RCW 74.09.657: Findings—Family planning services expansion.

The legislature finds that:

(1) Over half of all births in Washington state are covered by public programs;

(2) Research has demonstrated that children of unintended pregnancies receive less prenatal care and are at higher risk for premature birth, low birth weight, neurological disorders, and poor academic performance;

(3) In Washington state, over 50 percent of unintended pregnancies occur in women age 25 years and older;

(4) Washington state's take charge program has been successful in helping women avoid unintended pregnancies; however, when the caseload declined due to federally mandated changes, the rate of unintended pregnancies increased dramatically;

(5) Expanding family planning services to cover women to 260 percent of the federal poverty level would align that program's eligibility standard with income eligibility for publicly funded maternity care service; and

(6) Such an expansion would reduce unintended pregnancies and associated costs to the state.