Compassionate Care for Servicewomen
Emergency contraception, or Plan B as it's commonly known, is a Food and Drug Administration-approved medication that prevents pregnancy. It's safe and, if taken before pregnancy is established, highly effective. It's also widely available at pharmacies in the United States. Yet more than 200,000 women who serve in the military have not had the same access to emergency contraception because it's not on the military's list of medications that must be stocked at all Department of Defense (DoD) medical facilities. Senator Franken and Senator Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine, introduced the Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act, to ensure that servicewomen have the same access to emergency contraception as civilians here at home. It would guarantee that all military health care treatment facilities stock emergency contraception. This bipartisan legislation was introduced with the support of dozens of Minnesota organizations. Since Senator Franken's bill was introduced, the DoD has added Plan B to the list of drugs required at all of their medical facilities both at home and abroad, accomplishing the goal of the legislation.
