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For Immediate Release: February 2, 2004 |
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Emergency Contraception News Conference |
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Speaker Sheldon Silver said, "Today's action continues the Assembly Majority's long-standing commitment to ensuring women's access to quality, wide-ranging health care services. I applaud Assemblywoman Paulin for her hard work and dedication to this vital women's health issue and urge the Senate to follow the Assembly's lead and pass this bill." |
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| Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried said, "This bill is about protecting a woman's health, and helping her avoid an unwanted pregnancy, if that is her choice." |
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Assembly member Amy Paulin said, "It is critical that women have easy access to this highly effective and safe method of pregnancy prevention. The New York State Assembly will send a clear message today in passing this legislation. The message is this - we support giving women access to emergency contraception. We support the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration's scientific committees and urge the commissioner to approve emergency contraception for over the counter use. We support a woman's right to self-determination." | |
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| Kelli Conlin, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice New York said, "By allowing women to obtain emergency contraception directly from a pharmacist we can immediately and substantially reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions. While we await the FDA commissioner's approval of EC as an over-the-counter medication, the New York Assembly is showing the nation bipartisan support for making it easier for women to get this safe medication in a timely way. If the FDA commissioner allows politics to trump science and refuses to allow EC to go over-the-counter, it will be up to the Senate and governor to follow the Assembly's lead and ensure New York's women can quickly and easily access EC." |
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Donna Montalto Williams, executive director, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said, "On behalf of the 4,000 obstetrician, gynecologists we have in New York State, this is probably one of the most important legislative items that the Assembly can do for women in New York. As a back up method for contraception, emergency contraception (EC) is the most important step we can take for women right now. We need to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and we need to give women access to this particular drug. We applaud the Assembly and we hope that the Senate will act and pass this legislation as well. | |
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