A recently released report from the Guttmacher Institute reveals that births resulting from unintended pregnancies cost federal and state governments $12.5 billion in 2008 – but without current publicly supported family planning services, those costs would double to $25 billion.
According to the report, the “authors warn that chronic underinvestment and ideological attacks on the programs and providers that make publicly supported family planning services accessible to millions of women have been counterproductive,” actually causing increases in public spending. The authors recommend that “substantial new public investments in family planning services and comprehensive sex education” would help to reduce the $12.5 billion in public costs.
Mississippi had the highest percentage of publicly funded unplanned births at 83 percent. This is the same state that expanded abstinence education in March 2011.
Media Resources: Guttmacher Institute; Colorlines 10/22/13
