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Protect Access to Birth Control
President Obama has issued a proposal to rescind Bush's Health Care Denial Rule. The Bush Rule undermines the ability of American women to obtain basic health care, including birth control and information about abortion. Help recall this dangerous rule. Send comments by April 9.
NEWS & BLOG POSTINGS
> BLOG: Do the Right Thing: Make Emergency Contraception Accessible and Affordable (3/24/2009)
> BLOG: Support President Obama’s Rescission of the Health Care Denial Rule (3/10/2009)
> NEWS: Federal Court Orders FDA to Expand Access to Emergency Contraception (3/23/2009)
> NEWS: Obama Administration Initiates Review of Bush Health Care Denial Rule (2/27/2009)

Refusals at the Pharmacy
Each year, millions of women purchase birth control at their local pharmacies. News reports increasingly include stories about pharmacists or pharmacies refusing to sell contraception based on a religious objection. In Religious Refusals and Reproductive Rights: Accessing Birth Control at the Pharmacy, the ACLU offers a roadmap for protecting women’s health care needs and individual religious liberty. Find out what you can do if faced with a refusal at the pharmacy.
NEWS & BLOG POSTINGS
> Court Says WI Pharmacist Was Rightly Disciplined (3/25/2008)
> BLOG: Defending WA Pharmacy Regs (8/15/2007)
> BLOG: Refusals at the Pharmacy (4/18/2007)
> NY Pharmacist Should Be Disciplined (4/5/2007)
> ACLU Applauds New Wal-Mart Policy (4/4/2007)

Back Up Your Birth Control
Emergency contraception (EC, also known as “the morning-after pill”) is a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. Despite recent actions increasing access to EC, barriers remain. Read more.
NEWS & OPINION
> EC Age Restriction Misguided (8/24/2006)
> TomPaine: Twice Victimized (1/26/2006)
> Ensure Access to EC for Rape Victims (1/19/2006)
FACT SHEETS & REPORTS
> Ensuring Access to EC After Rape
> Preventing Pregnancy after Rape

Federal Court Orders FDA To Expand Access To Emergency Contraception (03/23/2009)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today heralded a federal court decision ordering the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand access to emergency contraception — also known as Plan B or the "morning after" pill. Today's decision orders the FDA to make Plan B available within 30 days without a prescription to women 17 and older. Moreover, it calls on the FDA to reconsider whether to approve Plan B for over-the-counter status without age restrictions.

National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association and ACLU Ask Court To Block Health Care Denial Rule (01/15/2009)
HARTFORD – The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA), represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, today filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the Bush administration's Health Care Denial Rule.

ACLU Hails Prevention First Act (01/13/2009)
Washington – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union applauded Representatives Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) for introducing H.R. 463, the Prevention First Act, legislation aimed at improving access to reproductive health care and preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The ACLU also appreciates Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) leadership for sponsoring the companion bill, S. 21, which was introduced in the Senate last week.

ACLU Calls Again for Withdrawal of Regulations Jeopardizing Women’s Health (09/26/2008)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union and all its state affiliates, including Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, submitted comments to the Department of Health and Human Services asking the administration to rescind regulations that could seriously undermine access to reproductive health services, including birth control and abortion.

Proposed Bush Regulation Jeopardizes Women’s Health (08/21/2008)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed its grave concern over the proposed regulations released today by the Department of Health and Human Services that could seriously undermine women’s ability to access reproductive health services, including birth control.

Religious Refusals and Reproductive Rights: Accessing Birth Control at the Pharmacy Evaluation (04/30/2007)

Religious Refusals and Reproductive Rights: Accessing Birth Control at the Pharmacy: Frequently Asked Questions (04/30/2007)

Religious Refusals and Reproductive Rights: Accessing Birth Control at the Pharmacy Order Form (04/30/2007)

Victories on the Coasts: Courts Uphold Balance Between Reproductive Rights and Religious Freedom (04/18/2007)

Preventing Pregnancy after Rape: Emergency Care Facilities Put Women at Risk (12/15/2004)

National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, et al. v. Leavitt - Complaint (01/15/2009)

ACLU of Massachusetts v. Michael O. Leavitt, et al. - Complaint (01/12/2009)

Brief for Amici Curiae New York Civil Liberties Union and American Civil Liberties Union in Support of Respondent Serio (01/12/2006)
Amici urge the Court to affirm the lower court's holding that the Women's Health and Wellness Act does not violate the United States or New York constitutions. The Act is a comprehensive antidiscrimination and public health statute that requires insurance plans to cover women's preventive health needs equitably. Among its other requirements, which include mandating coverage for mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, and osteoporosis tests, WHWA requires insurance plans that include prescription drug benefits to cover contraceptive drugs and devices.

Sample Documents Used by DOJ to Draft National Protocol for Treating Sexual Assault Victims (12/20/2005)

National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations FOIA (08/30/2005)

ACLU Letter to Senate Members Urging Opposition to Amendment 649 to the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 (03/04/2009)
On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a nonpartisan public interest organization dedicated to protecting the constitutional rights of individuals, its 53 affiliates nationwide, and hundreds of thousands of members and activists, we urge you to vote against Senator DeMint’s Amendment No. 649 to HR 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009. The amendment would remove a common-sense, no cost provision that would once again provide women access to low-cost birth control supplies.

ACLU Comments on Health and Human Service's Proposed Rule Change Regarding Provider Conscience Regulation (09/25/2008)

ACLU Coalition Letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt (07/22/2008)
The undersigned medical, public health, religious, advocacy, and research groups committed to women's health strongly oppose the Department of Health and Human Services’ draft regulations that could significantly limit women’s access to basic reproductive health services, including some of the most common forms of birth control. If implemented, these regulations may preempt state laws that protect women’s access to health care and undermine the nation’s fragile network of safety net providers that serve low income women. We strongly urge the Department to immediately abandon its effort to bring about these ill-conceived and harmful policy changes.

Emergency Contraception Education Act Coalition Letter (09/07/2007)

On the 34th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade: New Year, New Congress, New Possibilities (01/22/2007)

Refusals at the Pharmacy: What You Can Do if Faced with a Refusal at the Pharmacy (04/17/2007)

Model Protocol Letter (01/19/2006)

Letter to Jana White (01/06/2005)

Preventing Pregnancy after Rape: Evaluation and Order Form (12/15/2004)

Promoting Access to Contraception and Opposing Threats to its Availability at Home and Abroad (07/01/1998)
Guaranteeing Access to Contraception

What the Research Shows: Government-Funded Abstinence-Only Programs Don’t Make the Grade (06/12/2008)
Evidence shows that sexuality education that stresses the importance of waiting to have sex while providing accurate, age-appropriate, and complete information about how to use contraceptives effectively to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can help teens make healthy and responsible life decisions.

Ensuring Access to Emergency Contraception After Rape (02/13/2007)
Guaranteeing Access to Contraception

Preventing Teenagers from Getting Contraceptives Unless They Tell a Parent Puts Teens at Risk (07/18/2003)
Promoting Reproductive Freedom for Teenagers

School-Based Condom Availability Programs (04/01/1998)
Promoting Reproductive Freedom for Teenagers