The Guttmacher Institute has released a report, the first of its kind, which ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia on state efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies, or women's access to birth control services.
Among industrialized countries, the United States has one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancy. According to the latest figures, nearly half of the 6 million pregnancies that occur each year among American women are unintended. Of those, 1.4 million result in births, and 1.3 million result in abortion. Between 1981 and 1994, the latest year for which data are available, the rate of unintended pregnancy in the US declined, from 54.2 per thousand women of child-bearing age to 44.7.
Each state and the District of Columbia were rated on: service availability, laws and policies, and public funding.
The study found a wide gap in states efforts to reduce unwanted pregnancies.
"The majority of states are sliding backward," said Sharon Camp, president of the Guttmacher Institute. "State budgets are under pressure, but not investing in family planning is shortsighted."
Leading the nation in addressing unplanned pregnancies is California, which has the most effective laws and policies promoting the use of contraception, resulting in a nearly 40 percent decline in teen pregnancy, the study found.
Unlike other states, there is at least one family planning clinic in every county in California, the study found. Altogether, there are 821 public clinics that serve more than 1 million women in the state. In 2001, California spent $124 per woman in need of contraceptive services compared with the national rate of $79 per woman.
Nebraska ranked the lowest in the survey, mainly because of lack of access to family planning and lack of public funding, researchers found. Only a quarter of counties in Nebraska have one or more family planning clinic and they serve about a third of women and teenagers in need of contraceptive services, according to the study.
The Best and Worst States
A geographically and politically diverse group of states, including California, Alaska, South Carolina, Alabama and New York, rank highest in their efforts to serve women in need of contraceptive services, allocate public funding to family planning, and adopt laws and policies that promote access to contraceptive information and services. The analysis also shows, however, that officials in other states, including bottom-ranking Nebraska, North Dakota, Indiana, Ohio and Utah, are failing the women who live there. The report concludes that both state and national policymakers must take bold new steps to improve women’s health if they are to meet the goal for reducing unintended pregnancy.
Alabama and South Carolina rank in the top five, Tennessee ranks 38.
Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Alabama ranked:
23rd in service availability;
8th in laws and policies;
4th in public funding; and
4th overall.
Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Tennessee ranked:
30th in service availability;
42nd in laws and policies;
20th in public funding; and
38th overall.
Amazingly, Alabama makes Tennessee look like a third world state.
In my view, Tennessee's poor scores are the direct result of our hopelessly self-centered male legislators, many of whom view women only in terms of our service to them, or our roles as wives and mothers. In Tennessee, and much of the nation, the best way to reduce unwanted pregnancies is to kick the bums out.
Birth Control Abortion Reproductive Rights Feminism Patriarchy Contraception Alabama Tennessee
