KEY PROGRAMS

Adding It Up: Sexual and Reproductive Health Services and Financing

Increased and sustained investment in sexual and reproductive health services – in the United States and in developing countries – promises tremendous benefits to women, families and societies. In addition to improving overall health, sexual and reproductive health services contribute to economic growth, societal and gender equity, and democratic governance.

The Guttmacher Institute seeks to provide policymakers with a fuller account of these broad benefits and with more complete information about the direct economic costs and benefits associated with provision of such services. In addition, we examine the scope and reach of services and recommend ways to overcome barriers to introducing new services, such as emergency contraception or the HPV vaccine.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Services and Financing resources at a glance

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Highlights

The Institute recently released a new report that found that the services provided by publicly funded family planning clinics enable women to prevent 1.4 million unintended pregnancies each year, an estimated 600,000 of which would end in abortion. Without these services, the annual number of unintended pregnancies and abortions in the United States would be nearly 50% higher.

In addition to helping women avoid the pregnancies they do not want and plan the pregnancies they do, these services save $4.3 billion in public funds each year. Nationally, for every $1.00 spent to provide services in the nationwide network of publicly funded family planning clinics, $4.02 in Medicaid expenses on births are averted.

Investing in sexual and reproductive
health pays off