereby reducing the demand for abortions. In a Republican controlled Congress, he was never able to pass the legislation. Senator Harry Reid, Rep. Louise Slaughter and Rep. Diana DeGette reintroduced the bill in both the Senate and the House. Congresswoman Slaughter said, “If we want to reduce the number of abortions in this country, the methodology is clear—empower women to prevent unintended pregnancies though education and access to contraception.”

This bill will fund the National Family Planning Program, Title X. This program has helped five million low income and uninsured women plan pregnancies, prevent sexually transmitted infections, and detect breast and cervical cancer. For the last several years this program has been drastically under funded at $283 million. Adjusting for medical inflation rates since the programs inception, the program would require $699 million to fully fund.

The bill would also expand the family planning services of Medicaid. Covering family planning services and supplies can result in a cost savings of over five million dollars in ten years by reducing unintended pregnancies. The bill would end insurance discrimination against women, improve awareness of emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.

Congress has spent more than one billion dollars in federal and state funding for abstinence only programs since 1996. Programs receiving federal aid are prohibited from discussing contraceptives. More than one million teens become pregnant each year. This bill would hope to reduce this number by providing accurate information about sexual activity. Enabling teens to both postpone sexual activity and protect themselves if they become sexually active. This bill would insure that federally funded programs provide medically accurate information.

The idea of reducing abortion by making them unnecessary is not a new idea. President Jimmy Carter, who did not believe in abortion, worked during his administration to make abortion unnecessary, by increasing access to sex education and birth control and putting into place programs that would make it possible for the woman to be able to afford to keep the child she is carrying. If you did not believe in abortion, it would seem you would want to reduce the need for them. However as Rep Degette points out, “For years the Republican Leadership has used abortion as a wedge issue; always eager to score political points, but never willing to pass legislation to reduce unintended pregnancies.” We will have to wait and see if this time they can pull together enough bipartisan support to pass the Prevention First Act this time.