Planned Parenthood and National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health Laud Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and Demand Greater Access to Health Care and Birth Control for Women

Two key champions of health care reform -- Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) --
participated today in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's
(CHCI) 2010 Public Policy Conference by sponsoring a networking
breakfast immediately prior to First Lady Michelle Obama's speech at the
morning plenary session, titled "America's Promise: The Impact of
Health Care Reform."

In 2009 and early 2010, PPFA and NLIRH worked tirelessly in support
of the health care reform legislation, organizing thousands of phone
calls, e-mails, letters and in-person meetings with members of Congress.
President Obama signed the historic bill into law in March, increasing
access to basic health care, including reproductive care, for women.

Now, PPFA and NLIRH are working to ensure that prescription birth
control is fully covered under the new health care law, and will be
talking to participants of the CHCI conference about this important
goal.

"Providing prescription birth control with no co-pays or
out-of-pocket costs will give women better access to the full range of
reliable, safe and effective birth control methods," said PPFA Director
of Latino Engagement Destiny Lopez. "This will help to reduce the number
of unintended pregnancies and to keep women and children healthy. Women
need to have access to affordable prescription birth control so they
can plan their families as well as pursue higher education, their
careers, and other aspirations."

"The fact is that contraception is a critical component of both
public health initiatives and women's health care," said NLIRH Executive
Director Silvia Henriquez. "When health care reform passed, we were
told that all men and women deserved access to affordable insurance
coverage and preventative care. For millions of Latinas, birth control,
by definition, is prevention."

Held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on
September 12-14, the CHCI conference included discussions on health and
health care reform, immigration reform, education, the economy and
several other critical issues. For more information visit www.chci.org, www.plannedparenthood.org and www.latinainstitute.org.