Planned Parenthood Arizona Celebrates Governor Hobbs’ Order to Expand Access to Contraception
 

Contact: Feldman Strategies, [email protected]

PHOENIX – Dr. Jill Gibson, Medical Director of Planned Parenthood Arizona, released the following statement today in response to Governor Katie Hobb’s announcement to expand access to over-the-counter contraception for Arizonans.

“As an OBGYN, Governor Hobbs’ order to expand access to contraception is a welcomed and celebrated decision. Birth control is an essential part of health care and over-the-counter contraception gives people greater and more equitable access to the tools and resources we all need to take care of our own health. This is finally a step forward in recognizing that women can make informed decisions about their health care and can synthesize the data to determine whether over-the-counter contraception is the right fit for them. People know what’s best for themselves, their bodies, and their futures. 

But what we must remember is that true access means affordability. It is critical that any over-the-counter contraception be priced affordably. Additionally, we cannot ignore the compounding barriers that stand in the way of everyone in our communities receiving necessary care, including racial inequity which continues to prevent people from accessing the care they need, when they need it. 

We have an astronomically high rate of unintended pregnancies in the United States and our maternal mortality rate has doubled in the last twenty years. This is utterly unacceptable and must be addressed in multiple ways, one of which is by eliminating barriers to quality sexual and reproductive health care.”

###