STATE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROFILE
Alabama
NATIONAL BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Despite the demonstrable importance and ubiquity of contraception, the truth is that ensuring that every pregnancy is wanted and planned is difficult, at both the individual and the societal levels. For the typical American woman to have two children, she will spend about five years pregnant, postpartum or attempting to become pregnant, and three decades�more than three-quarters of her reproductive life�trying to avoid pregnancy. Not all women, however, are successful: About half of all pregnancies in the United States each year�more than three million of them�are unintended. By age 45, more than half of all American women will have experienced an unintended pregnancy, and about one-third will have had an abortion. Nonetheless, contraceptive use can and does dramatically reduce women�s odds of having an unintended pregnancy.
DEMOGRAPHICS
- In 2008, there were 1,002,900 women of reproductive age (aged 13-44) in Alabama, 525,200 of whom were in need of contraceptive services and supplies. Of these:
- AGE: 82,900 were under the age of 20 and 442,300 were aged 20-44.
- INCOME: Among women aged 20-44, 71,500 were below 100% of the federal poverty level.
- RACE/ETHNICITY: 338,800 were non-Hispanic white; 158,200 were non-Hispanic black; and 14,600 were Hispanic.
- In 2008, there were 271,200 women in Alabama in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies. Of these, 82,900 were in need of publicly supported services because they were sexually active teenagers, and 188,300 because they had incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- In 2010-2011, 21% of women aged 15-44 in Alabama were uninsured, while 14% were enrolled in Medicaid.
For more information, see Contraceptive Needs and Services, 2006
PREGNANCIES, BIRTHS AND ABORTIONS
- In 2008, there were 89,900 pregnancies to the 951,104 women of reproductive age (15-44) in Alabama; 72% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 13% in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 55% of pregnancies in Alabama were unintended. There were 48,000 unintended pregnancies to women in Alabama, producing a rate of 51 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- Of all unintended pregnancies in Alabama in 2006, 63% resulted in live births and 23% resulted in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 66% of births in Alabama resulting from unintended pregnancies were publicly funded, compared with 50% of all births and 34% of births resulting from intended pregnancies.
- Of the 31,500 publicly funded births in Alabama in 2006, 20,200 resulted from unintended pregnancies.
- Births resulting from unintended pregnancies in Alabama accounted for $175 million in public costs in 2006, including $122 million in federal costs and $53 million in state costs.
- In 2008, 11,270 women obtained abortions in Alabama, producing a rate of 12 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Some of these women were from other states, and some Alabama residents had abortions in other states, so this rate may not reflect the abortion rate of state residents. The rate increased 0% since 2005, when it was 11.9 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Alabama represents 0.9% of all abortions in the United States.
- In 2005, 11,130 Alabama residents obtained abortions, producing a rate of 11.8 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- In 2008, there were 12,360 pregnancies to Alabama teens aged 15-19; 69% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 15% in induced abortions.
- In 2008, 1,900 teens obtained abortions in Alabama, producing a rate of 11 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-19.
- In 2008, there were 8 abortion providers in Alabama. This represents a 38% decrease from 2005, when there were 13 abortion providers.
- In 2008, 93% of Alabama counties had no abortion provider; 61% of Alabama women lived in these counties.
For more information, see State Facts About Abortion
PUBLICLY FUNDED CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES
- In 2006 in Alabama, 166 publicly funded family planning centers provided contraceptive care to 85,100 women�including 22,400 teenagers.
- Family planning clinics in Alabama served 50% of all women in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies in 2008.
- In Alabama, $366 in public funds was spent on contraceptive services and supplies per woman in need in 2008.
- In Alabama, 81 family planning centers that received some support through the federal Title-X family planning program provided contraceptive care to 67,700 women�including 18,200 teenagers in 2006.
- Title-X-supported centers in Alabama served 40% of all women in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies in 2008.
For more information, see Contraceptive Needs and Services, 2006
IMPACT OF PUBLICLY FUNDED CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES
- Publicly funded family planning services help women to avoid pregnancies they do not want and to plan pregnancies they do. In 2008, these services helped women in Alabama avoid 28,200 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 12,500 unintended births and 11,800 abortions.
- Contraceptive services provided at Title X-supported centers in Alabama helped prevent 22,400 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 10,000 unintended births and 9,400 abortions.
- The services provided at publicly funded family planning centers in Alabama saved the federal and state governments $59,701,000 in 2008.
For more information, see Next Steps for America's Family Planning Program
STATE POLICIES
Policy Summary Table, as of April 1st, 2013
| ABORTION | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Abortion Policy in the Absence of Roe v. Wade | |
| Pre-Roe abortion ban still in place |
|
| Abortion Counseling and Waiting Periods | |
| Mandated counseling includes information designed to discourage abortion |
|
| State imposes waiting period between counseling and abortion | 24 hours |
| Parental Involvement in Minors' Abortions | |
| Parent must consent to an abortion | One parent |
| Restrictions on Private Insurance Coverage of Abortion | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Public Funding of Abortion for Poor Women | |
| Public funding is available in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest | Only life, rape or incest. |
| Refusal Clauses for Abortion Services | |
| No policy in effect | |
| ADOLESCENTS | |
|
|
| Minors' Consent to Contraceptive Services | |
| Minors of a certain age explicitly permitted to consent | Minors 14 years of age and older |
| Minors' Consent to STI Services | |
| All or some minors explicitly permitted to consent | Minors 12 years of age and older |
| Parental Involvement in Minors' Abortions | |
| Parent must consent to an abortion | One parent |
| Sex Education | |
| Sex education must either stress or cover abstinence | Stress |
| Sex education must cover contraception |
|
| State mandates STI/HIV education |
|
| STI/HIV education must either stress or cover abstinence | Stress |
| STI/HIV education must cover contraception |
|
| CONTRACEPTION SERVICES AND FINANCING | |
|
|
| Emergency Contraception in Emergency Rooms | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Private Insurance Coverage of Contraceptive Services | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Medicaid Family Planning Expansions | |
| Eligibility for Medicaid family planning based on income | 133% Federal Poverty Level |
| Contraceptive Access in Pharmacies | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Refusal Clauses for Contraceptive Services | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Minors' Consent to Contraceptive Services | |
| Minors of a certain age explicitly permitted to consent | Minors 14 years of age and older |
For more information, see State Policies in Brief