LETTERS: U.S. ‘contraceptive deserts’ a reason why Senate Bill 9 means so much

Editor: A study recently published in a medical journal published by the American Medical Association found that more than 19 million women in the United States live in what are called contraceptive deserts. These are areas that lack reasonable access to a full range of contraception options. This can be as a result of a lack of public transportation to get to a local pharmacy or clinic or living in a rural area where there may not be a local option.

These challenges are why it is so important to allow for people to get a year’s worth of birth control pills. This can help every Coloradan, but especially anyone who struggles financially or lives in an area where they have to drive two counties over to get a prescription refill or an initial prescription or make it to another part of a city that may not be easy to get to without a car. If you have a year’s worth of pills already on hand, it is so much easier to not have a gap in birth control pill use, which relates to preventing unintended pregnancy and the ability to plan and space pregnancies.

Birth control pills rely on the user to take them at roughly the same time every day to be effective. Anything that helps that process by addressing obstacles helps all women and their families. Senate Bill 9 includes the adoption of a 12-month dispensing option for people who use Medicaid. This would support reproductive autonomy and improve health outcomes. It would help to produce cost savings for public health programs while increasing financial stability for families. Join me in urging the House to pass this important bill.

— Brenda Negrete, via letters@sentinelcolorado.com