Planned Parenthood More Likely Than All Other Providers to Offer a Broad Range of Birth Control Options
New York –(ENEWSPF)–May 24, 2012. A new Guttmacher Institute
study has found that publicly funded health centers that specialize in family planning services offer a wider range of contraceptive methods and are more likely to use protocols that help women quickly begin and stick with their birth control regimens. The survey also found that Planned Parenthood health centers are significantly more likely than all other types of health centers to provide almost all methods of birth control. In fact, 91 percent of Planned Parenthood health centers provide at least 10 of 13 highly effective, reversible contraceptive methods on-site, according to researchers.
Providing a range of options improves the likelihood that a woman will find a method that best suits her needs. Studies have shown that women are more likely to maintain their contraceptive regimen when they are satisfied with their method of birth control.
“This study shows that millions of women rely on family planning providers, especially Planned Parenthood health centers, to get the birth control they need,” said Dr. Carolyn Westhoff, senior director of medical services for Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
“In these tough economic times, more women than ever need access to essential health care services,” added Westhoff. “Politicians who want to end the nation’s family program, which five million people a year rely on for birth control and other basic health care, should read this study. We need to expand access to family planning, not cut it.”
Publicly funded family planning services are a crucial lifeline for low-income women, providing them access to highly effective contraceptive methods that would otherwise be unaffordable and helping them to prevent unintended pregnancies. Six in 10 women who access care from a family planning health center consider it to be their main source of health care, and Title X services help to prevent nearly one million unintended pregnancies each year, almost half of which would otherwise end in abortion.
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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate. We believe that everyone has the right to choose when or whether to have a child, and that every child should be wanted and loved. Planned Parenthood affiliates operate nearly 800 health centers nationwide, providing medical services and sexuality education for millions of women, men, and teenagers each year. We also work with allies worldwide to ensure that all women and men have the right and the means to meet their sexual and reproductive health care needs.
Source: plannedparenthood.org
