New from the Guttmacher Institute

The President’s Budget: Prevention Advances, but Abortion Rights Stall Out

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:09:00 EST

On February 1, President Obama sent his proposed budget for the fiscal year starting October 1, 2010 to Congress. Here's Guttmacher's analysis.

Review of New Study on a Theory-Based Abstinence Program

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:42:00 EST

An abstinence-only intervention aimed at young, urban African-American adolescents successfully delayed sexual initiation among participants in the program, according to a well-designed new study by John B. Jemmott and colleagues.

Indigenous Women in Bolivia Do Not Desire Larger Families Than Nonindigenous Women

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST

A new study of couples in Bolivia finds that indigenous and nonindigenous women have nearly the same rate of wanted births, dispelling the myth that indigenous women have more children because they desire larger families than nonindigenous women. The study found that unwanted births among indigenous women account for the difference in the birthrates, a disparity likely driven by indigenous women’s poor access to contraceptive services and higher rate of unmet need for contraception…

Haiti Relief Efforts Cannot Afford to Overlook Reproductive Health Needs

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST

Following Haiti’s devastating earthquake, many thousands of Haitians will likely be forced to live in makeshift arrangements for years to come. During this time of displacement, the health and lives of Haiti’s women and girls are threatened by severe living conditions, including the virtual absence of reproductive health services…

Facts on American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:16:00 EST

Following Decade-Long Decline, U.S. Teen Pregnancy Rate Increases as Both Births and Abortions Rise

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST

Following a steep decline in the 1990s and a flattening out in the early 2000s, teen pregnancy rates increased in 2006—reflected in both increased birth and abortion rates. The significant drop in teen pregnancy rates in the 1990s was overwhelmingly due to more and better contraceptive use by sexually active teens. However, this downward trend flattened out and then reversed itself at the same time that programs aimed exclusively at promoting abstinence—which are prohibited from discussing the benefits of contraception—became increasingly widespread, and teens’ use of contraceptives declined…more

State Legislative Trends in 2009

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:23:00 EST

Even as state legislatures grappled with the economic downturn, more than 900 measures related to reproductive health and rights were introduced in 2009. By year’s end, 77 new laws had been enacted in 34 states and the District of Columbia—more than double the 33 laws enacted in 20 states in 2008...

Secretary Clinton Strongly Endorses Global Reproductive Health Investments

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:38:00 EST

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on January 8 declared the U.S. government’s renewed support for and dedication to international family planning and reproductive health programs during a major speech commemorating the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). In her speech, she noted that investing in women—including by helping them time and space their pregnancies and by providing pregnancy-related care—has enormous benefits, not just for individuals and families, but “is essential to the prosperity and opportunity of all, to the stability of families and communities, and the sustainability and development of nations.“

Guttmacher Institute Monthly State Policy Update

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST

This update provides information on legislation, as well as relevant executive branch actions and judicial decisions in states across the country