Our New Mission

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NEWS FROM POWER TO DECIDE

New Research on Abortion Access

Compelling new data and interactive maps ([link removed]) from Power to Decide’s Abortion Finder ([link removed]) —a comprehensive resource of verified abortion providers—illustrates the impact of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The new maps provide a powerful overview of the new and awful chapter for abortion access we’ve seen unfold over the past several months.

Only 48 hours after the ruling ([link removed]) , abortion care providers stopped providing care across nine states. The following months were filled with legal confusion and uncertainty, as abortion bans and restrictions were variously implemented, challenged, enforced and/or lifted in states across the country. As a result, 14 states are now without a health center that offers any abortion care, impacting more than 72 million people, including more than 15 million people who could become pregnant.

Our New Mission

We are delighted to report an organizational milestone, our revised mission statement ([link removed]) . We remain committed to ensuring that everyone has the ability to decide if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child. Our new mission better reflects the work we have been doing in recent years and—more importantly—it serves as a guide to our work ahead.

Calling HBCU Students: Apply Today!

Power to Decide has launched a sexual and reproductive well-being ambassadorship for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Student ambassadors will work with a buddy on campus to launch an awareness campaign to increase knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and increase access to free-or-low-cost birth control methods on their campus. With training and support from our team, ambassadors will work to relay critical information and resources that will empower their peers and promote reproductive well-being within their community.

To apply, submit one application ([link removed]) per team by Friday, February 24, 2023.

Learn more ([link removed]) and watch a recording ([link removed]) of our Virtual Information Session, which was held on January 25.

Our Newest Power Player

We’re committed to uplifting the many individuals supporting young people’s reproductive well-being. This month’s Power Player is Nurse Practitioner at Plan A Health, Kimberly Campbell. Read her story ([link removed]) .

New Research Hub on PowerToDecide.org

We encourage you to visit our new research and data online portal ([link removed]) . The site highlights our research work, including contraceptive deserts, the abortion access data noted earlier, our ongoing Survey Says series, recent staff-authored publications, and much more. The new research hub is the latest in a series of improvements we’ve made over the last year to better serve the needs of everyone who visits our site. If you have a suggestion for how else we can continue to improve your experience, email [email protected] (mailto:mailto:[email protected]) .

16 & Pregnant: A Novel

An educational partnership between MTV Books and Power to Decide, 16 & Pregnant: A Novel ([link removed]) honestly and openly explores pregnancy through the eyes of two young Black teens in modern-day Nevada. Author LaLa Thomas combines personal insights, heartfelt dialogue, and authentic emotions in this powerful portrait of American teen life.

Power to Decide and MTV have been working in partnership for 25 years to help ensure that all young people have the support they need to make informed decisions and to talk openly about sex, love, relationships, and the power to decide their futures.

By sparking important conversations, our collaboration on MTV’s iconic series Teen Mom and 16 & Pregnant helped accelerate the historic decline in teen pregnancy rate ([link removed]) .

We are proud to work together on this next chapter! We hope you will use the discussion questions in our resource guide ([link removed]) to get the conversation started.

Starting the Conversation About Pregnancy Desire

Power to Decide’s One Key Question^® (OKQ), is an online, interactive training that helps providers initiate conversations about if, when, and under what circumstances people want to get pregnant and have a child. The notion behind OKQ is simple—it provides a framework for health care providers, social service providers, and champions to routinely ask: “Would You Like to Become Pregnant in the Next Year?”. OKQ meets people where they are, by offering four responses: Yes, No, Ok Either Way, Unsure. This person-centered approach is non-judgmental and equally supports those who want to become pregnant, those who do not, and those who are ambivalent. Learn more about training and certification today ([link removed]) !
POLICY UPDATES

Federal Update

Last month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a change to the regulations governing access to medication abortion. The new regulations allow pharmacies to apply for the ability to dispense mifepristone, a medication abortion method, in their brick-and-mortar locations. Both CVS and Walgreens have announced plans to begin to offer mifepristone in states where abortion remains legal. While this is not a solution to the growing number of abortion bans, this is an exciting step to improve access to abortion care where possible. Please see Power to Decide’s statement ([link removed]) on this announcement.

On January 26, the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act ([link removed]) was introduced in the House by Representatives Barbara Lee (CA), Diana DeGette (CO), Jan Schakowsky (IL), and Ayanna Pressley (MA). This bill would ensure coverage of abortion for people enrolled in public insurance plans (including Medicaid, Indian Health Service, and the Veteran’s Administration) and their dependents. It would also protect against federal interference with private health insurance companies that choose to offer coverage for abortion care. Now, more than ever, Congress must take action to expand coverage and access to abortion care—not pass additional bans or restrictions. Please contact your members of Congress ([link removed]) today to urge them to support the EACH Act.

State Update

State legislative sessions are under way in all but five states (AL, FL, LA, NV, OK). Sessions in Nevada and Oklahoma begin this week, Alabama and Florida will begin theirs in March, and Louisiana will begin its session in April. Legislators in several states have introduced bills to allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control. These states include Indiana, New York, and Texas. Visit our interactive state policy maps ([link removed]) for links to these bills to learn more.
GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM OUR SPONSORS

It is not too late—the Contraceptive Equity Initiative Match has been extended!

It is 2023 and Power to Decide is doubling down on understanding and dismantling the many barriers that impact birth control access through The Contraceptive Equity Initiative ([link removed]) . Through this effort, we are expanding research activities to better understand these barriers, bolstering our policy efforts, and even convening a shared learning collaborative of groups working in their communities to expand access. Will you help us kick off the new year with a gift today ([link removed]) ?

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