Bars in Alaska have installed free pregnancy tests in their women’s bathrooms in an effort to curb drinking among pregnant women. The tests are subsidized by the state of Alaska as part of a campaign to reduce fetal alcohol syndrome, which is more prevalent in Alaska than in any other state.
Alaska state Sen. Pete Kelly has been a vocal proponent of distributing free pregnancy tests.
“They’re not that expensive,” Kelly told the Anchorage Daily News when he introduced the idea in March. “They’re a buck-fifty — something like that, about two dollars — per pregnancy test. We’re going to get them in mass quantities and distribute them.”
Kelly added he does not support distributing free birth control in bars.
The project has been successful in Minnesota, where tests are available at some bars and restaurants, as well as convenience stores and a youth center, Crowe said.
Alaska Bars to Offer Pregnancy Tests in Bathrooms [Rheana Murray/ABC]
(via Super Punch)
(Image: pregnancy-test, tipstimes.com/pregnancy, CC-BY)