The information provided on this website is not intended to, and does not, constitute legal advice. All information, content and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. We encourage anyone with legal questions to contact a licensed attorney.| Guttmacher Institute
The Trump administration and many social conservatives in Congress and across state governments have put federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) front and center in their attempts to pull public funding from other types of safety-net providers—specifically, those that provide abortion-related services. Proposals to significantly expand FQHCs’ responsibility for meeting the need for publicly funded contraceptive care have taken two main forms.| Guttmacher Institute
Abortion is essential health care, and everyone should be able to get abortion care, coverage, information and referrals without interference. The Weldon Amendment and related federal “refusal of care” policies embolden health insurance plans, health care institutions and medical providers to deny abortion services and coverage, without regard to the impact on patients’ rights, health or well-being and often under the rubric of protecting “conscience” or “religious freedom.”| Guttmacher Institute
All young people should have access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information that is medically accurate, LGBTQ+ inclusive, and culturally and age-appropriate so that they can make informed decisions about their sexual behavior, relationships and reproductive options. Sex is already part of many adolescents’ lives, and they deserve to receive high-quality information to inform their decision-making. | Guttmacher Institute
Abortion is essential health care and should be affordable for everyone, regardless of income, zip code or source of insurance. But the Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funding for abortion, preventing people enrolled in Medicaid and other public programs in most states from using their health insurance to cover abortion care. The Hyde Amendment disproportionately impacts people already facing systemic barriers to care, particularly Black, Indigenous and other people of color. To ensure it is...| Guttmacher Institute
Investments in sexual and reproductive health and rights have far-reaching and measurable benefits. By helping to address people’s reproductive health needs, such investments not only promote health and well-being throughout people’s lives but also contribute to improvements in gender equity, political stability, economic development and environmental sustainability.1| Guttmacher Institute
Drawing on 2017 evidence for 24 high-income countries, Guttmacher researchers found that medication abortion (typically mifepristone and misoprostol together) accounted for at least half of all abortions in the majority of high-income countries. In Finland, Sweden and Norway, medication abortion accounted for about nine out of every 10 abortions. The study also found that the proportion of abortions using medication increased steadily over time in the 11 countries that had trend data. A 2021...| Guttmacher Institute
Title X, the United States’s publicly funded family planning program, was established in the 1970s with the express goal of reducing inequities in access to contraception and other reproductive health care. Because it helps clinics provide such services to people who have low incomes, are uninsured or come from disadvantaged communities, the Title X program is critical to ensuring reproductive autonomy. | Guttmacher Institute
Contraception is basic preventive health care that should be affordable and accessible for everyone. Under a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) known as the federal contraceptive coverage guarantee, most private health insurance plans in the United States must cover the full range of contraceptive methods, services and counseling without patients’ incurring out-of-pocket costs such as copayments or deductibles. A substantial body of evidence confirms that the contraceptive coverage ...| Guttmacher Institute
As a leading funder of global health programs, the United States has the power to make a tremendous impact on people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. But restrictions on funding that target abortion care internationally have had broad, detrimental impacts on reproductive health care systems, advocacy and outcomes. Such is the case with the so-called global gag rule, a policy that conditions US global health assistance on nongovernmental organizations’ agreement not to provide ...| Guttmacher Institute
Corrected April 2, 2024. See notes below.| Guttmacher Institute
New Guttmacher Institute research from the Monthly Abortion Provision Study shows that there were approximately 642,700 medication abortions in the United States in 2023, accounting for 63% of all abortions in the formal health care system. This is an increase from 2020, when medication abortions accounted for 53% of all abortions. | Guttmacher Institute