Guttmacher Institute study shows how access to contraceptives affects abortion rate

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Guttmacher Institute study shows how access to contraceptives affects abortion rate

By JewsOnFirst , March 7, 2006

The same week that South Dakota's extreme anti-abortion bill hung between the state legislature and the governor's pen, the Alan Guttmacher Institute, which specializes in reproductive health issues, released a massive study showing that abortion rates rise and fall in synch with the availability of family planning services. Nevertheless, with the exception of the Washington Post and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the report got astonishingly little national coverage.

From the Guttmacher Institute's news release, its study, and the Washington Post report, we learn that states which fund programs to make family planning services widely accessible had lower rates of unplanned pregnancies -- and women having abortions. In recent years, many states cut back on these programs, making poor women and girls more likely to have unintended pregnancies. Meanwhile, the religious right is aggressively campaigning both to end the availability of abortion and to limit access to contraception.

The United States has sky-high rates of unplanned pregnancies and abortions. As Guttmacher President Sharon L. Camp told the Washington Post, "Unintended pregnancy in the United States is twice as high as in most of Western Europe. As a direct result, abortion rates are twice or three times as high as European countries. There is no reason why abortion rates need to be as high as they are."

Newspapers in a number of states published reports on the Guttmacher study. The state-focused reports we have included here are typical.

Note: the Guttmacher Instititute is selling the poster pictured here at www.guttmacher.org. .

States As Diverse As California And South Carolina Get Top Ranking for Efforts to Prevent Unintended Pregnancy

Efforts to Improve Access to Contraception Vary Widely; Some States Lag Far Behind

News release, Guttmacher Institute, February 28, 2006

"New research from the Guttmacher Institute finds that, while a number of states have shown commitment and creativity in addressing unintended pregnancy, others lag far behind. The nation’s high rate of unintended pregnancy—and the enormous societal impact of this problem—prompted the federal government in 2000 to set a public health goal of reducing unintended pregnancy by 40% by 2010 and to recognize family planning as key to achieving that objective. In light of this, the Guttmacher Institute assessed each state’s level of commitment to improving access to contraception and ranked them accordingly. The analysis is particularly timely given the ongoing national debate over how to reduce unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion." Click here for the news release, which has links to the study.

Unintended Pregnancy Linked to State Funding Cuts

First-of-Its-Kind Study Cites Impact On Teenage Girls and Poor Women

By Ceci Connolly, The Washington Post, March 1, 2006

"At a time when policymakers have made reducing unintended pregnancies a national priority, 33 states have made it more difficult or more expensive for poor women and teenagers to obtain contraceptives and related medical services, according to an analysis released yesterday by the nonpartisan Guttmacher Institute." Click here to read the report.

Study: State family-planning efforts vary

By By Alicia Chang, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 28, 2006

"LOS ANGELES -- A wide gap exists among states in their efforts to help women reduce unplanned pregnancies and gain access to contraception, according to new research released Tuesday.

"The study by the nonprofit Guttmacher Institute is the first to rank all 50 states and the District of Columbia on how well women have access to contraceptive care.

"Roughly half of the 6 million pregnancies in the United States each year are unintended and result in about 1.3 million abortions, statistics show." Click here to read the report.

Women in Ohio face hurdles to birth control, survey says

By Regina McEnery, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 1, 2006

Ohio women, particularly those living in poverty, face some of the toughest hurdles when it comes to contraception, according to a national survey released Tuesday by the Alan Guttmacher Institute.

In a state-by-state report card judging contraception policy, the New York-based institute ranked Ohio 48th overall for failing to provide adequate health insurance coverage or family planning money for birth control. The state's mandate for abstinence education in schools contributed to its low marks. Click here to read the report.

Mississippi receives mixed reviews for its contraception methodology

By Valerie Bauman, Sun Herald (Southern Mississippi), Feb. 28, 2006

"JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi has received mixed reviews of its efforts to prevent unintended pregnancies, in a report released Tuesday by the New York-based Guttmacher Institute.

"The nonprofit reproductive health research group ranked Mississippi third in the nation for making reproductive services available to women, but placed the state 42nd for its laws and policies addressing contraception." Click here to read the report.

State behind in helping women avoid unplanned pregnancies

A recent study shows the Hoosier state lags behind others in helping uninsured and underinsured women get access to contraception

By Naseem Sowti, The Star Press (Muncie, Indiana), March 13, 2006

"MUNCIE -- Next to last is where Indiana sits when it comes to improving access to contraception for women, according to a new national survey." Click here to read the report.