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Congress: Protect Servicewomen's Reproductive Choices

Target: U.S. Congress
Sponsored by: NARAL Pro-Choice America

Why are women serving our country denied access to reproductive choices? Women in the armed services deserve the highest standard of care, and that includes access to Plan B contraceptives.

About 350,000 women currently serve in the U.S. military, making up almost 15 percent of all active-duty personnel. But federal law does little to protect their reproductive rights. Not only are servicewomen banned from accessing abortion care at military medical facilities, many can't even obtain emergency contraception at their base pharmacy.

Timely access to emergency contraception is important for military women, especially since nearly 3,000 incidents of sexual assault were reported in the military last year – an approximate 24 percent increase from 2005.

Congress has an opportunity to improve health care for women in the military with a bill sponsored by lawmakers in both parties and on both sides of the choice issue, supporting the addition of Plan B to the list of medications that must be stocked at every military health-care facility.

A vote could take place this week and the vote is going to be very close.

Take action today to defend the rights of those who defend us by telling Congress to pass the Compassionate Care for Servicewoman Act.

deadline: 5-10-2008
goal: 20,000

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As you consider the FY'08 National Defense Authorization Act, I urge you to support the Michaud amendment to make sure that women in the military have timely access to emergency contraception.

In February 2002, the Defense Department committee charged with recommending medications for the basic core formulary decided to add the emergency contraceptive Plan B to the list. Weeks later, without explanation, Bush administration political appointees quietly reversed the decision. The Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act would simply remove the decision about Plan B from the hands of political appointees and return it to the Department's expert committee by making sure that Plan B is finally added to the formulary.

As you know, emergency contraception is simply a concentrated dose of ordinary birth-control pills that can reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant if taken soon after sex. It does not cause abortion; rather it prevents pregnancy.

While EC is now available over the counter at pharmacies stateside, it is not universally available at overseas facilities. Given both the restrictions on abortion care in the military and the growing number of reported sexual-assault cases among servicewomen, Congress bears the responsibility, at a minimum, to make sure that this important and time-sensitive method of contraception is available to women at all military health-care facilities.

Based on the bipartisan Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act (H.R.2064), the Michaud amendment represents one step towards improving the reproductive health of our brave servicewomen.

[Your comment here]

I urge you to join pro-choice and pro-life lawmakers in support of this important measure.

[Your Name]
[Your Address]

We signed the “Congress: Protect Servicewomen's Reproductive Choices” petition!

# 3,200:

10:12 am PDT, Jun 16, Garret Greffin, Minnesota

# 3,199:

11:21 pm PDT, Jun 15, Van Cauwenberghe Benoit, Belgium

# 3,198:

9:43 pm PDT, Jun 15, Hal E. ARMES, Mississippi

# 3,197:

4:19 pm PDT, Jun 15, Merissa Hatcher, Kentucky

# 3,196:

4:12 pm PDT, Jun 15, Quinton Quebodeaux, Louisiana

# 3,195:

6:39 am PDT, Jun 15, Denise Fornara Ivarson, Arizona

# 3,194:

4:44 am PDT, Jun 15, Lori D'Angelo, West Virginia

# 3,193:

4:11 am PDT, Jun 15, Chetna Pittea, United Kingdom

# 3,192:

8:24 pm PDT, Jun 14, Jessica Friedman, North Carolina

# 3,191:

4:24 pm PDT, Jun 14, Amy Harlib, New York

# 3,190:

12:57 pm PDT, Jun 14, Shannon Leonard, New Mexico

# 3,189:

3:34 pm PDT, Jun 13, Laura Mccabe, New Jersey

# 3,188:

1:15 pm PDT, Jun 13, Juliana Farah, Lebanon

# 3,187:

5:19 pm PDT, Jun 12, Name not displayed, Nevada
Why are women serving our country denied access to reproductive choices? Women in the armed services deserve the highest standard of care, and that includes access to Plan B contraceptives. About 350,000 women currently serve in the U.S. military, making up almost 15 percent of all active-duty personnel. But federal law does little to protect their reproductive rights. Not only are servicewomen banned from accessing abortion care at military medical facilities, many can't even obtain emergency contraception at their base pharmacy. Timely access to emergency contraception is important for military women, especially since nearly 3,000 incidents of sexual assault were reported in the military last year – an approximate 24 percent increase from 2005. Congress has an opportunity to improve health care for women in the military with a bill sponsored by lawmakers in both parties and on both sides of the choice issue, supporting the addition of Plan B to the list of medications that must be stocked at every military health-care facility. I urge Congress to pass the Compassionate Care for Servicewoman Act.

# 3,186:

12:52 am PDT, Jun 12, Rachel Hungerford, Kentucky

# 3,185:

9:58 pm PDT, Jun 11, Name not displayed, New York

# 3,184:

12:43 pm PDT, Jun 11, Kelly Bouchard, Massachusetts

# 3,183:

7:49 am PDT, Jun 11, Leslie Foster, Hawaii

# 3,182:

11:22 pm PDT, Jun 10, Anne Rogers, Texas
The servicewomen (and men) serving YOU deserve the very BEST health care always!

# 3,181:

6:09 pm PDT, Jun 10, Tracy Fortuny, Arkansas

# 3,180:

8:42 am PDT, Jun 9, Rowen Grey, Ohio
Every member of the U.S. military should have access to the same medications they can get when they're home. What ever happened to "Support Our Troops"?

# 3,179:

6:48 am PDT, Jun 9, Rebecca Huff, New York

# 3,178:

9:57 pm PDT, Jun 8, Name not displayed, Texas

# 3,177:

1:42 pm PDT, Jun 8, Claire McNeill, New York
As a mother and grandmother I want the women serving in our armed forces to have the same access to Emergency Contraception as they would in the US.

# 3,176:

1:16 pm PDT, Jun 7, Stephen Briggs, North Carolina

# 3,175:

1:02 pm PDT, Jun 7, Julie Hall, Nevada

# 3,174:

8:29 pm PDT, Jun 6, Michelle Salamone, Florida

# 3,173:

5:27 pm PDT, Jun 6, Name not displayed, Texas

# 3,172:

3:52 pm PDT, Jun 6, Tracy Moore, Maine

# 3,171:

7:12 pm PDT, Jun 5, SGT. FREDRICK RAINEAR, Pennsylvania
Do what is right for a change!!!

# 3,170:

5:02 pm PDT, Jun 5, Kim Albanese, New Jersey
Our brave women who serve so proudly deserve the best health care possible, no matter where they are serving. We, servicewomen should be able to make the decision on birth control, and have access to any medications needed. Please pass the Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act. Support us as you would no doubt support men. Thank You, K. Albanese

# 3,169:

4:53 pm PDT, Jun 5, Jennifer Banoczy, California

# 3,168:

2:42 pm PDT, Jun 5, Megan Nesmith, Illinois

# 3,167:

8:47 am PDT, Jun 5, Tina Bowman, Florida

# 3,166:

2:30 am PDT, Jun 5, Karl Argendorf, Oregon

# 3,165:

4:40 pm PDT, Jun 4, Rebekkah Crim, Oregon

# 3,164:

3:50 pm PDT, Jun 4, Mimi Shorr, New York

# 3,163:

2:11 pm PDT, Jun 4, Name not displayed, Ohio
they must always have a choice when it comes to having a child or not. unfortunately they do not always have a choice in whether or not they want to make one

# 3,162:

9:09 am PDT, Jun 4, Diane Doesserich, New York

# 3,161:

8:03 pm PDT, Jun 3, Lyn Kogler, Arizona

# 3,160:

4:08 pm PDT, Jun 2, Lana Stark, Minnesota

# 3,159:

1:25 pm PDT, Jun 2, Courtney Domer, California

# 3,158:

5:36 am PDT, Jun 2, Nancy Okita, Illinois

# 3,157:

5:37 pm PDT, Jun 1, Katie Aguinaga, Michigan

# 3,156:

4:01 pm PDT, Jun 1, Linda Glover, New York
these women are sacrificing their lives to protect us, the least we can do is protect them against an unwanted pregnancy. They deserve what ever they want!

# 3,155:

3:05 pm PDT, Jun 1, LINDSEY KISER, Massachusetts

# 3,154:

2:41 pm PDT, Jun 1, Courtney Hancock, Tennessee

# 3,153:

1:27 pm PDT, Jun 1, Name not displayed, Nevada
Harry Reid, get up off your sexist hypocritical butt and DO SOMETHING for the 30,000 + women veterans, and active duty service women of Nevada!!

# 3,152:

1:18 pm PDT, Jun 1, Lori Sherry, Texas
I urge you to PLEASE improve health care for our brave servicewomen.

# 3,151:

11:34 am PDT, Jun 1, Vicky Hall, Arkansas

View Signatures:
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Congress: Protect Servicewomen's Reproductive Choices

This petition has been closed.