New from the Guttmacher Institute

Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the United States

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EST

June Issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Now Available

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:45:00 EST

The June issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health is now available online.

Guttmacher Institute Monthly State Policy Update

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 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

Preventing Unintended Pregnancies Could Reduce Short Spacing Between Pregnancies, Improving Maternal and Newborn Health

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:40:00 EST

One-third of U.S. pregnancies occur within 18 months of a previous birth, according to "Short Interpregnancy Intervals in the United States," by Alison Gemmill of the University of California, Berkeley, Laura Lindberg of the Guttmacher Institute, while 50% occurred within 18–59 months, and 16% occurred at 60 or more months. Short birth spacing, which was measured as 18 months or less, was found to be strongly linked to unintended pregnancies, and being between 15 and 19 years old at the time of conception.

Publicly Supported Clinics, Such as Those Funded Through Title X, Play a Critical Role in Ensuring Women’s Access to Reproductive Health Care

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:36:00 EST

Seven in 10 U.S. women of reproductive age—44 million women—make at least one medical visit to obtain sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services each year, and approximately 25 million make a visit for contraceptive services, according to "U.S. Women's Use of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: Trends, Sources of Care and Factors Associated with Use, 1995–2010," by Jennifer Frost. Over the last decade, publicly supported safety net clinics have become increasingly important in giving young and low-income women access to care; the proportion of women receiving SRH services at this type of clinic rose from 17% of those receiving care in 1995 to 23% each year between 2006 and 2010.

New Infographic: Contraception Is Highly Effective

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:09:00 EST

By preventing unintended pregnancies, contraception provides significant health, social and economic benefits for women. But as this infographic documents, correct and consistent contraceptive use is critical.

New Report Finds Uneven Progress in Expanding Pregnancy and Delivery Care in the Developing World

Tue, 28 May 2013 14:48:00 EST

Each year, an estimated 287,000 women worldwide die from pregnancy-related causes, and approximately three million newborns do not survive past the first 28 days of life. The majority of these deaths occur in developing countries at or around the time of delivery, and result from treatable conditions that could be prevented with adequate care. However, more than a third of women in the developing world do not give birth in a health facility that has properly trained staff and adequate equipment. The vast majority of these women with an unmet need for delivery care—36 million out of the 44 million—live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. These findings come from a new Guttmacher Institute study, Adding it Up: The Need for and Cost Maternal and Newborn Care—Estimates for 2012, by Susheela Singh, Jacqueline E. Darroch and Lori S. Ashford.

Guttmacher at the Women Deliver Conference

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:15:00 EST

Guttmacher staff and research will be featured at several events throughout the Women Deliver 2013 conference. We invite you to attend the following panel discussions and events and visit our exhibit to hear more about our latest projects.

New Infographic: Banning Abortion Endangers Women’s Health

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:59:00 EST

Research shows that making abortion illegal does not stop it from occurring, but rather just drives it underground, forcing women to obtain clandestine and unsafe procedures. Every year, 47,000 women die as a result of unsafe abortions, and millions more are injured, some seriously and permanently. Virtually all of these deaths and injuries take place in countries with highly restrictive abortion laws, and they are almost entirely preventable.

New Study Finds Little Progress in Meeting Demand for Contraception in the Poorest Countries

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:41:00 EST

A new study by the Guttmacher Institute finds that within the developing world, the poorest countries are lagging far behind higher-income developing countries in meeting the demand for modern contraception. Between 2003 and 2012, the total number of women wanting to avoid pregnancy and in need of contraception increased from 716 million to 867 million, with growth concentrated among women in the 69 poorest countries where modern method use was already very low. The study, Trends in Contraceptive Need and Use in Developing Countries in 2003, 2008, 2012: An Analysis of National Surveys by Jacqueline E. Darroch and Susheela Singh, is published in the latest issue of The Lancet.

New Guide Makes Data on Young People’s Sexual Health and Rights More Accessible

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:51:00 EST

The Guttmacher Institute and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) are pleased to launch Demystifying Data: A Guide to Using Evidence to Improve Young People’s Sexual Health and Rights, a new publication designed to make accessible and contextualize a wealth of data on adolescent sexual health and rights in 30 countries, and to provide guidance on how to apply the data to advocacy, education and service provision efforts. The guide is designed to be a resource for youth advocates, sexuality educators and service providers as well as others working to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people around the world.

In Tanzania, Unsafe Abortion Is a Leading Cause of Maternal Injury and Death

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:57:00 EST

Despite the country's restrictive abortion law, many women in Tanzania resort to abortion when faced with an unintended pregnancy. A new report, "Unsafe Abortion in Tanzania: A Review of the Evidence," by the Guttmacher Institute and the Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians of Tanzania (AGOTA), finds that virtually all abortions in the country are unsafe, posing grave risks to women's health. According to the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, 16% of all maternal deaths in the country result from complications of clandestine abortions. Some small-scale studies show that in some parts of the country this figure may be high as 25%.

Meeting the Need for Maternal and Newborn Care in the Developing World—Estimates for 2012

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:27:00 EST

Family Planning Is Key to Healthy Pregnancies and Births

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:36:00 EST

In the United States, an estimated 11,300 babies die each year on the day they are born, according to a new report from Save the Children.

Many Women Find It Difficult to Pay for an Abortion Procedure, are Unable to Use Insurance

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:20:00 EST

Most women who have abortions have health insurance, but most still pay out-of-pocket for abortion services, according to "At What Cost? Payment for Abortion Care by U.S. Women," by Rachel Jones of the Guttmacher Institute et al., published online in the journal Women's Health Issues. This is true for women with both public and private health insurance. The most common reason women reported not using their insurance was that they believed their plan didn't cover it (46%)—either because they were told abortion was not covered or more often assumed it was not. About one in 10 women indicated that they did not want to use their insurance, presumably because of stigma or concerns about confidentiality.

On Emergency Contraception, the Administration Does a Disservice to Young Women—Again

Fri, 03 May 2013 14:41:00 EST

Recent moves by the Obama administration to require age and point-of-sale restrictions for emergency contraception (EC) continue to erect barriers to young and marginalized women’s timely access to this safe and effective contraceptive method. The administration’s actions represent a rejection of evidence-based policy-making that will only make it harder for teens and other women to prevent unintended pregnancies.