Another day, another senator who does not understand how birth control works, despite wanting to pass legislation banning certain kinds of birth control. Can we get these guys a pamphlet? This time it was Sen. Kevin Lundberg from Colorado, who serves as chair of the Health and Human Services committee. He has characterized IUDs as abortion causing drugs, even though health care experts have said that isn’t true. It just…is not true.
In the Coloradoan, Lundberg speaks to his point by saying: “Protecting life is a very big issue. In my mind, that’s what government is all about, and to protect the life of the most vulnerable and most innocent seems to be the most important.”
For Lundberg, he sees the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) arguments as “poor science” and the IUD as stopping a small child from being implanted.
In Colorado more than 30,000 women have gotten an IUD through the Colorado Family Planning Initiative. A device that usually costs anywhere between $500 to several thousand dollars, was available for free making it an option for people who are seeking a safe, effective form of birth control. Access was possible because of the $23 million saved in Medicaid costs. However, there is still more to be done.
That is why State Rep. KC Becker, D-Boulder, said she’s working to get funding for a bill that includes using $5 million from the state’s general fund to continue funding the program, which has already shown tangible results.
In the past 4 years, the teen birth rate has dropped 40% and there has also been a drop in abortion amongst teens according to Larry Wolk, state health director.
This is what Don Coram, a Colorado Republican representative, calls a “win-win situation.” Coram is sponsoring the bill because he sees the program as a potential money saver for the state that decreases Medicaid covers and welfare enrollment.
With private funding for the program ending in June 2015, there is only three months left for lawmakers to decide how to classify an IUD and if it counts as an abortion.
For more information on the IUD and it’s advantages check out Planned Parenthood or watch this awesome video and all will make perfect sense:
Image c/o Blue Nation Review
