Improving contraceptive services in Uganda would save lives and money

Seven in 10 Ugandan women who want to avoid pregnancy either do not practice contraception or rely on methods with high failure rates. Women who use no method at all account for 88% of Uganda's more than one million unintended pregnancies, while women using modern contraceptives account for only 5%. "Benefits of Meeting the Contraceptive Needs of Ugandan Women," a new report from the Guttmacher Institute and the Economic Policy Research Centre, documents the many health, social and financial benefits of investing in contraceptive services…more

Misuse of Guttmacher statistic on insurance coverage of abortion

Among the many arguments being made in the debate over health care reform is the claim that because very few women use private insurance coverage to pay for abortion services, loss of this coverage would have minimal impact. Those making this argument cite a Guttmacher Institute statistic showing that 13% of all abortions in 2001 were directly billed to private insurance companies. However, that statistic alone misrepresents the situation on three counts...more

Also see this Guttmacher memo on insurance coverage of abortion and Susan Cohen’s blog post on how some anti-abortion advocates have distorted the facts on the impact of abortion coverage.

Clandestine and unsafe abortions are common in Pakistan and threaten women's health and lives

© AFP/Getty ImagesInduced abortion is legal under very limited circumstances in Pakistan, yet it is commonly performed, according to a new research summary released today in Karachi by the National Committee for Maternal and Neonatal Health and the Guttmacher Institute. Researchers estimate that 890,000 abortions were performed in Pakistan in 2002, a rate of 29 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age (15–49) annually. Because access to abortion is highly restricted, the majority of these procedures take place under clandestine—and often unsafe—conditions...more

Unintended pregnancy and abortion decline worldwide as contraceptive use rises

Increases in global contraceptive use have contributed to a decrease in the number of unintended pregnancies and, in turn, a decline in the number of abortions worldwide. This decline occurred alongside a global trend toward liberalizing abortion laws. Indeed, abortion happens at roughly equal rates in regions where it is broadly legal and where it is highly restricted. The key difference is safety. The report, “Abortion Worldwide: A Decade of Uneven Progress,” recommends making modern contraceptives available to all women who want them, expanding access to legal abortion and improving postabortion care...more

To learn more about our report’s implications for U.S. policy, read this blog post on The Hill's Congress Blog and also see this response to critics of our report on RH Reality Check.

A related Guttmacher study finds that treating the complications from unsafe abortion costs the developing world $341 million each year...more

Recession has reshaped women's childbearing desires

After months of anecdotal reports, Guttmacher provides the first hard evidence of the recession’s impact on women’s contraceptive use and childbearing decisions. Because of economic concerns, about half of women surveyed want to delay pregnancy and are more focused on effective contraceptive use, but many forgo contraception to save money…more

Home visiting programs touted by Obama administration improve health and well-being of both women and children

Jennie Woodcock; Reflections Photolibrary/CORBISHome visiting programs that would be significantly expanded under a new initiative proposed by the Obama administration have demonstrated modest but important benefits for children and significant benefits for women, according to a new policy analysis published in the Summer 2009 issue of the Guttmacher Policy Review. Home visiting programs pair new families—particularly low-income, single-parent ones—with trained professionals who provide parenting information, resources and support throughout a child’s first few years…more

Contraception, a life-saving investment for the Philippines

Our new opinion article makes the case for investing in voluntary family planning services in the Philippines. The article, authored by Guttmacher President and CEO Sharon Camp and Josefina V. Cabigon of the University of the Philippines Population Institute, was published on ABS-CBN News.

More than half of the Philippines' 3.4 million annual pregnancies are unintended, and 92% of these occur to women who either use no contraceptive method or use a traditional one. A new report documents the considerable social and financial benefits of investing in contraceptive services…more