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News & Commentary Archives
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This press room offers recent news and reliable data about birth control issues, policy trends, research and polling.
Recent News: Recent news events and developments on birth control options, debates and services.
Commentary: Recent opinion from mainstream media and the blogosphere
Polls: What voters and the public are saying about responsible birth control policies, personal responsibility and the other important decisions in their lives
Research & Reports: Findings from experts on family planning, birth control policy and American society
The Facts of Life: That put birth control and other important life decisions into rational perspective. Some key truths:
Facts on Contraception and Condoms
- American women typically want two children, which means they will spend about five years either pregnant, seeking to become pregnant or recovering from pregnancy, and three decades trying to avoid becoming pregnant.
- A third of women who practice contraception use the Pill; 18 percent rely on male condoms, and 15 percent combine the condom with other methods.
- Fully 91 percent of voters believe couples should have access to birth control.
- Eight of every 10 voters think government has a responsibility to ensure that birth control methods and emergency contraception are safe and available.
Facts on Unintended and Teen Pregnancy
- Half of all U.S. pregnancies are unintended. This year, 750,000 American teenagers will become pregnant, the highest rate among all industrialized nations.
- Half of U.S. teens have sex before graduating from high school and 95 percent will have sex before marriage.
Facts on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
- More than 19 million new STIs occur each year, including HIV infections.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in four girls in the US has an STI.
- STIs spread because people lack information about what they are, how they are transmitted and the consequences of getting them.
- Many myths about condoms exist, but they are 96 percent effective against HIV and other STIs with consistent and correct use.
Facts on Abstinence-Only and Comprehensive Sex Education
- Nearly 9 in 10 voters (86 percent) believe schools are best suited to provide the biological and scientific aspects of sex education, while parents should provide the moral and ethical guidance.
- States are increasingly rejecting federal funding for abstinence-only sex education after research finds it does not alter teen sexual behavior.
- Comprehensive sex education that discusses both abstinence and contraceptive use is effective in reducing teen pregnancy and the age of sexual initiation, studies show.
Facts on contraceptives refusals by pharmacies and health care workers
- A proposed federal regulation would allow any health care provider to refuse to dispense contraceptives or birth control information for ideological reasons.
- Eight in ten voters (82 percent) agree that pharmacies should be required to fill birth control prescriptions without discrimination or delay.
- Only a small vocal minority (about 9 percent of voters) opposes birth control and encourages pharmacists to refuse to dispense contraceptives, even to rape victims.
Facts on International family planning
- More than 200 million women worldwide want safe, modern contraceptives but cannot get them.
- U.S. funding for international family planning has declined steadily since 1995 despite demand that is expected to rise 40 percent by 2030.
- Every minute, a woman dies somewhere in the world from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Access to family planning could prevent at least a third of these deaths.
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