STAND. COM. REP. NO.1337-02

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.R. No. 137

H.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.R. No. 137, H.D. 1, entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DRAFTING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROTOCOL TO ALLOW EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this resolution is to reduce unintended pregnancies and induced abortions by requesting that an advisory committee be formed to draft protocols allowing pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception without a prior prescription from a physician.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, the Board of Pharmacy, the ACLU Hawaii, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii, Kaiser Permanente, Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, and concerned individuals.

Your Committee finds that emergency contraception is an important tool for reducing unplanned pregnancies resulting from failure of contraceptives, failure to use contraceptives, or sexual assaults. In addition, induced abortions subsequent to unintended pregnancies could be avoided if emergency contraceptive measures were more readily available.

Your Committee has amended the resolution by deleting the statement that emergency contraception is not abortion because the primary purpose of this resolution is towards access to care and references that emergency contraception does not constitute abortion merely complicates this matter without serving to further the main purposes herein.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 137, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 137, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs,

 

____________________________

ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair