I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3887
To establish a public education and awareness program relating to emergency
contraception.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 6, 2002
Ms. SLAUGHTER (for herself, Ms. DEGETTE, Mrs. MORELLA, and Mr.
GREENWOOD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To establish a public education and awareness program
relating to emergency contraception.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Emergency Contracep-
tion Education Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that—
(1) each year, 3,000,000 pregnancies, or one
half of all pregnancies, in the United States are un-
intended, and half of all of these unintended preg-
nancies end in abortion;
(2) the Food and Drug Administration has de-
clared emergency contraception to be safe and effec-
tive in preventing unintended pregnancy, reducing
the risk by as much as 89 percent;
(3) the most commonly used forms of emer-
gency contraception are regimens of ordinary birth
control pills taken within 72 hours of unprotected
intercourse or contraceptive failure;
(4) emergency contraception, also known as
post-coital contraception, is a responsible means of
preventing pregnancy that works like other hormonal
contraception to delay ovulation, prevent fertilization
or prevent implantation;
(5) emergency contraception does not cause
abortion and will not affect an established preg-
nancy;
(6) it is estimated that the use of emergency
contraception could cut the number of unintended
pregnancies in half, thereby reducing the need for
abortion;
(7) emergency contraceptive use is the United
States remains low, and 9 in 10 women of reproduc-
tive age remain unaware of the method;
(8) although the American College of Obstetri-
cians and Gynecologists recommends that doctors
routinely offer women of reproductive age a prescrip-
tion for emergency contraceptive pills during their
annual visit, only 1 in 5 ob/gyns routinely discuss
emergency contraception with their patients, sug-
gesting the need for greater provider and patient
education;
(9) in light of their safety and efficacy, both the
American Medical Association and the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have en-
dorsed more widespread availability of emergency
contraceptive pills, and have recommended that dedi-
cated emergency contraceptive products be available
without a prescription;
(10) Healthy People 2010, published by the Of-
fice of the Surgeon General, establishes a 10-year
national public health goal of increasing the propor-
tion of health care providers who provide emergency
contraception to their patients; and
(11) public awareness campaigns targeting
women and health care providers will help remove
many of the barriers to emergency contraception and
will help bring this important means of pregnancy
prevention to American women.
SEC. 3. EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION EDUCATION AND IN-
FORMATION PROGRAMS.
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
(1) EMERGENCY
CONTRACEPTION.—The term
‘‘emergency contraception’’ means a drug or device
(as the terms are defined in section 201 of the Fed-
eral Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321))
that is—
(A) used after sexual relations; and
(B) prevents pregnancy, by preventing ovu-
lation, fertilization of an egg, or implantation of
an egg in a uterus.
(2) HEALTH
CARE
PROVIDER.—The term
‘‘health care provider’’ means an individual who is li-
censed or certified under State law to provide health
care services and who is operating within the scope
of such license.
(3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the same
meaning given such term in section 1201(a) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1141(a)).
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(b) EMERGENCY
CONTRACEPTION
PUBLIC
EDU-
CATION PROGRAM.—