Title
Authorizing the Committee of Public Health and Human Services to hold hearings examining the current state of Philadelphia's reproductive health care system, the current federal landscape affecting reproductive policy, and the City's response to protect reproductive freedom.
Body
WHEREAS, Reproductive health care is care related to physical, mental and social well-being in matters relating to the reproductive system, functions and processes. Reproductive health implies that people are able to have a safe sex life, and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so; and
WHEREAS, Reproductive health care includes but isn't limited to the following services: contraception, preconception screening and counseling, maternal and pregnancy related care, STI prevention and treatment, fertility and infertility treatment, breast and genital cancer prevention and treatment, perimenopause, menopause, menstruation and menstruation related conditions, hysterectomy, mammography, pregnancy related nutrition, and postpartum care; and
WHEREAS, A comprehensive review of Philadelphia's reproductive health care system is necessary to understand the impacts of recent local funding cuts, and federal policy changes on communities in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Amid recent federal changes, the Trump Administration's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" reclassifies select graduate programs by removing their professional status, disproportionately affects fields that provide reproductive care and are predominantly led by women, like nursing where women account for 88% of registered nurses; and
WHEREAS, Removing professional status from fields that study and provide reproductive health care limits access to education, training and certifying, which increases the risk of understaffing in critical reproductive health care roles and reinforce gender-based discrimination; and
WHEREAS, Finances and job stability are imperative to esta...
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