Colorado's investment in IUDs and other fire-and-forget birthcontrol produced a "miracle"

Authored by boingboing.net and submitted by relevantlife

Colorado's investment in IUDs and other fire-and-forget birthcontrol produced a "miracle"

The Colorado Family Planning Initiative spent comparatively small sums making IUDs and other long-term birth control methods (such as implants and injections) available to women, through a "no wrong door" approach that let women start their journey through a variety of agencies, and included after-school and other counseling services, and also provided birth control to women on maternity wards before they went home with their babies.

The results were amazing: teen births and abortions dropped by nearly 50%, and the birth-rate among teens who were already mothers fell by 58%; there were also dramatic reductions in high-risk births.

For ever dollar spent on the initiative, the state saved $5.85 over the next three years in reduced family benefits and assistance payments.

The program is so successful that many states are copying it, including Oregon, Washington and Delaware.

Global health experts call unintended pregnancy an epidemic because it’s so common, and the toll on physical health, mental health, and child development so large. A cascade of benefits follows from reducing unsought pregnancies: better health and education for women, more financial security for families, healthier babies, and less strain on social services dedicated to helping families with lower incomes or wealth. After implementation of the Colorado Family Planning Initiative, teen births and abortions dropped by nearly half. Public health experts have known this for decades, and evidence showing the protective benefits of intentional parenthood keeps pouring in. The challenge has been how to move the dial. That’s why Colorado’s success caught experts’ attention worldwide. After implementation of the Colorado Family Planning Initiative, teen births and abortions dropped by nearly half. They fell by nearly 20 percent among women aged 20-24. (Note: Under normal circumstances, over 80 percent of teen pregnancies and 70 percent of pregnancies among single women aged 20-29 are unsought, so this change means women’s realities are better matching their family desires.) Second-order births to teens—teens who gave birth a second or third time—dropped by 58 percent. High-risk births, including preterm births, also diminished.

A Family Planning Miracle in Colorado: Program Has Teen Births and Abortions Drop by Half, and It's Heading to Other States [Valerie Tarico/Alternet]

LacquerCritic on April 9th, 2017 at 17:07 UTC »

The linked article doesn't provide enough info. What happened in Colorado was that the program was given a massive donation (later attributed to Warren Buffett) that allowed it to provide essentially free birth control (notably IUDs which are long term, zero effort, and expensive) for 5 years. However after that it was as up to the government to continue funding, and despite the amazing results the Republican-run state Senate initially opted to not fund the initiative in 2015, which was the last update I recalled (and the most disappointing). However [this article from 2016](http://cohealthinitiative.org/blog/2016-04-13/colorado-legislature-rights-its-wrong-funds-family-planning-initiative) seems to indicate that funding did move forward, which is great news. If you want to read a great, in depth article about the program I really recommend checking out [this one from 2015 which really went in depth](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-30/warren-buffett-s-family-secretly-funded-a-birth-control-revolution) about the program, the results, and how it was initially funded.

DolorDeHuevos on April 9th, 2017 at 15:00 UTC »

I love living in Colorado

relevantlife on April 9th, 2017 at 14:57 UTC »

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Conservatives, if they truly want to prevent abortion, should embrace affordable birth control for all. No amount of prayer or lawmaking will end abortion. Birth control will prevent abortion. It's simple.