Ten Reasons to Give to the Guttmacher Institute

1. To increase contraceptive choice and use

2. To help teenagers delay sex, prevent pregnancy and avoid disease

3.To prove that family planning is a sound investment

4. To guarantee access to safe, legal abortions

5. To halt the STD epidemic

6. To recognize the needs and roles of men in sexual and reproductive health

7.To empower women and promote gender equality

8. To eradicate maternal deaths

9.To help slow worldwide population growth

10.To tackle tough new issues

To increase contraceptive choice and use

More than half of American teenagers have had intercourse and, according to AGI, 900,000 still become pregnant each year. In addition, 3 million contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD) annually. We owe our children the best information and guidance that they will need to make responsible decisions.

To help teenagers delay sex, prevent pregnancy and avoid disease

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 7% of women who might accidentally become pregnant use no method of contraception. In addition, 10% of new users become pregnant within the first year. We must learn more about why women have trouble doing more to prevent pregnancy and press the search for better methods.

To prove that family planning is a sound investment

Without government funding for family planning, an additional 1.5 million unplanned pregnancies would occur each year, resulting in 40% more abortions and 25% more teenage births. In the short-term, each tax dollar spent to provide contraceptive services saves taxpayers an average of $3 in Medicaid costs for pregnancy-related and newborn health care. We must ensure increased public support for family planning for all women who need it.

To guarantee access to safe, legal abortions

Each year, 46 million women around the world have an abortion. Yet, in many countries, women obtain abortions illegally and 20 million do so under hazardous conditions. In the United States, where abortion is legal, a woman's access is often limited by her inability to pay or travel to a clinic. We must ensure that whether rich, poor, young or more mature, and regardless of where they live, all women are able to obtain an abortion under safe and humane conditions.

To halt the STD epidemic

15 million new STD infections--some incurable--occur among Americans each year and, worldwide, more than 400 million adults become infected with an STD every year. Globally, the HIV/AIDS epidemic threatens to condemn some regions to generations of abject poverty and instability. We must continue to expand access to latex condoms; spread the word regarding prevention; and speed the development of new technologies, such as microbicides, that hold great promise in stemming the tide of HIV and other STDs.

To recognize the needs and roles of men in sexual and reproductive health

Virtually no attention is paid to the part men play or to their responsibilities in preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Reproductive health policies and programs have focused almost exclusively on women, and few health professionals are specifically trained to provide men with sexual and reproductive health education and services. We must encourage mutual responsibility in the prevention of unwanted pregnancy and STDs, and explore men's sexual and reproductive health needs.

To empower women and promote gender equality

Access to family planning services is affirmed as a human right in many United Nations documents and contributes to the social, educational, economic and political advancement of women and the fuller development of society. We must continue to transform affirmations of women's rights from rhetoric to reality.

To eradicate maternal deaths

Every year, 585,000 women, 99% of them in poor countries, die from causes related to pregnancy. Many of these fatalities are the direct consequences of high-risk and unintended pregnancies; 76,000 are the result of unsafe abortions. We must work to reduce maternal death by ensuring that high-quality medical coverage and contraceptive services are available to all women.

To help slow worldwide population growth

No matter where she lives, a woman who wants only two children must use an effective contraceptive for at least 20 years. Yet, harsh cuts and undemocratic restrictions imposed by Congress on U.S. population assistance may deprive millions of the means to have smaller families, resulting in unwanted births and abortions around the globe. We must guarantee that all people have access to family planning.

To tackle tough new issues

Emerging technologies—such as genetic testing, emergency contraception, medical abortion, and microbicides—provide new hope and new challenges for reproductive health. No matter how revolutionary the technology, we need to know how it will affect people and their relationships. We must learn more about the role of sexuality; about what is needed to achieve the best for women and men; and about what society can do to support new parents in their efforts to raise the next generation.