Story at a glance
- Access to free or low-cost contraceptives was linked with a 6 to 12 percent increase in bachelor’s degree attainment for Colorado women.
- That’s according to new data out of the University of Colorado.
- Researchers assessed the effect of the Colorado Family Planning Initiative, first introduced in 2009.
Increased access to contraceptives for women in Colorado was associated with more women receiving their bachelor’s degrees, according to new data from the University of Colorado.
Findings published in the journal Health Affairs detail the effects of the Colorado Family Planning Initiative, a program first introduced in 2009.
Researchers assessed data collected over 11 years from thousands of Colorado women. Results showed exposure to the program during high school was linked with a 6 to 12 percent increase in women obtaining degrees compared with earlier cohorts.
“Past research linked the introduction of the oral contraceptive pill in the 1960s to women’s college completion, but it was unclear whether improvements in access to contraception in the contemporary U.S. would yield similar results,” explained lead study author Sara Yeatman, a Health and Behavioral Sciences professor at the University of Colorado Denver, in a release.
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“Now we have data that clearly makes the connection. I think for policy makers, the takeaway is that policies restricting or expanding access to the full range of contraceptive methods can and do affect women’s attainment of higher education, which we know impacts their overall quality of life,” she added.
Data were gleaned from the American Community Survey and the 2000 and 2010 censuses. The initiative gave clients of Title X clinics the option to choose any FDA-approved contraceptive method, like an IUD or implant, for free or at a low cost.
Title X was first implemented in 1970 and established the National Family Planning Program within the Department of Health and Human Services. It’s currently the only federal grant program aimed at providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and preventive health services.
Co-author Amanda Stevenson, an assistant professor of sociology at Colorado University Boulder, called the findings “surprising,” adding the results show “fully-funding Title X programs and other publicly subsidized family planning funding streams can improve young women’s educational attainment at the population level.”
The study was carried out as part of the Colorado Fertility Project, which is dedicated to understanding the effects of the Colorado Family Planning Initiative.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, many questioned whether the decision would further restrict access to contraceptives for women, particularly Plan B, an emergency birth control designed to prevent ovulation.
However, data from the Pew Trusts show access to certain contraceptives was already limited in states prior to the ruling.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, not only can increased birth control access improve education attainment, it also reduces unintended pregnancy and abortion rates and can reduce the risk of certain gynecologic disorders like endometrial and ovarian cancer.
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