New Report Confirms that Access to Affordable Preventive Health Care Is Crucial for Women & Saves Substantial Public Dollars
For Immediate Release: Oct. 14, 2014
For Every $1 invested in Birth Control, Family Planning, More Than $7 saved
NEW YORK, NY – A new Guttmacher Institute report found that in addition to helping women and couples avoid unintended pregnancy and abortion, public investment in family planning services, like the ones Planned Parenthood health centers provide, also reduce the instances of cervical cancer, HIV, STIs, preterm and low birth-weight births, and infertility for women and their children.
This investment also resulted in saving substantial public dollars. In 2010, the government saved $13.6 billion or $7.09 for every public dollar spent – a figure that continues to increase over time.
“This new report demonstrates just how important access to affordable preventive health care is for women,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “We have always known that these services were crucial for women but this report starts to show the real health benefits and better outcomes not just for women, but for their children.”
In addition to preventing an estimated 2.2 million unintended pregnancies which would have led to 1.1 million unplanned births, the new analysis revealed in this report shows that approximately 288,000 of these births would have been spaced more closely than is recommended and 164,000 would have been preterm or low birth weight.
The new analysis also found that without publicly funded family planning services tens of thousands of STIs would have gone undetected and untreated and some 2.3 million would have forgone or postponed cervical cancer testing in 2010. As a result of Pap and HPV tests and HPV vaccines provided by publicly funded family planning services in 2010 an estimated 3,700 cases of cervical cancer and 2,100 cervical cancer deaths were prevented.
“We’re very proud that Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country provide these essential health care services to more than a third of all publicly supported family planning center patients,” said Richards. “We know that offering these services is a crucial lifeline for low-income women and their families.”
In 2012, Planned Parenthood health centers provided nearly 500,000 Pap tests and advanced testing and treatment for thousands of women with abnormal Pap tests and precancerous conditions. Every year, Planned Parenthood health centers provide nearly 4.5 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, and an estimated 515,000 unintended pregnancies are averted by Planned Parenthood contraceptive services each year.
Planned Parenthood believes that everyone deserves access to affordable quality health care, and our doors are open to everyone. To find a Planned Parenthood health center near you, or to find more information about the affordable preventive health care services we offer, visit plannedparenthood.org.
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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 700 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.
Source
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Contact
Planned Parenthood Federation of America media office: 212-261-4433
Published
October 14, 2014