Copyright 1999 The Seattle Times Company
The
Seattle Times
March 13, 1999, Saturday Final Edition
SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. A11
LENGTH: 230 words
HEADLINE:
BIRTH CONTROL 101
BODY:
THE only
prophylactic for ignorance is education, which would help the state House of
Representatives do a better job than the Senate in handling debates about
contraceptive coverage. Senate Bill 5512 would require health
insurers to add contraceptives to their prescription plans. It squeaked through
the Senate Tuesday, but not before a few Republican senators shared their Archie
Bunkeresque views about family planning. Sen. Val Stevens urged her colleagues
to vote no, saying, "Promoting contraceptives among sexually active teenagers
increases pregnancy."
Earth to Stevens: A birth-control pill is over
99-percent effective. The crossed-finger method is considerably less so.
The Democrats' rhetoric is nearly as bad, calling contraception a
"women's issue" and comparing it to "men's issues" like Viagra and baldness
pills. Such language is misleading and unnecessarily polarizing. Contraception
is a family issue, and it's critical for reproductive health.
Half of
the pregnancies in this state are unplanned. Most insurers cover abortions and
nearly all cover maternity care, including the exorbitant cost of caring for
premature infants. Only about a third cover contraceptives. It's baffling that
insurers - or legislators - would shun contraception when the small cost of
prevention far outweighs the economic and social costs of unplanned pregnancies.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE:
March 14, 1999 
