According to a Feb. 24 report by the New York based Guttmacher Institute, for every tax dollar that is invested in family planning programs, $4 are saved. This research organization maintains that family planning prevents approximately 1.94 million unintended pregnancies-and thus 810,000 abortions as a result of these pregnancies-every year.
If there were no funding for family planning programs, the abortion rate in the US would be two-thirds higher. The fact is that women of low income are particularly reliant on family planning services, which also happen to serve as primary health care.
The report's co-author Adam Sonfield stated, "Being able to plan your family is critical to staying in school, being able to have a job and stay in the work force and planning your family's own economy." Sconfield went on to say that the expansion of health care is a priority.
The authors of the report recommend that states harvest the savings from preventive family planning in order to eliminate the high costs of getting federal funding through waivers for Medicaid. The business of obtaining waivers is not only expensive but very difficult.
Family planning is of the essence, and deserving of widespread support and encouragement.