◆ Long-term birth control bills get through Senate committee.

Two state Senate bills appropriating funds aimed at boosting use of long-term birth control were approved Thursday by the Senate Public Affairs Committee.

Senate Bill 40 asked for $1.2 million to create a training program for health professionals on providing intrauterine devices and implants, which provide contraception for years after insertion.

The committee’s 4-2 vote fell along party lines, with Republicans opposing it.

The second measure, Senate Bill 41, requests $500,000 for a two-year public awareness campaign on long-acting, reversible contraception, which has proven to dramatically decrease unplanned pregnancies and abortions. The committee passed it unanimously.

Both bills, introduced by Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, now advance to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.

Papen said the public awareness campaign would be led by the New Mexico Department of Health and clinics offering birth control services. The funding would cover advertisements and support programs that provide information about long-term birth control.

Papen cited the state’s high rates of teen and unwanted pregnancy as reasons to reach out to women about contraception.

“Many young women may not be aware of the services they can access at no cost,” she said.

While teen pregnancy in the state has been on the decline since 2009, New Mexico still has the sixth-highest rate in the nation.

The training program would benefit public health offices and some school-based health centers, Papen said.

Republican Sen. Craig Brandt of Rio Rancho asked if parents would be notified if their children asked for contraception at a school health center.

That would vary by school district, Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, replied.

Sen. Candace Gould, R-Albuquerque, asked if the funds would support abortion counseling. Papen didn’t think so.

Marianna Anaya, a spokeswoman with ProgressNow NM, said any health care provider with expertise in long-term contraception would be able to access the training funds, including Planned Parenthood.

Reproductive rights attorney Ellie Rushforth of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico said the funding would fill a gap that’s existed in the state for years.

“Many service providers didn’t feel trained to competency, and there wasn’t a resource for them to get that training to provide long-acting reversible contraception,” Rushforth said.