Report Examines Benefits of Publicly Funded Family Planning Services
This week, the Guttmacher Institute published a report on the benefits of publicly funded family planning services. The report found that, through the provision of contraceptives to young and low-income women, the national family planning program prevents 1.94 million unintended pregnancies and saves significant amounts of taxpayer dollars each year.
More than nine in 10 women receiving publicly funded family planning services would be eligible for Medicaid in the case of a pregnancy. By avoiding these costs associated with unintended pregnancies and pregnancy-related care, taxpayers save $4 for every $1 spent on family planning.
“Publicly funded family planning is basic health care that empowers disadvantaged women to decide for themselves when to become pregnant and how many children to have,” said Rachel Benson Gold, the study’s lead author.