Another Busy Year: State Legislative Trends on Reproductive Health and Abortion in 2009
By Rachel Gold and Elizabeth Nash, Guttmacher Institute Although state legislatures expended considerable energy in 2009 grappling with the consequences of the economic downturn, they nonetheless found time to pay significant attention to issues related to reproductive health and rights. In total, more than 900 such measures were introduced in the states and the District of Columbia, and by year’s end, 77 new laws had been enacted in 34 states and DC. (This is more than twice the 33 new laws enacted in 20 states in 2008.) While the new abortion-related laws are overwhelmingly restrictive, states did take significant steps to promote reproductive health by mandating that sex education be comprehensive as well as medically accurate, expanding access to emergency contraception and allowing a healthcare provider to prescribe treatment for a patient’s partner for STIs. Visit RH Reality Check to read the entire article.
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