Sexual and Reproductive Health: Growing Disparities Lawrence B. Finer, Ph.D. Director of Domestic Research Guttmacher Exchange November 16, 2010

About half of U.S. pregnancies are still unintended Births Abortions Fetal Losses Unintended 49% Intended 51%

Unintended pregnancies are concentrated among poor women Income levelRate of unintended pregnancy (2001) <100% of poverty %70 200%+27

The 16% of women at risk of unintended pregnancy who are poor … … account for 30% of unintended pregnancies Poor women account for a third of unintended pregnancies

US abortion rates continue to decline, but more slowly

The poorest women have the highest abortion rates % of poverty level Abortions per 1,000

The need for subsidized contraception is growing in the U.S

Because of the economy, many women want to reduce/delay childbearing

Because of the recession, more women want contraception and fewer can afford it

Family planning clinic costs are rising significantly Costs for publicly-funded family planning services have increased 27% between 2004 and 2008 –$203 per client in 2004 –$257 per client in 2008 Family planning services are still a bargain, returning $3.74 in pregnancy-related Medicaid savings for each $1 spent on contraceptive services

Family planning providers are between a rock and a hard place

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