In the US, women age 17 and over have the legal right to get emergency contraception — sometimes called Plan B or “the morning after pill — over the counter and without a prescription at their pharmacy.

However, according to a new roundtable report by the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center, this right is often denied to Native American women who use Indian Health Services to access healthcare. The report surveyed service providers on reservations across the nation and found women are often told they have to see a doctor or have a prescription to get EC. Some find that the pill isn’t in stock on their reservation.

This is especially alarming in light of the fact that 1 in 3 Native American women will be raped in their lifetime. Under current Indian Health Services policy, there isn’t even a consistent mechanism to provide survivors of rape and sexual assault the medication they need to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.

There’s a simple fix to this problem. Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, the Director of Indian Health Services, can issue a directive to all service providers that emergency contraception be made available on demand — without a prescription and without having to see a doctor — to any woman age 17 or over who asks for it.

Please sign this petition to ask Dr. Roubideaux to issue this directive and to alert the Department of Health and Human Services, which has oversight over her and IHS, to the situation. Native women deserve and demand equal access to basic reproductive health care!

Congress is currently gearing up to put the entire women’s preventive care package in jeopardy based on the objections of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. On February 11th, President Obama announced that these regulations will be implemented so that every insurance company will be required to include birth control coverage without co-pay or deductible – even if religiously affiliated institutions elect not to pay the premium.

But as far as we can tell, some Members of Congress won’t back down from their attacks on women’s health care and the Affordable Care Act. This week is critical for action.

So this V-Day, raise your voices and take action.

Action #1: Twitter bomb congress with #BC4US Valentines.

Step 1:  Print out the #bc4us Valentines (or make your own!)
<3  Hands Off My Birth Control
<3 Congress Listen Up or We’re Breaking Up
<3 Forget Me Not
Step 2:  Take a Picture of You holding the Valentine
Step 3:  Post them on FMLA’s Facebook Page or email them to campusteam@feminist.org
Step 4:  Take a picture of at least 20 friends holding valentines and post them too
Step 5:  Starting on Tuesday, tweet these pictures @SpeakerBoehner and your Senators and make sure to include #bc4us

Action #2: Collect petition signatures urging Congress not to undermine women’s access to basic health care.

Step 1: Sign & share this online letter to your Representatives
Step 2: Print this petition
Step 3: Collect signatures while tabling, giving out condoms, dorm storming… everywhere!
Step 4: Either email or mail the signatures to us directly at 1600 Wilson Blvd, Suite 801, Rosslyn, VA 22209 or deliver them to your Senator’s local office

Action #3: Sign on to the letter from youth activist groups urging national leaders to support birth control coverage without co-pay or deductible.

Step 1: Read the letter from youth groups across the country
Step 2: Email mshalvoy@feminist.org to sign on BY TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14!