New from the Guttmacher Institute

Guttmacher Institute Monthly State Policy Update

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

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

Legalization Alone Does Not Guarantee Availability of Safe Abortion Services

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:48:00 EST

Evidence shows that restrictive abortion laws contribute substantially to maternal illness and death from unsafe abortion, and, in the last two decades, 26 countries have expanded the conditions under which abortion is legal. While abortion law reform is a positive step toward improving women’s health, little comprehensive information has been available until now on how the laws have been implemented and what impact they have had on the provision of abortion services and women’s health.

Inadequate Knowledge About Contraception is Common Among Young Adults

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:05:00 EST

More than half of young men and a quarter of young women who participated in a 2009 survey displayed serious gaps in knowledge about common contraceptive methods, according to "Young Adults' Contraceptive Knowledge, Norms and Attitudes: Associations with Risk of Unintended Pregnancy," by Jennifer Frost et al. of the Guttmacher Institute.

Just the Numbers: The Impact of U.S. International Family Planning Assistance

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:29:00 EST

For more than 40 years, the United States—through its Agency for International Development (USAID)—has been a global leader in enhancing women’s access to contraceptive services in the world’s poorest countries. Empowering women with control over their own fertility yields benefits for them, their children and their families. It means fewer unintended—and often high-risk—pregnancies and fewer abortions, most of which in the developing world are performed under unsafe conditions. Better birth spacing also makes for healthier mothers, babies and families, and pays far-reaching dividends at the family, society and country levels.

Young Adulthood is a Period of High Risk for Unintended Pregnancy and Birth

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:56:00 EST

More than two-thirds of pregnancies among unmarried women aged 20–29 were unintended in 2008, according to "Unintended Pregnancy: Incidence and Outcomes Among Young Adult Unmarried Women in the United States, 2001 and 2008," by Mia Zolna and Laura Duberstein Lindberg of the Guttmacher Institute.

State Policy Trends: Abortion and Contraception in the Crosshairs

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:42:00 EST

In the first three months of 2012, legislators in 45 of the 46 legislatures that have convened this year introduced 944 provisions related to reproductive health and rights. Half of these provisions would restrict abortion access. So far, 75 abortion restrictions have been approved by at least one legislative chamber, and nine have been enacted. This is below the record-breaking pace of 2011, when 127 abortion restrictions had been approved by at least one body in the first quarter of the year, but still higher than usual for an election year.

Teen Births at Record Low Thanks to Improvements in Contraceptive Use

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:42:00 EST

The U.S. teen birthrate declined 9% between 2009 and 2010 to a record low of 34 births per 1,000 teens aged 15–19, according to final data (released in preliminary form in late 2011) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Teen birthrates have now declined for nearly two decades and the 2010 rate represents a 44% drop from 1991.The CDC notes that, if teen birthrates had remained at the 1991 level, there would have been an estimated 3.4 million additional teen births during 1992–2010.

In India, Cumulative Effects of Social Inequities Linked to Poor Maternal Health Care

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST

Women in India who are poor, have little education and are underweight face substantial barriers in obtaining access to appropriate maternal health care, according to “Multiple Deprivations and Maternal Care in India,” a study by Sanjay K. Mohanty released in the March issue of International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. The study found wide inequalities in the provision of antenatal care, medical assistance at delivery and postnatal care among Indian women. Only 25% of women with a combination of low education, poverty and who were underweight received the recommended number of antenatal visits, compared with 71% of women who did not have any of these characteristics; just 17% of these women gave birth with medical assistance, compared with 69% of other women; and 20% received appropriate postnatal care, compared with 61% of other women.