I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3326
To establish a public education and awareness program relating to emergency 
contraception. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 18, 2005
Ms. SLAUGHTER (for herself, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. 
ALLEN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mrs. CAPPS, 
Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. CROWLEY, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. DEFAZIO, 
Mr. DICKS, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. EMANUEL, Mr. FARR, Mr. FILNER, Mr. 
GRIJALVA, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. HOLT, Mr. 
HONDA, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Ms. 
JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California, Mrs. LOWEY, 
Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. MILLENDER-
MCDONALD, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, 
Ms. NORTON, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. ROTHMAN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 
SHAYS, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. 
STARK, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, 
Ms. WATSON, Mr. WAXMAN, and Ms. WOOLSEY) 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 as follows: 
(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. 
(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, emergency con-
traception can reduce the risk of pregnancy by as 
much as 89 percent. Recent medical evidence con-
firms that emergency contraception can be effective 
up to five days after unprotected intercourse or con-
traception 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) New data from the Alan Guttmacher Insti-
tute estimates that 51,000 abortions were prevented 
by use of emergency contraception in 2000 and that 
increased use of emergency contraception accounted 
for up to 43 percent of the total decline in abortion 
rates between 1994 and 2000. 
(8) Emergency contraceptive use in the United 
States remains low, and 9 in 10 women of reproduc-
tive age remain unaware of the method. 
(9) 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.
(10) A recent study conducted by Ibis Repro-
ductive Health found that less than 18 percent of 
hospitals provide emergency contraception at a wom-
an’s request without restrictions. At nearly 50 per-
cent of hospitals, emergency contraception is un-
available even in cases of sexual assault. Further-
more, among hospitals that said emergency contra-
ception was unavailable, approximately half either 
refused to give a referral or gave an invalid referral. 
(11) 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. 
(12) 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. 
(13) 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)) 
or a drug regimen 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.—
(1) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
Secretary, 
acting 
through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, shall develop and dissemi-
nate to the public information on emergency contra-
ception. 
(2) DISSEMINATION.—The Secretary may dis-
seminate information under paragraph (1) directly 
or through arrangements with nonprofit organiza-
tions, consumer groups, institutions of higher edu-
cation, Federal, State, or local agencies, clinics and 
the media. 
(3) INFORMATION.—The information dissemi-
nated under paragraph (1) shall include, at a min-
imum, a description of emergency contraception, and 
an explanation of the use, safety, efficacy, and avail-
ability of such contraception. 
(c) EMERGENCY
CONTRACEPTION
INFORMATION 
PROGRAM FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.—
(1) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
Secretary, 
acting 
through the Administrator of the Health Resources 
and Services Administration and in consultation 
with major medical and public health organizations,
shall develop and disseminate to health care pro-
viders information on emergency contraception. 
(2) INFORMATION.—The information dissemi-
nated under paragraph (1) shall include, at a min-
imum—
(A) information describing the use, safety, 
efficacy and availability of emergency contra-
ception; 
(B) a recommendation regarding the use of 
such contraception in appropriate cases; and 
(C) information explaining how to obtain 
copies of the information developed under sub-
section (b), for distribution to the patients of 
the providers. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010.
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