Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following decision applauding the FDA for approving over-the-counter birth control access and urging Congress to pass her Affordability is Access Act with Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) to require insurers to cover this medication without out-of-pocket costs.
“Birth control is essential health care for tens of millions of American women, and I’m pleased to see the FDA following the science and making it available over-the counter across the country,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Now, we need to make sure cost is not a barrier for women to access this critical medication and control their own futures by passing the Affordability is Access Act. With far-right Republicans continue to attack women’s reproductive rights, it’s time for action to protect birth control access for women in Nevada and across the country.”
Although nine out of 10 American adults support access to all forms of birth control, several states restrict access to contraceptives by eliminating public funding for it, defining abortion broadly enough to include contraception, and allowing health care providers to deny service related to contraception on the basis of their own beliefs.
Senator Cortez Masto has been fierce advocate for women’s reproductive rights. In response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Senator Cortez Masto introduced the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act to ensure legal protections for women traveling across state lines to receive reproductive care. She is cosponsoring legislation to codify the right to contraception and has urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to protect the data privacy of women seeking reproductive health care and introduced legislation to make sure women across the country have access to affordable over-the-counter birth control. She took on one of the nation’s biggest pharmaceutical wholesalers to ensure Nevadans can access the abortion pill in retail pharmacies, including Walgreens.
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