FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3/6/2020

WV Legislature Passes Important Reproductive Health Bills in Final Days of Session

Increased access to birth control and tubal ligation and strengthened reporting standards will make an impact on WV family planning and maternal mortality rates.

Media Contact:
Julie Tawney Warden
304.444.1222
[email protected]

CHARLESTON-During the final week of Legislative Session in West Virginia (WV), legislators voted to pass four important bills relating to reproductive healthcare.

HB 4198 permits a person to obtain a 12-month supply of birth control while SB 288 increases access to Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs). SB 716 removes a 30-day wait period from DHHR for a person who chooses to obtain a tubal ligation and SB 749 requires a Fatality and Mortality Review Team share data with the CDC, which will provide important statistics to address the maternal mortality issue in our state and the nation.

“We are heartened to see the legislature take steps toward increasing access to reproductive healthcare needs like contraception and tubal ligation and require reporting statistics that will assist in addressing the maternal mortality crisis in our nation,” said WV FREE CEO, Margaret Chapman Pomponio.

The bills passed both Houses on Thursday and Friday this week and now await concurrence and a signature from the Governor soon.