This legislative session we look forward to pushing our legislature to set the example for other states. We will pursue bold, proactive policies that expand and protect access to sexual and reproductive health, education, rights, and justice for all in Hawaii.
“Hawaii values having a strong safety net of family planning providers and has relied upon federal funding for over 47 years to provide affordable, high quality sexual and reproductive health care to our communities. However, recent attacks from the federal government jeopardize the integrity of Hawaii’s family planning services – recently, the Trump administration used an unethical gag rule to force Planned Parenthood and other sexual and reproductive health care providers out of Title X, the nation’s only program for affordable and accessible birth control services. Here in Hawaii, it is clear that we can no longer rely on the federal government. The health and lives of people in Hawaii are at risk, especially for communities who already face historic barriers to health care – such as people of color, people with low incomes, immigrants, young people, and people living in remote or rural areas. To ensure access to care, the legislature should include full funding to a state family planning program.
All people in Hawaii – regardless of income, gender identity, or type of insurance – should have access to the full range of preventive sexual and reproductive health services at no cost. In 2020, Hawaii should pursue legislation that strengthens and expands state law by requiring insurers to cover a wide range of sexual and reproductive health care services with no co-pay, including abortion, the full range of contraceptive methods, and vasectomy.
Hawaii has long been a leader in expanding and protecting access to the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion. Our current provider restrictions reduce health care access without any benefit to the health or safety of people in Hawaii. Current law limits the provision of early in-clinic abortions to physicians despite the fact that other providers, like advanced practice registered nurses. The result is that, across the state, people are delayed or unable to access abortion care because Hawaii has few abortion providers. People are forced to travel long distances to access care, which increases costs for travel, lodging, childcare, and other expenses. And if people are unable to travel to another island due to these costs or other barriers, they may not be able to access abortion at all. This shortage also limits Planned Parenthood’s ability to provide scheduling flexibility to our patients, making our services less accessible for some. It also burdens the abortion providers themselves, who often spend large amounts of time traveling between islands. We urge legislators to remove unnecessary barriers to abortion and make sure that all people in Hawaii, no matter where in the state they live, can access safe, legal abortion care.
This page is controlled and operated by Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii.
