S.C.’s sex education policies praised

State ranks 3rd in study of funding for counseling, access to contraception

By IRIS KUO

Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Thirty-three states have made it more difficult — or more expensive — for poor women and teenagers to access contraceptives and related medical services, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Guttmacher Institute.

But South Carolina was one of several states praised for placing no restrictions on family planning funds and for offering expanded Medicaid eligibility for people receiving contraceptive services.

At a time when policymakers have made reducing unintended pregnancies a top national priority, 33 states have made preventing pregnancy harder for many women.

From 1994 to 2001, the states cut funds for family planning, enacted laws restricting access to birth control and placed tight controls on sex education, according to the institute.

In a state-by-state analysis of contraception availability, based on ease of access to contraception, state funding for sex counseling, and support from state legislatures, California came in first in Guttmacher’s rankings.

Alaska was second.

South Carolina was third.

The group also praised South Carolina’s sex education policy, which requires both contraceptive and abstinence education.

South Carolina’s teen pregnancy rate, the nation’s 17th highest, declined 18 percent between 1992 and 2000, the latest year reported. The state’s live birth rate was 70 percent of all pregnancies; 15 percent ended in abortions and the rest in miscarriages.

Guttmacher’s president and CEO, Sharon Camp, warned that obstacles to contraception at the state level could derail efforts, dating from the Clinton administration, to cut the rate of unintended pregnancies by 40 percent by 2010.

According to Guttmacher, the U.S. unintended pregnancy and abortion rates are the highest among industrialized nations.

Of 6 million U.S. pregnancies each year, about 3 million are unplanned, according to the group, and half of those end in abortions.

“We need to be making contraception easy for women, but in many states we’re actually making it harder,” Camp said. “When effective contraceptive use rises, abortion rates go down.”

Guttmacher is pushing for more public funding, insurance coverage that includes contraceptives, and improved availability of contraceptives and family planning counseling.

California, New York, South Carolina and Alabama — a diverse group by region and politics — made the greatest strides in helping low-income women receive health care and contraception.

At the same time, states as different as Nebraska, Ohio and Utah were among the worst when it came to providing access to contraceptives for needy women and teenagers, as well as gynecological exams and information on preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

The Guttmacher Institute is a nonprofit organization focused on sexual and reproductive health research, policy analysis and public education.

The Washington Post contributed.

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