Rights and Responsibilities: Healthy Pregnancies, Contraception and Abortion
There are vast disparities around the world in women’s access to effective contraceptive methods; medically accurate information and counseling about how to use them; and safe, affordable abortion services. Our work seeks to document these disparities and persuade decision makers of the benefits of policies and programs that ensure that all women are able to exercise their reproductive rights and responsibilities.
Click on the map to see our work by region
Rights and Responsibilities: Healthy Pregnancies, Contraception and Abortion resources
Media kits
An Overview of Abortion in the United States January 2008
Fact sheets
Facts on Induced Abortion in Pakistan [PDF] November 2009
download [PDF]
Facts on Abortion in Kenya [PDF] November 2009
Facts on Abortion and Unintended Pregnancy in Africa [PDF] October 2009
Facts on Abortion and Unintended Pregnancy in Asia [PDF] October 2009
Facts on Abortion and Unintended Pregnancy in Latin America and the Caribbean [PDF] October 2009
Facts on Induced Abortion Worldwide [PDF version] October 2009
Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the United States [PDF version] February 2009
Facts on Induced Abortion in Mexico [PDF] October 2008
Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States [PDF version] July 2008
State Facts About Abortion January 2008
Facts on Contraceptive Use [PDF version] January 2008
Facts About the Unmet Need For Contraception in Developing Countries [PDF] July 2007
Facts About the Unmet Need For Contraception in Developing Countries [PDF] July 2007
Facts About the Unmet Need For Contraception in Developing Countries [PDF] July 2007
Facts About the Unmet Need For Contraception in Developing Countries [PDF] July 2007
Facts on Unwanted Pregnancy and Induced Abortion in Nigeria [PDF] June 2006
In the Know: Questions About Pregnancy, Contraception and Abortion May 2006
Contraception Counts: Ranking State Efforts February 2006
Highlighted policy articles
Delineating the Obligations That Come with Conscientious Refusal: A Question of Balance [PDF version] August 2009
Adam Sonfield
Guttmacher Policy Review
All That's Old Is New Again: The Long Campaign To Persuade Women to Forego Abortion [PDF version] June 2009
Rachel Benson Gold
Guttmacher Policy Review
Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health Advances Maternal Health [PDF version] June 2009
Susan A. Cohen
Guttmacher Policy Review
Reclaiming the Lead: Restoring U.S. Leadership in Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy March 2009
Sneha Barot
Guttmacher Policy Review
The New Day at Its Dawn: Evidence Is Back, but Politics Endures March 2009
Susan A. Cohen
Guttmacher Policy Review
Making the Case for a 'Contraceptive Convenience' Agenda [PDF version] October 2008
Sneha Barot
Guttmacher Policy Review
Making HIV Tests 'Routine': Concerns and Implications [PDF version] May 2008
Heather D. Boonstra
Guttmacher Policy Review
Hiding in Plain Sight: The Role of Contraception in Preventing HIV [PDF version] February 2008
Susan A. Cohen
Guttmacher Policy Review
New Data on Abortion Incidence, Safety Illuminate Key Aspects of Worldwide Abortion Debate [PDF version] November 2007
Susan A. Cohen
Guttmacher Policy Review
Popularity Disparity: Attitudes About the IUD in Europe and the United States [PDF version] November 2007
Adam Sonfield
Guttmacher Policy Review
State Abortion Counseling Policies and the Fundamental Principles of Informed Consent [PDF version] November 2007
Rachel Benson Gold and Elizabeth Nash
Guttmacher Policy Review
Young People Need Help in Preventing Pregnancy and HIV; How Will the World Respond [PDF version] August 2007
Heather D. Boonstra
Guttmacher Policy Review
Repeat Abortion, Repeat Unintended Pregnancy, Repeated and Misguided Government Policies [PDF version] May 2007
Susan A. Cohen
Guttmacher Policy Review
Misinformed Consent: The Medical Accuracy of State-Developed Abortion Counseling Materials [PDF version] October 2006
Chinué Turner Richardson and Elizabeth Nash
Guttmacher Policy Review
Abortion and Mental Health: Myths and Realities [PDF version] August 2006
Susan A. Cohen
Guttmacher Policy Review
Rekindling Efforts to Prevent Unplanned Pregnancy: A Matter of 'Equity and Common Sense' [PDF version] August 2006
Rachel Benson Gold
Guttmacher Policy Review
Roe or No Roe, Right to Abortion Seen Eroding Under Newly Constituted Supreme Court March 2006
Susan A. Cohen
Guttmacher Policy Review
Toward Making Abortion 'Rare': The Shifting Battleground over the Means to an End [PDF version] March 2006
Susan A. Cohen
Guttmacher Policy Review
Working to Eliminate the World's Unmet Need for Contraception [PDF version] March 2006
Adam Sonfield
Guttmacher Policy Review
Contraception Counts: Ranking States Efforts [PDF] February 2006
Cynthia Dailard
In Brief
Promoting Prevention to Reduce the Need for Abortion: Good Policy, Good Politics [PDF version] May 2005
Cynthia Dailard
The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy
Lessons from Before Roe: Will Past be Prologue? [PDF version] March 2003
Rachel Benson Gold
The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy
Emergency Contraception: Steps Being Taken to Improve Access [PDF version] December 2002
Heather Boonstra
The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy
Emergency Contraception: The Need to Increase Public Awareness [PDF version] October 2002
Heather Boonstra
The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy
Mifepristone in the United States: Status and Future [PDF version] August 2002
Heather Boonstra
The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy
Global Gag Rule: Exporting Antiabortion Ideology at the Expense of American Values [PDF version] June 2001
Susan A. Cohen
The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy
A Message to the President: Abortion Can Be Safe, Legal and Still Rare [PDF version] February 2001
Susan A. Cohen
The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy
An Overview of Clandestine Abortion in Latin America [PDF version] December 1996
Deirdre Wulf
Issues in Brief
"In Brief"
Abortion in Pakistan [PDF] November 2009
Reducing Unsafe Abortion in Nigeria [PDF] November 2008
Unsafe Abortion in Kenya [PDF] November 2008
Abortion in Indonesia [PDF] October 2008
Aborsi di Indonesia [PDF]
Improving Contraceptive Use in the United States [PDF] May 2008
Contraception Counts: Ranking States Efforts [PDF] February 2006
Cynthia Dailard
Reducing Unintended Pregnancy in Nigeria [PDF] September 2005
Reducing Unintended Pregnancy and Unsafe Abortion in Uganda [PDF] March 2005
Improving Reproductive Health in the Philippines [PDF] May 2003
An Overview of Clandestine Abortion in Latin America [PDF version] December 1996
Deirdre Wulf
Highlighted research articles
Abortion in the United States: Incidence and Access to Services, 2005 [PDF]
Rachel K. Jones, Mia R. S. Zolna, Stanley K. Henshaw and Lawrence B. Finer
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Volume 40 , Issue 1, March 2008
Legal Abortion Worldwide: Incidence and Recent Trends [PDF version]
Gilda Sedgh, Stanley K.Henshaw, Susheela Singh, Akinrinola Bankole and Joanna Drescher
International Family Planning Perspectives Volume 33 , Issue 3, September 2007
Contraceptive Use and Pregnancy Risk Among U.S. High School Students, 1991-2003 [PDF version]
John S. Santelli, Brian Morrow, John E. Anderson and Laura Duberstein Lindberg
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Volume 38 , Issue 2, June 2006
Disparities in Rates of Unintended Pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001 [PDF version]
Lawrence B. Finer and Stanley K. Henshaw
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Volume 38 , Issue 2, June 2006
The Incidence of Induced Abortion in Uganda [PDF version]
Susheela Singh, Elena Prada, Florence Mirembe and Charles Kiggundu
International Family Planning Perspectives Volume 31 , Issue 4, December 2005
Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives [PDF version]
Lawrence B. Finer, Lori F. Frohwirth, Lindsay A. Dauphinee, Susheela Singh and Ann M. Moore
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Volume 37 , Issue 3, September 2005
The Incidence of Induced Abortion in the Philippines: Current Level and Recent Trends [PDF version]
Fatima Juarez, Josefina Cabigon, Susheela Singh and Rubina Hussain
International Family Planning Perspectives Volume 31 , Issue 3, September 2005
Abortion Incidence and Services in the United States [PDF version]
Lawrence B. Finer and Stanley K. Henshaw
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Volume 35 , Issue 1, January/February 2003
The Accessibility of Abortion Services in the United States, 2001 [PDF version]
Lawrence B. Finer and Stanley K. Henshaw
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Volume 35 , Issue 1, January/February 2003
Contraceptive Use Among U.S. Women Having Abortions in 2000-2001 [PDF version]
Rachel K. Jones, Jacqueline E. Darroch and Stanley K. Henshaw
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Volume 34 , Issue 6, November/December 2002
Patterns in the Socioeconomic Characteristics of Women Obtaining Abortions in 2000-2001 [PDF version]
Rachel K. Jones, Jacqueline E. Darroch and Stanley K. Henshaw
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Volume 34 , Issue 5, September/October 2002
Mifepristone for Early Medical Abortion: Experiences in France, Great Britain and Sweden [PDF version]
Rachel K. Jones and Stanley K. Henshaw
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Volume 34 , Issue 3, May/June 2002
Reports
Abortion Worldwide: A Decade of Uneven Progress [PDF] October 2009
Susheela Singh, Deirdre Wulf, Rubina Hussain, Akinrinola Bankole and Gilda Sedgh
A Real-Time Look at the Impact of the Recession on Women's Family Planning and Pregnancy Decisions [PDF] September 2009
Barriers to Safe Motherhood in India [PDF] July 2009
Susheela Singh, Lisa Remez, Usha Ram, Ann M. Moore and Suzette Audam
Restrictions on Medicaid Funding For Abortion: A Literature Review [PDF] July 2009
Stanley K. Henshaw, Theodore J. Joyce, Amanda Dennis, Lawrence B. Finer and Kelly Blanchard
Barriers to Safe Motherhood in Nigeria [PDF] May 2009
Akinrinola Bankole, Gilda Sedgh, Friday Okonofua, Collins Imarhiagbe, Rubina Hussain and Deirdre Wulf
The Impact of State Mandatory Counseling and Waiting Period Laws on Abortion: A Literature Review [PDF] May 2009
Theodore J. Joyce, Stanley K. Henshaw, Amanda Dennis, Lawrence B. Finer and Kelly Blanchard
The Impact of Laws Requiring Parental Involvement for Abortion: A Literature Review [PDF] March 2009
Amanda Dennis, Stanley K. Henshaw, Theodore J. Joyce, Lawrence B. Finer and Kelly Blanchard
Next Steps for America's Family Planning Program: Leveraging the Potential of Medicaid and Title X in an Evolving Health Care System [PDF] February 2009
Rachel Benson Gold, Adam Sonfield, Cory L. Richards and Jennifer J. Frost
Trends in the Characteristics of Women Obtaining Abortions, 1974-2004 [PDF] September 2008
Stanley K. Henshaw and Kathryn Kost
Trends in the Characteristics of Women Obtaining Abortions, 1974-2004 (with supplemental tables) [PDF] September 2008
Stanley K. Henshaw and Kathryn Kost
Public Funding for Family Planning, Sterilization and Abortion Services, FY 1980-2006 [PDF] January 2008
Adam Sonfield, Casey Alrich and Rachel Benson Gold
Women with an Unmet Need for Contraception in Developing Countries and Their Reasons for Not Using a Method [PDF] July 2007
Gilda Sedgh, Rubina Hussain, Akinrinola Bankole and Susheela Singh
Women with an Unmet Need for Contraception in Developing Countries and Their Reasons for Not Using a Method [PDF] July 2007
Gilda Sedgh, Rubina Hussain, Akinrinola Bankole and Susheela Singh
Women with an Unmet Need for Contraception in Developing Countries and Their Reasons for Not Using a Method [PDF] July 2007
Gilda Sedgh, Rubina Hussain, Akinrinola Bankole and Susheela Singh
Women with an Unmet Need for Contraception in Developing Countries and Their Reasons for Not Using a Method [PDF] July 2007
Gilda Sedgh, Rubina Hussain, Akinrinola Bankole and Susheela Singh
Embarazo no planeado y aborto inseguro en Guatemala: Causas y Consecuencias [PDF] December 2006
Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion in Uganda: Causes and Consequences [PDF] November 2006
Susheela Singh, Ann M. Moore, Akinrinola Bankole, Florence Mirembe, Deirdre Wulf and Elena Prada
Repeat Abortion in the United States [PDF] November 2006
Rachel K. Jones, Susheela Singh, Lawrence B. Finer and Lori F. Frohwirth
Morbilidad por aborto en Guatemala: Una visión de la comunidad [PDF] November 2006
Sandra Sáenz de Tejada, Elena Prada y Gonzalo Ball
Estimating the Impact of Expanding Medicaid Eligibility for Family Planning Services [PDF] August 2006
Jennifer J. Frost, Adam Sonfield and Rachel Benson Gold
Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion in the Philippines: Causes and Consequences [PDF] August 2006
Susheela Singh, Fatima Juarez, Josefina Cabigon, Haley Ball, Rubina Hussain and Jennifer Nadeau
Unwanted Pregnancy and Induced Abortion in Nigeria: Causes and Consequences [PDF] August 2006
Akinrinola Bankole, Boniface A. Oye-Adeniran, Susheela Singh, Isaac F. Adewole, Deirdre Wulf, Gilda Sedgh and Rubina Hussain
Abortion in Women's Lives [PDF] May 2006
Preventing Unsafe Abortion and its Consequences: Priorities for Research and Action [PDF] March 2006
Abortion and Postabortion Care in Guatemala: A Report from Health Care Professionals and Health Facilities [PDF] December 2005
Elena Prada, Edgar Kestler, Caroline Sten, Lindsay Dauphinee, and Lilian Ramírez
Abortion and Postabortion Care in Uganda: A Report from Health Care Professionals and Health Facilities [PDF] May 2005
Elena Prada, Florence Mirembe, Fatima H. Ahmed, Rose Nalwadda and Charles Kiggundu
The Unfinished Revolution in Contraception: Convenience, Consumer Access and Choice [PDF] January 2004
Unwanted Pregnancy and Abortion: Public Challenges in Latin America and The Caribbean [PDF] November 2001
Sharing Responsibility: Women Society and Abortion Worldwide [PDF] June 1999
Statistics
Contraceptive Needs and Services, 2006 February 2009
Public Funding for Contraceptive, Sterilization and Abortion Services, FY 1980-2006 January 2008
Estimates of U.S. Abortion Incidence, 2001-2003 [PDF] August 2006
Lawrence B. Finer and Stanley K. Henshaw
Family Planning Annual Report: 2004 Summary [PDF] July 2005
Jennifer J. Frost
Slide shows
Abortion: Worldwide Levels and Trends October 2009
An Overview of Abortion in the United States October 2009
State-by-State Trends in Abortion in the United States January 2008
Trends in Abortion in the United States, 1973-2005 January 2008
New Evidence to Address the Unmet Need for Contraception July 2007
Contraception in the United States: Current Use and Continuing Challenges May 2004

