Davids Introduces Bill to Increase Access to Birth Control and Reproductive Health Care Services

Today, Representative Sharice Davids introduced legislation to increase access to birth control and reproductive health care services. The Expanding Access to Family Planning Act would fund the Title X Family Planning program, which provides comprehensive, confidential family planning and preventive health services, often to low-income or minority populations. Currently, there are three Title X clinics in Kansas' Third District.

This introduction follows a concurring opinion issued by Justice Clarence Thomas in Dobbs v Jackson stating the Supreme Court "should reconsider" their previous ruling that affirmed access to contraception. The Expanding Access to Family Planning Act would provide $500 million annually for 10 years for Title X services and $50 million annually for related clinic construction and renovation.

"Title X clinics deliver services that many Kansans rely on to plan a family and stay healthy," said Davids. "As access to reproductive health care is under attack and our personal freedoms are called into question, it has never been more important to ensure Kansans can access birth control, life-saving preventive care, and family planning services through vital resources like Title X clinics."

In 2016, over 4 million Americans relied on Title X clinics for their contraception counseling, breast and cervical cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infections testing and treatment, and pregnancy diagnosis and counseling. In 2019, the Trump Administration implemented a "domestic gag rule" which banned doctors from informing patients about their full range of reproductive health care options, jeopardizing care for 1.6 million female patients nationwide. Most recently, Senate Republicans introduced a joint resolution to reinstate this gag rule after the Biden Administration reversed the Trump-era policy in 2021.

Davids has been a champion for increased access for sexual and reproductive health care through the Title X program as there are currently three Title X clinics in Kansas' Third District: the Unified Government Health Department in Kansas City, Kansas, and two Johnson County Health Department locations in Mission and Olathe. Davids has supported appropriations funding for the Title X program every year since being sworn into Congress.