Studies confirm link between unintended pregnancy and poverty
New research published by the Guttmacher Institute shows that while the overall abortion rate has decreased 8% between 2000 and 2008, it has increased 18% among the country’s poorest women. Women under the poverty line account for 42% of abortions, confirming the link between lack of access to resources and unintended pregnancy. Researchers argue that increasing access to family planning services and contraceptives decreases the rates of unintended pregnancy in this demographic, and in turn, reduces the number of abortions nationally. A separate study by the same organization concludes that unintended pregnancies cost the U.S. $11 billion annually in public services. For reproductive rights activists who have long argued that increasing access to family planning programs through federal funding saves the government money, these new studies serve to bolster their long-standing arguments. Source: Guttmacher Institute Read more about the research here and here.
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