New Oklahoma law makes contraception more convenient
OKLAHOMA CITY- A new law that gives women access to a six month prescription of birth control will make it easier to access pregnancy prevention medication, one health advocate said.
Maintaining access to contraceptives can be difficult for women who live in rural areas, have multiple jobs, children to care for and limited transportation.
Senate Bill 176 will require fewer trips to the pharmacy, said Laura Bellis executive director of the Take Control Initiative.
The new law, which takes effect Nov. 1, requires insurance companies that provide coverage for contraception to allow women to obtain six months of birth control at the same time after being prescribed a three month supply.
The Take Control Initiative, which is based in Tulsa County, has operated the nation's longest running birth control access program for 15 years. The program is focused on removing barriers while growing access to birth control.
Increasing access can also improve the effectiveness of contraception. Bellis said some methods of contraception require individuals to take it at the same time every day. Maintaining access to care aids in consistency.
Having access to contraception by age 20, reduces women's chances of living in poverty, according to the group's 2024 annual report.
Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa, one of the authors of the legislation declined to comment. Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, did not return messages seeking comment.
Although contraception can be used to prevent pregnancy, 14% of women use it for non-contraceptive reasons. It can be used to treat acne, irregular periods, cramps, migraines and endometriosis.
'Hopefully this change in law will remove a barrier to these organizations that are truly trying to protect public health in Oklahoma,' said Mary Boren, D-Norman. She was one of 30 senators who voted in favor of it.
Gov. Kevin Stitt allowed the bill to become law without his signature.
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Read more Map shows states with best—and worst—early education systems Map shows states with best—and worst—early education systems Scouras acknowledged having prior concerns about Nico's future, but believes he's ready to tackle kindergarten after conversations with his pediatrician and preschool staff. "When he was less than 2 years old and we were still trapped inside and not knowing when the next wave was going to hit, there was a lot of those nights of, like, 'Oh my God, is this going to stunt his development forever?" she recalled. "But I also kind of remind myself: Are they all going to be OK? They're all in it together." Scouras noted another upside for those born into the teeth of the pandemic: they didn't have to endure missed milestones, like proms or graduations, that older children dealt with. "I felt more for those kids who were older, who knew what was going on," she said. "You see a lot of kids who I feel like now have been affected by having to do all their stuff online and they're so reserved now. At least he still had a chance to kind of grow and be born into a world where it's going to be a few years before he recalls anything of this, so let's just try to make this as happy and as supportive environment as we can while he's little." The additional solitude with Nico also allowed Scouras' family to create a "really good foundation" for his future, she said. "We're all very close, and I love that," she said. Social and Behavioral Concerns Casey Peeks, senior director of early childhood policy at the Washington-based liberal think tank Center for American Progress, said educators should expect to spend more time regulating the behavior of some kindergarteners this fall compared to prior years. "Teachers can always tell the very first day of kindergarten which of their students went to preschool or some other high-quality early childhood education environment," Peeks told Newsweek. "With these children who were born during the height of the pandemic, I think the social and behavioral issues will be a much larger focus this kindergarten year." Preschool, childcare workers and other early educators have experienced a significant uptick in challenging behavioral issues in recent years compared to pre-pandemic terms, Peek said, citing surveys from federal Head Start programs and other data. A back-to-school section on August 12 at a Walmart in Dallas, Texas, as millions of kindergarteners prepare to enter classrooms, many for the first time. A back-to-school section on August 12 at a Walmart in Dallas, Texas, as millions of kindergarteners prepare to enter classrooms, many for the first time. AP Photo/LM Otero "And I would imagine that would continue in kindergarten," Peeks said, adding that more early educators have also reported being burnt out from managing their post-pandemic classrooms. "I think it's the fact of dealing with these challenging behaviors, but the adults themselves were also having high levels of stress during the pandemic," the former kindergarten teacher said. "So, their own mental health, their own stress, combined with having to care for these children who were having really big behavioral and emotional challenges ... that is something that these educators have had to deal with more so than pre-pandemic." Peeks also cited researchers at Columbia University who conducted a study of 255 infants born between March and December 2020 that revealed they scored slightly lower on a screening test of social and motor skills at six months compared to their counterparts just before the coronavirus outbreak. "Yes, they might've still gone to preschool in higher numbers, but those are still delays that are going to have to be addressed over time," Peeks said. "It'll be really interesting to see the data and do surveys of kindergarten teachers of this cohort on what they've noticed compared to other class years." The Covid Generation Dr. Dani Dumitriu, the lead investigator of Columbia's ongoing study, said it's too early to understand exactly how being born in the middle of a pandemic will impact those children into adolescence and beyond. "These kids are just aging into 5, we are just starting our assessment," Dumitriu told Newsweek. "I will be able to answer that question in a couple years, but right now, I can tell you with certainty that any academic who tells you that they know something about this generation at age 5 is flatly wrong. You just simply cannot." Within the next year, Columbia expects to finish collecting data from approximately 500 4- and 5-year-olds and then spend another year analyzing those key outcomes, according to Dumitriu, an associate professor of pediatrics and director of Columbia University's Center for Early Relational Health. "In that initial paper, we showed an effect of the pandemic — not an effect of the virus, but just pandemic stress," Dumitriu said last week. "I also really want to stress the fact that six-month data does not predict five-year outcomes. The brain up until about three years of age is so plastic that you simply cannot make any inferences about the future from six-month-old data." 'Kids Are Resilient' Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman accompanied her daughter Evelynne to her first day of kindergarten on Wednesday and acknowledged having a tough time processing the bittersweet milestone. "She's fine," Coleman wrote on X. "Mom? Not so much." Coleman, a Democrat who took office in December 2019, gave birth to Evelynne in February 2020, just weeks before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic and states began issuing stay-at-home orders. Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman attends the first day of kindergarten with her daughter Evelynne on Wednesday. Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman attends the first day of kindergarten with her daughter Evelynne on Wednesday. Courtesy Jacqueline Coleman "There is no question that babies born during COVID, and their parents, faced very unique challenges during an already challenging time for families," Coleman told Newsweek in a statement. Similar to Nico, who was born in July 2020, Evelynne had issues with delayed speech, Coleman said. "Which made sense because she didn't have peer interaction and she was surrounded by adults who were often speaking to her through masks," Coleman said. "But once she was enrolled in daycare, she rebounded, and pre-K helped even more so. Now, we cannot get her to stop talking. I say that half-jokingly, but it also proves what we already know: kids are resilient."
