Don't Let the Senate Block Family-Planning Programs!

Dear Senator [Name],

As your constituent, I'm writing to express my support for the provisions in the Omnibus budget bill that boost family-planning programs, cut abstinence-only spending levels and fix the birth-control price crisis.

The family-planning program, Title X, provides critical health services, such as birth control and annual exams, to women hit hard by job losses in this economic crisis. The United Nations Population Fund and the U.S. Agency for International Development provide much needed assistance to low-income women around the world who lack access to birth control and other family-planning services.

The "abstinence-only" policy has been proven ineffective, so the $14 million cut is a good start. The federal government should not spend taxpayer dollars on programs that don't give our teens the information they need to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases.

The birth-control price fix would help restore affordable birth control for college students and low-income women nationwide. Because of a technical error, Congress inadvertently blocked hundreds of family-planning clinics' and college health centers' long-standing ability to purchase low-priced contraceptives, and these providers have been forced to pass on the increased costs to their patients.

[Your comment here]

Thank you for supporting these responsible changes.