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Washington State NOW supports a woman’s right to reproductive choice as stated in Initiative 120 which was passed by the voters of Washington State in 1991.
Washington State NOW supports the expansion of Medicaid for low-income men and women, up to 200% of the Federal poverty level, for birth control services. The State Department of Health (1) information shows that over fifty-five percent of all pregnancies in Washington State are unintended at the time of conception. In addition, a survey by the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner revealed (2) that seventy-two percent of all health insurance plans in our state DO NOT cover family planning services. Therefore, Washington State NOW supports the passage of legislation to require that all health insurance plans have pharmaceutical benefits cover the full range of birth control.
Washington State NOW continues to oppose legislation that would limit access to safe, legal abortions. This opposition includes the ban on abortion procedures, the so-called "partial birth abortion bills" that would seek to substitute legislators for doctors when it comes to deciding which abortion procedure is best for an individual woman'’s circumstances. NOW also opposes efforts to impose parental notification requirements on teens seeking to terminate a pregnancy, receive birth control counseling and services and/or treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Most teens involve trusted adults in these decisions and for those who feel they cannot it is important for their health and safety that they have access to these vital health care services.
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