Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) In the United States, approximately 1 in 4 adults have some type of disability, more than 1 in 10 individuals with disabilities can become pregnant, and over 4,100,000 individuals are parents with disabilities. (2) All people, including individuals with disabilities, have the right to decide if, when, and how to start and raise a family, as well as to have healthy pregnancies and postpartum periods. (3) Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12131 et seq. and 12181 et seq.), section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), and section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18116) provide individuals with disabilities with the right to equitably access and receive health care. (4) Disabled individuals face unique barriers when accessing reproductive health care, including accessibility issues at health care facilities, lack of accessible medical diagnostic equipment, barriers to accessible travel, delay in receiving preventative services, and lack of health care providers with training and knowledge on the needs of individuals with disabilities receiving reproductive health care. (5) Reproductive health care is critical to an individual's long-term health. Disabled individuals have higher mortality rates from reproductive related cancers often due to lack of access to reproductive health care, higher rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, and often experience earlier onset menopause. (6) The United States Access Board has established standards for accessible medical diagnostic equipment that were adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice in 2024. Awareness about the standards remains low among providers. Greater provider education, implementation, and enforcement of the standards is necessary to ensure equally effective reproductive and sexual health care for individuals with disabilities. (7) Disabled individuals have an equal right to reproductive autonomy, but harmful stereotypes about individuals with disabilities create barriers to getting care that respects that autonomy. (8) Laws that restrict access to reproductive health care, including abortion care, disproportionally harm individuals who already face barriers to reproductive health care, which includes disabled individuals. (9) Individuals with and without disabilities want children at the same frequency, but individuals with disabilities are less likely to receive contraception counseling and timely prenatal care, experience a higher rate of sterilization, and are at a greater risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. (10) Diversity and inclusion in the health care workforce is a critical factor in the delivery of high-quality, culturally competent health care and improves patient outcomes. However, the rate of students and trainees with disabilities in medical and allied health education remains low compared to those without disabilities.