Deutch, colleagues, file bills to stem youth pregnancies

Published March 24th, 2008

By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR

State Sen. Ted Deutch (D-30) and several colleagues have called on the State Legislature to put prevention first and pass two bills aimed at preventing youth pregnancy.

Senator Nan Rich (D-34) and Representative Audrey Gibson (D-15) sponsored the Prevention First Act while Deutch and Rep. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall (D-109) filed the Healthy Teens Act.

Sponsors said the bills have bipartisan support and offer help in reducing unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion.

Bill filers said Prevention First Act increases access to birth control and reduces unintended pregnancies by guaranteeing access to emergency contraception for rape survivors, protecting the right to birth control for all women, and protecting the right to have lawful and valid prescriptions filled at the pharmacy. 

The Healthy Teens Act, they said, requires Florida public schools that already teach information about sexually transmitted diseases, family planning, and pregnancy to provide medically accurate and comprehensive sex education – including facts about abstinence and methods of preventing unintended pregnancy and the spread of diseases. 

“If we want to reduce unintended pregnancy and the spread of disease we need statewide standards for sex education and increased access to health care,” Deutch said. “We can’t keep our heads in the sand and hope these problems go away.”

“Each year, Planned Parenthood provides more than 110,000 women, men and teens in Florida with the preventive health care they need to stay healthy and plan their families,” said Adrienne Kimmell, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. 

“We know best that prevention is the key to building strong, healthy families and keeping young people safe and healthy – and the Prevention First Act and the Healthy Teens Act are commonsense measures that will do just that.”

“The legislature cannot continue to play politics with women’s lives by restricting access to contraceptive information and health services,” said Sen. Rich.  “It's time to focus on real solutions that will prevent unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and reduce the need for abortions.  The Prevention First Act and the Healthy Teens Act represent a significant step toward this goal.”

Dale M. King can be reached at 561-549-0832 or at dking@bocanews.com.