By LACIE PIERSON, HD Media
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Legislators on Friday approved two measures that would make birth control more accessible to women in West Virginia.
At least one of the bills legislators passed Friday was crafted as part of an effort to prevent unwanted pregnancies for women suffering from substance abuse.
Senators approved Senate Bill 288 in a 31-0 vote, with three senators absent.
Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, who sponsored the bill, said its goal is to make accessing birth control easier for women addicted to drugs.
“People that are in the active throes of addiction have impaired decision-making and sometimes circumstances, because some of these women are trafficked or they’re trading sex for drugs that result in these pregnancies,” Tarr said. “Combined with the use of illicit drugs, (the pregnancies) lead to exposing these unborn children to harmful illicit substances.”
Among the bill’s provisions is that the state Bureau of Medical Services can’t require pre-authorization or a certain number of doctor visits before a woman can obtain birth control — unless the visits are medically necessary.
The bill also would require the Bureau of Public Health to make long-term birth control available to doctors without any upfront costs to the doctors. …
