Young, unmarried women in India face obstacles
to obtaining early abortions

Frank Spangler, Worldview ImagesA new study by researchers at the Population Council, New Delhi, in the June issue of International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health finds that many young, unmarried Indian women who received abortion services in 2007–2008 faced obstacles to obtaining the procedure early in their pregnancies, including a delayed recognition of pregnancy, a lack of knowledge about the legality of abortion for unmarried women, and lack of support from partners and family...more

Ob-gyns face professional barriers to providing abortion services

Many obstetrician-gynecologists who receive abortion training during residency and plan to offer elective abortions once in practice are unable to do so because of formal and informal policies restricting abortion provision imposed by their private group practices, employers and hospitals. Click here for more information.

Articles in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health are now published online as they complete the production process, under our new Early View feature. If you would like to be alerted when new articles become available in Early View, sign up at this link.

Unsafe abortion a major cause of maternal death in Ghana

More than one in 10 pregnancy-related deaths in Ghana are the result of unsafe abortions. In addition, 13% of Ghanaian women who have had an abortion experience complications resulting from unsafe procedures, and fewer than half of them received the needed follow-up care. These statistics are all the more remarkable because Ghana is one of the few African countries where abortion is legal under fairly broad grounds, and abortion performed by a qualified professional under proper conditions is an extremely safe procedure...more

Ethiopia would save lives and money by improving contraceptive services

Frank Spangler, Worldview ImagesLow levels of contraceptive use in Ethiopia result in high levels of unintended pregnancy which, in turn, create a broad range of negative consequences for women, their families and the national health care system. The new report, "Benefits of Meeting the Contraceptive Needs of Ethiopian Women," released today by the Guttmacher Institute and the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ESOG), documents the considerable financial and health benefits that would accrue from increased investment in contraceptive services...more

Is it sex or isn’t it?

CSA Images/Snapstock (modified)The June issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health features “Sex Redefined: The Reclassification of Oral-Genital Contact,” by Jason D. Hans et al., of the University of Kentucky, an article exploring what young adults think about oral sex. The authors found that only about 20% of university students surveyed agreed that oral-genital contact constituted sex, while the majority (98%) believed that penile-vaginal intercourse did. Click here for more on this article, and to find out what else is in this issue of the journal.

Meeting unmet need for contraception and preventing teen pregnancies saves money and lives

The International Planned Parenthood Federation and the Guttmacher Institute today released two new fact sheets, one highlighting the sexual and reproductive health needs of young women worldwide and the other documenting the unmet need for contraception in developing countries…more

Contraception should be covered without cost sharing

Federal officials drafting guidelines to implement health care reform should include contraception among the basic set of preventive services for women that private insurance plans must cover without cost sharing, concludes a new Guttmacher Institute analysis. Not only has prevention of unintended pregnancy long been a key goal of U.S. public health policy, but medical providers, federal and state health programs, and private sector businesses have long recognized contraception as a critical part of women’s preventive health care…more

Also read Adam Sonfield’s recent CNN opinion piece arguing that contraception is preventive health care and should be covered without cost sharing in the new health care reform package.

Cutbacks in publicly funded contraceptive services reduce Filipino women's ability to practice contraception

© Frank Spangler, Worldview ImagesA sharp decline in publicly funded contraceptive services and supplies in the Philippines since 2004 has created severe barriers to women's contraceptive use, according to a new analysis conducted by the Guttmacher Institute. More women are now relying on the private sector to obtain modern contraceptives, which means higher costs and reduced access, particularly for poor and low-income women …more

California shows that sound policy is crucial in reducing teen pregnancy

Andy Dean/www.istockphoto.comCalifornia’s teen pregnancy rate declined by 52% between 1992 and 2005—the steepest decline in any state over that period. A new Guttmacher analysis examines the concerted action in several key policy areas that was at the core of California’s success, including the strong emphasis on providing teens with comprehensive sex education and the health care services and counseling they need to prevent pregnancy…more

Click here to read our analysis of the new federal teen pregnancy prevention initiative, which shifts most funding away from the rigid abstinence-only approach of the past decade and toward more comprehensive programs.

Related research: Following a steep decline in the 1990s and a flattening out in the early 2000s, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate increased in 2006...more

More women in need of publicly funded services

In 2008, 17.4 million women were in need of publicly funded family planning services, an increase of 6%, or one million women, since 2000. Publicly funded family planning centers have responded to this growing need, serving 7% more clients in 2008 than in 2001. At the same time, rising costs have made it more difficult for these centers to meet the growing needs of their clients…more

Abortion has become more concentrated among poor women

© Chris Carrol/CORBISThe proportion of abortion patients who were poor increased by almost 60%—from 27% to 42%—between 2000 and 2008. The growing concentration of abortion among women with incomes below the federal poverty line likely reflects a combination of factors, including an increase in poverty among all U.S. women, the recent economic recession and efforts by nonprofit abortion funds and abortion providers to make the procedure more accessible for poor women...more

Despite increases in contraceptive use, adolescent births remain common in Central America

A new study of trends in the sexual behavior of young women in Central America finds that over the past 15 years, the proportion of 15–19-year-olds who have ever used a modern method of contraception has risen significantly in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, but Nicaragua was the only country in which a significant decline in first births occurred. These patterns likely reflect the persistence of unmet need for contraception, inconsistent contraceptive use and high contraceptive failure rates in these countries…more

First countrywide assessment of abortion in Ethiopia

worldviewimages.comFour years after the abortion law was liberalized, only a quarter of all abortions in Ethiopia occur in safe and legal settings. According to recent research, efforts to provide safe abortion care have been most successful in urban areas; services remain especially limited in rural areas, where the majority of Ethiopian women live. These findings come from a study released today by Ipas Ethiopia and the Guttmacher Institute. The study was conducted in collaboration with the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Ethiopian Public Health Association, in conjunction with Ethiopia’s Regional Health Bureaus. The Federal Ministry of Health endorsed the study and advised the research team…more

Guttmacher launches new State Data Center

This new tool allows researchers, advocates, policymakers, journalists and others working on reproductive health issues at the national or state level to build, download and print custom tables, graphs and maps on a range of abortion, pregnancy and family planning-related issues. Click here to see it in action.

Guttmacher becomes WHO Collaborating Center for Reproductive Health

The Guttmacher Institute has been designated an official Collaborating Center for Reproductive Health by The World Health Organization (WHO) and its regional office, the Pan American Health Organization. Guttmacher now joins an elite network of over 800 health-focused institutions in more than 80 countries that inform WHO’s work and help set its global health priorities. “We are honored to be designated an official collaborator by the world’s leading organization on global health matters,” said Sharon L. Camp, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute. more

New study finds 70% reduction in maternal deaths and nearly 50% decline in newborn deaths are within reach

© Victor MelloMaternal deaths in developing countries could be slashed by 70% and newborn deaths cut nearly in half if the world doubled investment in family planning and pregnancy-related care, shows a new report by the Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. The new report, Adding It Up: The Costs and Benefits of Investing in Family Planning and Maternal and Newborn Health, found that investments in family planning boost the overall effectiveness of every dollar spent on the provision of pregnancy-related and newborn health care. more