STATE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROFILE
Utah
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 637,700 women of reproductive age (aged 13-44) in Utah, 368,900 of whom were in need of contraceptive services and supplies. Of these:
- AGE: 53,200 were under the age of 20 and 315,800 were aged 20-44.
- INCOME: Among women aged 20-44, 45,600 were below 100% of the federal poverty level.
- RACE/ETHNICITY: 301,900 were non-Hispanic white; 3,400 were non-Hispanic black; and 42,500 were Hispanic.
- In 2008, there were 187,400 women in Utah in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies. Of these, 53,200 were in need of publicly supported services because they were sexually active teenagers, and 134,300 because they had incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- In 2010-2011, 18% of women aged 15-44 in Utah were uninsured, while 8% were enrolled in Medicaid.
For more information, see Contraceptive Needs and Services, 2006
PREGNANCIES, BIRTHS AND ABORTIONS
- In 2008, there were 71,200 pregnancies to the 600,579 women of reproductive age (15-44) in Utah; 78% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 6% in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 38% of pregnancies in Utah were unintended. There were 26,000 unintended pregnancies to women in Utah, producing a rate of 45 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- Of all unintended pregnancies in Utah in 2006, 71% resulted in live births and 15% resulted in induced abortions.
- In 2006, 50% of births in Utah resulting from unintended pregnancies were publicly funded, compared with 33% of all births and 25% of births resulting from intended pregnancies.
- Of the 17,900 publicly funded births in Utah in 2006, 9,100 resulted from unintended pregnancies.
- Births resulting from unintended pregnancies in Utah accounted for $95 million in public costs in 2006, including $67 million in federal costs and $28 million in state costs.
- In 2008, 4,000 women obtained abortions in Utah, producing a rate of 6.7 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Some of these women were from other states, and some Utah residents had abortions in other states, so this rate may not reflect the abortion rate of state residents. The rate increased 5% since 2005, when it was 6.4 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Utah represents 0.3% of all abortions in the United States.
- In 2005, 3,940 Utah residents obtained abortions, producing a rate of 6.7 per 1,000 women of reproductive age.
- In 2008, there were 5,180 pregnancies to Utah teens aged 15-19; 72% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 12% in induced abortions.
- In 2008, 620 teens obtained abortions in Utah, producing a rate of 6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-19.
- In 2008, there were 7 abortion providers in Utah. This represents a 17% increase from 2005, when there were 6 abortion providers.
- In 2008, 97% of Utah counties had no abortion provider; 64% of Utah women lived in these counties.
For more information, see State Facts About Abortion
PUBLICLY FUNDED CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES
- In 2006 in Utah, 69 publicly funded family planning centers provided contraceptive care to 47,300 women�including 15,100 teenagers.
- Family planning clinics in Utah served 25% of all women in need of publicly supported contraceptive services and supplies in 2008.
- In Utah, $119 in public funds was spent on contraceptive services and supplies per woman in need in 2008.
- In Utah, 22 family planning centers that received some support through the federal Title-X family planning program provided contraceptive care to 29,400 women�including 11,900 teenagers in 2006.
- Title-X-supported centers in Utah served 15% 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 Utah avoid 9,600 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 4,300 unintended births and 4,000 abortions.
- Contraceptive services provided at Title X-supported centers in Utah helped prevent 5,900 unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 2,600 unintended births and 2,500 abortions.
- The services provided at publicly funded family planning centers in Utah saved the federal and state governments $38,235,000 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 | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Abortion Counseling and Waiting Periods | |
| Mandated counseling includes information designed to discourage abortion |
|
| State imposes waiting period between counseling and abortion | 72 hours |
| Woman must make two trips: one for abortion counseling and another for the procedure |
|
| Parental Involvement in Minors' Abortions | |
| Parent must consent and be notified before an abortion |
|
| Restrictions on Private Insurance Coverage of Abortion | |
| Insurance may only cover in cases of life endangerment, severe health, rape, incest or fetal impairment |
|
| 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 | Also for physical health threat. |
| Refusal Clauses for Abortion Services | |
| Medical professionals may refuse |
|
| Medical institutions may refuse | Private 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 and be notified before an abortion |
|
| Sex Education | |
| State mandates 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 | |
| Information must be provided |
|
| Medication must be provided on request |
|
| Private Insurance Coverage of Contraceptive Services | |
| No policy in effect | |
| Medicaid Family Planning Expansions | |
| No policy in effect | |
| 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