STATE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROFILE
Missouri
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 1,262,100 women of reproductive age (aged 13-44) in Missouri, 670,800 of whom were in need of contraceptive services and supplies. Of these:
- AGE: 98,700 were under the age of 20 and 572,100 were aged 20-44.
- INCOME: Among women aged 20-44, 87,600 were below 100% of the federal poverty level.
- RACE/ETHNICITY: 529,000 were non-Hispanic white; 94,800 were non-Hispanic black; and 22,100 were Hispanic.
- In 2008, there were 349,500 women in Missouri in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies. Of these, 98,700 were in need of publicly supported services because they were sexually active teenagers, and 250,800 because they had incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- In 2010-2011, 21% of women aged 15-44 in Missouri 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 105,300 pregnancies to the 1,195,693 women of reproductive age (15-44) in Missouri; 77% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 7% in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 53% of pregnancies in Missouri were unintended. There were 61,000 unintended pregnancies to women in Missouri, producing a rate of 51 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- Of all unintended pregnancies in Missouri in 2006, 61% resulted in live births and 25% resulted in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 65% of births in Missouri resulting from unintended pregnancies were publicly funded, compared with 50% of all births and 37% of births resulting from intended pregnancies.
- Of the 40,700 publicly funded births in Missouri in 2006, 24,500 resulted from unintended pregnancies.
- Births resulting from unintended pregnancies in Missouri accounted for $262 million in public costs in 2006, including $162 million in federal costs and $100 million in state costs.
- In 2008, 7,440 women obtained abortions in Missouri, producing a rate of 6.3 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Some of these women were from other states, and some Missouri residents had abortions in other states, so this rate may not reflect the abortion rate of state residents. The rate declined 10% since 2005, when it was 6.9 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Missouri represents 0.6% of all abortions in the United States.
- In 2005, 15,250 Missouri residents obtained abortions, producing a rate of 12.8 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- In 2008, there were 13,580 pregnancies to Missouri teens aged 15-19; 67% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 17% in induced abortions.
- In 2008, 2,350 teens obtained abortions in Missouri, producing a rate of 11 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-19.
- In 2008, there were 6 abortion providers in Missouri. This represents a 14% decrease from 2005, when there were 7 abortion providers.
- In 2008, 97% of Missouri counties had no abortion provider; 73% of Missouri women lived in these counties.
For more information, see State Facts About Abortion
PUBLICLY FUNDED CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES
- In 2006 in Missouri, 185 publicly funded family planning centers provided contraceptive care to 116,200 women�including 27,200 teenagers.
- Family planning clinics in Missouri served 29% of all women in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies in 2008.
- In Missouri, $150 in public funds was spent on contraceptive services and supplies per woman in need in 2008.
- In Missouri, 96 family planning centers that received some support through the federal Title-X family planning program provided contraceptive care to 83,800 women�including 18,200 teenagers in 2006.
- Title-X-supported centers in Missouri served 21% 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 Missouri avoid 20,800 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 9,200 unintended births and 8,700 abortions.
- Contraceptive services provided at Title X-supported centers in Missouri helped prevent 15,000 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 6,700 unintended births and 6,300 abortions.
- The services provided at publicly funded family planning centers in Missouri saved the federal and state governments $77,513,000 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 |
|
| Abortion Counseling and Waiting Periods | |
| Mandated counseling includes information designed to discourage abortion |
|
| State imposes waiting period between counseling and abortion | 24 hours |
| Woman must make two trips: one for abortion counseling and another for the procedure |
|
| Parental Involvement in Minors' Abortions | |
| Parent must consent to an abortion | One parent |
| Restrictions on Private Insurance Coverage of Abortion | |
| Insurance may only cover in cases of life endangerment |
|
| Insurance for state employees restricted | Coverage in limited circumstances |
| 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 | |
| No policy in effect | |
| 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 |
| State mandates STI/HIV education |
|
| STI/HIV education must either stress or cover abstinence | Stress |
| CONTRACEPTION SERVICES AND FINANCING | |
|
|
| Emergency Contraception in Emergency Rooms | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Private Insurance Coverage of Contraceptive Services | |
| Insurance coverage mandated |
|
| Employers may refuse to provide coverage | All employers |
| Insurers may refuse to provide coverage | All insurers |
| Medicaid Family Planning Expansions | |
| Eligibility for Medicaid family planning based on income | 185% 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 | |
| No policy in effect | |
For more information, see State Policies in Brief