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Inflatable IUD Erected at Capitol in Rally for Contraceptive Rights

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A 20-foot-tall inflatable intrauterine device (IUD) was set up in front of the Pennsylvania Capitol building on Tuesday (October 1) by the group Americans For Contraception. The inflatable IUD, named Freeda, is part of a nationwide campaign called the "IUD Express Tour" aimed at raising awareness about the importance of access to contraception and advocating for lower health insurance costs associated with birth control.

The group is calling for both state and federal legislation to guarantee access to contraception. Anthony Campisi, a spokesman for Americans For Contraception, told ABC27, "In Harrisburg, the House passed a reproductive and contraception access amendment in June, it hasn’t been taken up by the Senate. So the idea here is to raise awareness of the issue and point to how important, you know, this issue is, particularly given the attacks against it.”

The group is rallying behind House Bill 1140, which was passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in June. The bill requires private and government health insurance companies to cover birth control costs without deductibles or copays. The bill is currently awaiting consideration in the Senate.

The inflatable IUD has been touring the country as part of the campaign. It recently stopped in Philadelphia, where it was welcomed by state Sen. Amanda Cappelletti (D-Montgomery) and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia), who are both advocates for reproductive rights. Keystone Newsroom reports that Cappelletti said, “The Dobbs decision reinforced the fact that our reproductive rights are not safe in this country. We’ve seen legislatures across the nation go after the full spectrum of reproductive health care and safe, effective methods of birth control must be protected."


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