For background, read about states defunding Planned Parenthood, and also read how Congress failed to do so.
-- From "Who Pays For Unintended Pregnancies?" by Julie Rovner, NPR 5/19/11
While some states and the federal government debate whether to halt funding of Planned Parenthood and other providers of family planning services, a new study finds that the cost of unintended pregnancies is large, and much of the bill — about $11 billion per year — goes to government programs and ultimately taxpayers.
The study by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that was formerly affiliated with Planned Parenthood, is sure to raise some eyebrows in the anti-abortion community.
In the fight to take away Planned Parenthood's funding (which is more about abortion than family planning, since the organization provides both services), many abortion foes have also claimed that access to contraception actually increases the number of abortions.
"Funding for (Planned Parenthood) has increased by the millions over the last several years, and yet STDs and abortion rates continue to rise," said Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that works to elect anti-abortion women candidates, on NPR's Talk of the Nation.
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From "Unplanned pregnancies in states reach 4 in 10" by Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY 5/19/11
According to the analysis released today, more than half of pregnancies in 29 states and the District of Columbia were unintended; 38% to 50% were unintended in the remaining states.
Using another measure that calculates frequency of unintended pregnancies, the analysis by the nonprofit Guttmacher Institute found the highest rates of unintended pregnancy were in the South, Southwest and in states with large urban populations. Highest was Mississippi with 69 per 1,000 women ages 15-44; lowest was New Hampshire, with 36 per 1,000.
The analysis, based on 2006 data, the most recent available, used national and state surveys on pregnancy intentions, births, abortions and miscarriages, including data from 86,000 women who gave birth and 9,000 women who had abortions. It is published online in the journal Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
In nearly every state, about 65% to 75% of unintended pregnancies were considered mistimed and 25% to 35% unwanted, according to Guttmacher, which studies reproductive issues.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Unintended Pregnancy and Taxpayer Spending" by Emily Monea, Research Analyst & Adam Thomas, Research Director (both from the Center on Children and Families of the Brookings Institute) 5/20/11
CONTEXT: Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. These pregnancies likely represent a substantial cost to taxpayers, but national-level estimates of these public costs have been lacking.
CONCLUSIONS: The prevention of unintended pregnancy represents an important opportunity for the public to reap substantial savings, especially given the current fiscal climate. The enactment or expansion of cost-effective policies to prevent unintended pregnancies is therefore a timely and sensible strategy.
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From "As more states try to strip Planned Parenthood of pregnancy-prevention funds, new studies suggest taxpayers will pay more" by Sofia Resnick, The American Independent 5/19/11
According to data revealed in these studies, two-thirds of births, or 1 million, each year are publicly funded either through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Two studies –- on the public costs of births resulting from unintended pregnancies and on unintended pregnancy and taxpayer spending –- relied on different methodological approaches but ultimately arrived at similar figures and the same conclusion: that “huge” public savings could be seen from reducing unintended pregnancy in this country.
“Even taking our results at face value,” the Brookings Institute analysts write, “one can conclude that the prevention of unintended pregnancy would produce substantial public savings. For example, our mean estimate of annual savings ($5.6 billion) is more than three-quarters the level of federal funding for either the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children ($7.25 billion) or the Head Start and Early Head Start programs ($7.23 billion).”
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From "Unintended Pregnancies Cost Government $11 Billion a Year" by Kristina Peterson, Wall Street Journal 5/20/11
To the list of hot-button ideas for reducing the federal government's budget deficit, add one more: stopping unwanted pregnancies.
Planned Parenthood, whom Republican lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to exclude from federal health programs recently, embraced the study's findings.
"If anyone doubted that affordable birth control is good for families and good for taxpayers, these new findings should set the record straight," Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. Planned Parenthood does not use federal funds for abortions.
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