If a woman is arrested and taken to a jail in Utah, it’s likely she’ll have access to medications such as a cholesterol pill. But it’s not guaranteed she’ll be able to keep taking her birth control. Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City, wants to change that and the measure, she says, will help these inmates avoid unwanted pregnancies.
HB275 would require county jails to allow these women the option of continuing any “medically prescribed method of contraception.” Dailey-Provost said this could mean letting women bring in their prescriptions, but the jails would also have an obligation to provide the medication, if necessary.