Bauer celebrates passage of bill expanding access to long-acting birth control in Indiana

Today, March 6, the House concurred on House Bill 1426 which is now headed to the Governor's desk for signature. HB 1426 requires a doctor, midwife, or advanced practice nurse to have a conversation with her patient in the immediate postpartum period, after delivery and before being discharged from the hospital or birthing center, about receiving a subdermal, long-acting reversible contraceptive implant. Expanding access for Medicaid or Medicaid-eligible patients to long-acting reversible contraceptives, specifically the subdermal implant instead of waiting until the six-week check-up will help move the needle on addressing Indiana's dismal infant and maternal mortality rates. 

“House Bill 1426 is crucial legislation to expand birth control access to one of the most vulnerable populations of women in the state of Indiana, and I am proud to have been a co-author,” State Rep. Maureen Bauer (D-South Bend) said. “In the first state to pass a near-total ban on abortion, we must, as policymakers, do everything in our power to allow women the opportunity to plan their pregnancies. 

“Indiana has the third highest maternal mortality rate in the nation, and science shows that close spacing of pregnancies increases the risk factor for both mother and infant. With over half of Indiana's pregnancies being unintended, and over half of all births being covered by Medicaid, this policy will empower women to make decisions about their own reproductive health care by having a patient-centered conversation about contraception before she is discharged from the postpartum unit.

“My Democratic colleague, State Rep. Rita Fleming (D-Jeffersonville), authored this bill based on her 25+ years of experience as an OBGYN. She has cared for women in crisis who have faced homelessness, poverty, or substance use disorder. For women in crisis, the only time they visited a doctor was when they were in labor. Over 30% of women do not return for any follow-up visit after discharge. HB 1426 aims to help uplift women by offering reliable, safe, long-acting reversible contraception during the narrow window she is at the hospital, and who are unlikely to return for postpartum care. 

“This bill is good for women, good for families, and good for Hoosiers. I was proud to stand by Rep. Fleming’s side as we make this step forward in maternal health care and birth control access in our state.”