STATE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROFILE
California
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 8,282,400 women of reproductive age (aged 13-44) in California, 4,657,000 of whom were in need of contraceptive services and supplies. Of these:
- AGE: 612,500 were under the age of 20 and 4,044,400 were aged 20-44.
- INCOME: Among women aged 20-44, 673,100 were below 100% of the federal poverty level.
- RACE/ETHNICITY: 1,755,300 were non-Hispanic white; 326,200 were non-Hispanic black; and 1,804,800 were Hispanic.
- In 2008, there were 2,373,500 women in California in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies. Of these, 612,500 were in need of publicly supported services because they were sexually active teenagers, and 1,761,000 because they had incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- In 2010-2011, 25% of women aged 15-44 in California were uninsured, while 17% were enrolled in Medicaid.
For more information, see Contraceptive Needs and Services, 2006
PREGNANCIES, BIRTHS AND ABORTIONS
- In 2008, there were 897,700 pregnancies to the 7,680,396 women of reproductive age (15-44) in California; 61% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 24% in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 56% of pregnancies in California were unintended. There were 513,000 unintended pregnancies to women in California, producing a rate of 66 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- Of all unintended pregnancies in California in 2006, 47% resulted in live births and 42% resulted in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 62% of births in California resulting from unintended pregnancies were publicly funded, compared with 50% of all births and 41% of births resulting from intended pregnancies.
- Of the 280,300 publicly funded births in California in 2006, 150,600 resulted from unintended pregnancies.
- Births resulting from unintended pregnancies in California accounted for $1,346 million in public costs in 2006, including $673 million in federal costs and $673 million in state costs.
- In 2008, 214,190 women obtained abortions in California, producing a rate of 27.6 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Some of these women were from other states, and some California residents had abortions in other states, so this rate may not reflect the abortion rate of state residents. The rate increased 2% since 2005, when it was 27.1 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44. California represents 17.7% of all abortions in the United States.
- In 2005, 220,840 California residents obtained abortions, producing a rate of 28.3 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- In 2008, there were 98,530 pregnancies to California teens aged 15-19; 53% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 34% in induced abortions.
- In 2008, 33,140 teens obtained abortions in California, producing a rate of 24[3] abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-19.
- In 2008, there were 522 abortion providers in California. This represents a 23% increase from 2005, when there were 424 abortion providers.
- In 2008, 22% of California counties had no abortion provider; 1% of California women lived in these counties.
For more information, see State Facts About Abortion
PUBLICLY FUNDED CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES
- In 2006 in California, 1,008 publicly funded family planning centers provided contraceptive care to 1,307,500 women�including 267,200 teenagers.
- Family planning clinics in California served 64% of all women in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies in 2008.
- In California, $250 in public funds was spent on contraceptive services and supplies per woman in need in 2008.
- In California, 291 family planning centers that received some support through the federal Title-X family planning program provided contraceptive care to 823,400 women�including 174,300 teenagers in 2006.
- Title-X-supported centers in California served 41% 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 California avoid 317,900 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 141,300 unintended births and 132,700 abortions.
- Contraceptive services provided at Title X-supported centers in California helped prevent 200,200 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 89,000 unintended births and 83,600 abortions.
- The services provided at publicly funded family planning centers in California saved the federal and state governments $923,764,000 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 | |
| Woman has right to choose abortion to protect her life/health or before viability |
|
| Abortion Counseling and Waiting Periods | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Parental Involvement in Minors' Abortions | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Restrictions on Private Insurance Coverage of Abortion | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Public Funding of Abortion for Poor Women | |
| State pays for all or most medically necessary abortions |
|
| Refusal Clauses for Abortion Services | |
| Medical professionals may refuse |
|
| Medical institutions may refuse | Religious 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 | Minors 12 years of age and older |
| Parental Involvement in Minors' Abortions | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Sex Education | |
| Sex education must either stress or cover abstinence | Cover |
| Sex education must cover contraception |
|
| State mandates STI/HIV education |
|
| STI/HIV education must either stress or cover abstinence | Cover |
| STI/HIV education must cover contraception |
|
| CONTRACEPTION SERVICES AND FINANCING | |
|
|
| Emergency Contraception in Emergency Rooms | |
| Information must be provided |
|
| Medication must be provided on request |
|
| 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 | |
| Pharmacists or pharmacies must provide contraceptives | Pharmacists |
| Refusal Clauses for Contraceptive Services | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Minors' Consent to Contraceptive Services | |
| All minors explicitly permitted to consent |
|
For more information, see State Policies in Brief