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D.C. Dispatches by Derek Wallbank

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    Franken, Snowe teaming up on bill for emergency contraception for military

    By Derek Wallbank | Published Fri, Dec 18 2009 12:51 pm

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Military health-care facilities around the world would be required to stock emergency contraception under legislation introduced by Sens. Al Franken and Olympia Snowe Thursday.

    Currently, such facilities are allowed to stock contraception but aren't required to. Because it's not required, some military facilities (especially those overseas) don't always carry it, officials with Franken's office said.

    “All servicewomen should have the same access to this medication as civilians do,” Franken said in a statement. “The fact that more than 2,900 sexual assaults were reported last year in the military — a nine percent increase — only heightens the need to ensure emergency contraception is always available.”

    Snowe, a moderate Republican from Maine, is the only Republican to sign on to the bill so far. It has 10 Democratic co-sponsors.

    Washington Bureau | Fri, Dec 18 2009 12:51 pm | Comment

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    minnpost.com/derekwallbank


    Derek Wallbank is MinnPost's Washington, D.C., correspondent, covering Minnesota's congressional delegation and reporting on developments out of Washington that are important to Minnesota readers. After graduating from Michigan State University, he covered Michigan politics for the Gongwer News Service, a publication aimed at political insiders. Later he became a reporter for the Lansing State Journal, writing about education and politics and founding the Journal's respected politics blog. Most recently he was a researcher and reporter with Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C. He can be reached at dwallbank[at]minnpost[dot]com.

    More dispatches by Derek Wallbank