Young Adults From South Florida Share Their Stories of Birth Control Coverage Under ACA
Miami, FL (PRWEB) January 12, 2017 -- Contact: Julian Teixeira
202-478-8564 / jteixeira[at]thenc[dot]org
In a community event today at Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy announced an effort to collect and amplify stories from some of the millions of women who have benefited from contraceptive coverage provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
“We chose to have this discussion in Miami because South Florida is an excellent microcosm of America as a whole—a diverse population full of young people who have bright futures ahead of them. And that includes deciding if, when, and under what circumstances to become pregnant. These young people—and all people—should be able to obtain sexual health information and birth control, something that benefits everyone in our society,” said Ginny Ehrlich, CEO, The National Campaign.
It is estimated that 55 million women have benefited from ACA coverage of preventive services, which includes all FDA-approved methods of contraception without co-pays or deductibles. Although there are threats to such coverage in the new Congress, ACA is still in effect and enrollment remains open through January 31. Any rollback of health coverage could result in dramatic declines in access to effective and affordable contraception.
Ehrlich was joined today by Miami Dade College Associate Dean John Adkins; Taylor Barnes, Director of Civic Nation’s United State of Women; Katie Roders Turner, a Navigator Project Coordinator for Florida Covering Kids & Families at South Florida College of Public Health; and Stephanely Rivas, an actress from Miami. Students from Miami Dade College were in attendance and contributed to the conversation.
Rivas, the daughter of a teen mother, talked about her experience enrolling in ACA and why it’s so important to her to have contraceptive coverage. “Birth control allows me to create a better life for myself and for the kids I want to have someday. It’s really more for my future kids than anyone else.”
Ehrlich added, “When we talk about policy it’s easy to lose sight of the real people for whom ACA coverage has made a powerful difference.” She also noted recent National Campaign polling which found that 73% of those age 18-34 say birth control is important to them.
To participate in The National Campaign’s storytelling project, please visit https://thenationalcampaign.org/tell-us-your-birth-control-story
About The National Campaign: The National Campaign is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization that seeks to improve the lives and future prospects of children and families by preventing teen and unplanned pregnancy. Please visit us at http://www.TheNationalCampaign.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
About Miami Dade College: Miami Dade College is the largest institution of higher learning in the nation with 165,000 enrolled students, including more Hispanic undergraduates than any other college or university. Learn more about Miami Dade and their work at http://www.mdc.edu/
About Civic Nation’s United State of Women: Gender equality is at the forefront of national conversations taking place on the news, social media, and among individuals. The United State of Women believes now is the time to leverage this momentum to fuel further change. Learn more at http://www.theunitedstateofwomen.org/
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Julian Teixeira, The National Campaign, +1 202-478-8564, [email protected]
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