Blake Moore: “I rise today to express to my colleagues my great concern with this motion to instruct conferees. First, it should be…”

“I rise today to express to my colleagues my great concern with this motion to instruct conferees. First, it should be clear that this motion is about contraception, not abortion. Like other contraceptives, emergency contraception can prevent--but not terminate--a pregnancy. Access to contraception can be a vital part of local efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy and reduce the number of abortions--a goal shared by members on both sides of the aisle. Second, this motion restricts the decision of local leaders. School-based clinics vary greatly across the country, and the services that they provide reflect community standards, reflected by local advisory boards made up of parents, young adults, community representatives and youth family organizations. Emergency contraception may not be an appropriate or advisable option for many school-based clinics. It may be, however, both necessary and appropriate for some clinics and some communities. For many low-income, uninsured students, school-based health clinics provide their only access to necessary health care. Restricting contraceptive options only for these low-income students is wrong. Mr. Speaker, I am ashamed to say that our country has more unintended teen pregnancies than any other industrialized country in the world. I challenge my colleagues to reject election-year politics and work with me toward policies that prevent unintended pregnancies before the morning after.”