STATE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROFILE
Arkansas
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 601,000 women of reproductive age (aged 13-44) in Arkansas, 308,900 of whom were in need of contraceptive services and supplies. Of these:
- AGE: 47,700 were under the age of 20 and 261,100 were aged 20-44.
- INCOME: Among women aged 20-44, 47,600 were below 100% of the federal poverty level.
- RACE/ETHNICITY: 224,800 were non-Hispanic white; 56,200 were non-Hispanic black; and 17,200 were Hispanic.
- In 2008, there were 178,900 women in Arkansas in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies. Of these, 47,700 were in need of publicly supported services because they were sexually active teenagers, and 131,200 because they had incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- In 2010-2011, 27% of women aged 15-44 in Arkansas were uninsured, while 16% were enrolled in Medicaid.
For more information, see Contraceptive Needs and Services, 2006
PREGNANCIES, BIRTHS AND ABORTIONS
- In 2008, there were 54,200 pregnancies to the 568,945 women of reproductive age (15-44) in Arkansas; 75% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 9% in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 56% of pregnancies in Arkansas were unintended. There were 31,000 unintended pregnancies to women in Arkansas, producing a rate of 54 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- Of all unintended pregnancies in Arkansas in 2006, 68% resulted in live births and 18% resulted in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 74% of births in Arkansas resulting from unintended pregnancies were publicly funded, compared with 60% of all births and 46% of births resulting from intended pregnancies.
- Of the 24,500 publicly funded births in Arkansas in 2006, 15,300 resulted from unintended pregnancies.
- Births resulting from unintended pregnancies in Arkansas accounted for $169 million in public costs in 2006, including $125 million in federal costs and $44 million in state costs.
- In 2008, 4,890 women obtained abortions in Arkansas, producing a rate of 8.7 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Some of these women were from other states, and some Arkansas residents had abortions in other states, so this rate may not reflect the abortion rate of state residents. The rate increased 4% since 2005, when it was 8.3 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Arkansas represents 0.4% of all abortions in the United States.
- In 2005, 5,690 Arkansas residents obtained abortions, producing a rate of 10.1 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- In 2008, there were 8,190 pregnancies to Arkansas teens aged 15-19; 73% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 12% in induced abortions.
- In 2008, 960 teens obtained abortions in Arkansas, producing a rate of 10 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-19.
- In 2008, there were 6 abortion providers in Arkansas. This represents a 100% increase from 2005, when there were 3 abortion providers.
- In 2008, 97% of Arkansas counties had no abortion provider; 79% of Arkansas women lived in these counties.
For more information, see State Facts About Abortion
PUBLICLY FUNDED CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES
- In 2006 in Arkansas, 144 publicly funded family planning centers provided contraceptive care to 116,300 women�including 34,300 teenagers.
- Family planning clinics in Arkansas served 46% of all women in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies in 2008.
- In Arkansas, $220 in public funds was spent on contraceptive services and supplies per woman in need in 2008.
- In Arkansas, 97 family planning centers that received some support through the federal Title-X family planning program provided contraceptive care to 106,800 women�including 32,000 teenagers in 2006.
- Title-X-supported centers in Arkansas served 42% 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 Arkansas avoid 17,100 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 7,600 unintended births and 7,100 abortions.
- Contraceptive services provided at Title X-supported centers in Arkansas helped prevent 15,700 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 7,000 unintended births and 6,600 abortions.
- The services provided at publicly funded family planning centers in Arkansas saved the federal and state governments $61,638,000 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 | |
| State would restrict abortion to maximum extent permitted by Supreme Court |
|
| 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 | Prior day |
| 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 | |
| Medical professionals may refuse |
|
| Medical institutions may refuse | All institutions |
| ADOLESCENTS | |
|
|
| Minors' Consent to Contraceptive Services | |
| All minors explicitly permitted to consent |
|
| Minors' Consent to STI Services | |
| All or some minors explicitly permitted to consent | All minors |
| Parental Involvement in Minors' Abortions | |
| Parent must consent to an abortion | One parent |
| Sex Education | |
| Sex education must either stress or cover abstinence | Stress |
| STI/HIV education must either stress or cover abstinence | Stress |
| CONTRACEPTION SERVICES AND FINANCING | |
|
|
| Emergency Contraception in Emergency Rooms | |
| Information must be provided |
|
| Private Insurance Coverage of Contraceptive Services | |
| Insurance coverage mandated |
|
| Employers may refuse to provide coverage | Religious employers |
| Medicaid Family Planning Expansions | |
| Eligibility for Medicaid family planning based on income | 200% Federal Poverty Level |
| Contraceptive Access in Pharmacies | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Refusal Clauses for Contraceptive Services | |
| Health care providers may refuse |
|
| Pharmacists or pharmacies may refuse | Pharmacists |
| Medical institutions may refuse | Private institutions |
| Minors' Consent to Contraceptive Services | |
| All minors explicitly permitted to consent |
|
For more information, see State Policies in Brief