Washington, D.C. and New York City – Today, Power to Decide and the Guttmacher Institute launched the Contraceptive Access Maps — a new interactive tool that depicts county-level alignment between women's* self-defined contraceptive needs and clinic-based service availability. Where need and availability are misaligned, the county is considered to have a contraceptive access gap.
The Contraceptive Access Maps offer two views of access — one measuring availability of any publicly funded contraceptive care against women's self-defined need, and one measuring availability of the full range of birth control methods against that same need. The new findings, as covered by NPR’s Morning Edition, underscore the dire picture of contraceptive access across the country.
Key Findings
New data show that 21.4 million women of reproductive age in the U.S. in need of low- or no-cost contraception live in a county with a contraceptive access gap. The Contraceptive Access Maps show that out of these 21.4 million women in need:
- 15.7 million women (almost 75% of women in need) live in a county with an extreme access gap - where service availability meets only 25% or less of the need.
- Over 1 million live in a county without a single publicly funded health center offering any conraceptive care.
- 1.9 million live in a county without access to a health center that offers the full range of birth control methods.
“Millions of women in need are living in a county with a contraceptive access gap. Access to contraception shouldn't depend on your zip code — but for too many, it still does. Together Power to Decide and the Guttmacher Institute have built a more grounded, person-centered picture of contraceptive access, county by county. Now we can see exactly where the gaps are — and fight harder to close them, so every person has the ability to access the care they need and deserve, and can achieve their reproductive well-being,” said Power to Decide’s Vice President of Policy and Strategic Partnerships, Rachel Fey.
A new approach to measuring contraceptive access
Building on Power to Decide’s legacy “contraceptive deserts” framework, the new maps reflect people’s self-defined need for contraception against county-specific clinic types and estimated service availability. This approach reflects a fundamental shift in how the reproductive health field understands and measures contraceptive access — one grounded in clinic caseload capacity and in what people themselves say they need.
The maps draw on more than 7,000 health centers tracked through Power to Decide's Bedsider Clinic Finder, matched against county-specific caseload data from Guttmacher's Family Planning Census and self-identified need estimates from Guttmacher's research, and adjust for travel distance using federal network-adequacy standards.
“Measuring access to affordable contraception is a key public health priority, providing insights into whether or not people are able to exercise their right to sexual and reproductive autonomy. By using a metric that reflects individuals’ self-defined need for contraceptive services, the Contraceptive Access Maps advance a more person-centered approach to understanding the publicly funded family planning system, helping to ensure that data better reflects the needs of individuals, their families, and communities,” said Guttmacher Principal Research Scientist, Dr. Megan L. Kavanaugh.
While the new findings underscore the dire picture of contraceptive access across the country, it is important to note that proximity to a clinic is not the only factor that shapes whether or not someone can get the contraceptive care they need. Additional barriers to care, such as the need to find a provider who speaks your language, privacy concerns, or clinic hours and appointment availability, can also determine whether or not contraceptive care is accessible or not.
Explore the full Contraceptive Access Maps, methodology, and county-level data at powertodecide.org/contraceptive-access-gaps.
Learn more about the project from NPR’s coverage in Morning Edition.
*While we use the term "women" to align with our data sources, which do not always collect information about sex or gender consistently, we recognize that contraception is used by people with diverse gender identities. Every person, regardless of their sex or gender identity, deserves access to the contraceptive care that meets their needs and preferences. Where possible, we use gender-inclusive language to represent the cisgender women, transgender men, nonbinary people, and other gender diverse people who need and use contraception.
About Power to Decide
Power to Decide is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to advance sexual and reproductive well-being for all by providing trusted information, expanding access to quality services, and catalyzing culture change.
About The Guttmacher Institute
The Guttmacher Institute is a leading research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide. The Institute has a long history of measuring contraceptive need, use and preference, and tracking the publicly funded family planning system in the United States.