Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act

The Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act would “reduce the need for abortion by reducing the number of unintended pregnancies and supporting women facing unplanned pregnancies.” Among other measures the bill proposes to reduce teen pregnancy through comprehensive sex education, improve access to contraception for low-income women and increase Title X funding.

According to the text of the bill, The Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act would, “reduce the need for abortion by reducing the number of unintended pregnancies and supporting women facing unplanned pregnancies.” The legislation, also known as the Ryan/DeLauro bill, is named for its sponsors by Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). The overview below is based on the bill for the 110th Congress and will be updated as necessary.

Again, the potential for common ground with this bill will in part be determined by whether access to contraception is identified as a common ground area.

The bill proposes:

  • Providing funding to prevent teen pregnancy through comprehensive sex education that encourages teens to delay sexual activity and is also medically accurate, complete, and scientifically-based; after-school programs; and grants that encourage creative approaches to teen pregnancy prevention;
  • Establishing a new national goal for teen pregnancy prevention and launching a national campaign to enlist parents in preventing teen pregnancy;
  • Ensuring low-income women on Medicaid access to contraception; increase funding for Title X (the nation’s family planning program for the poor); and provide information on contraception to new mothers;
  • Increasing the S-CHIP definition of a low-income child from 200% to 250% of federal poverty and ensuring that pregnancy cannot be considered a pre-existing condition for those with individual coverage as is the case with those in group health plans.
  • Providing grants to community health centers to help purchase ultrasound equipment.
  • Creating a new violence screening and treatment program for women and create a public awareness campaign regarding domestic violence against women.
  • Providing grants to institutions of higher education to provide support services to assist both pregnant students who have decided to carry their pregnancies to term and parenting students in continuing their studies and graduating.
  • Increasing the adoption tax credit and making the credit refundable.
  • Increasing support for the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), making it easier for new parents to receive nutritional support through food stamps, and increasing funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program.

Links:

House Version of the Bill: