What the U.S. Economy Owes to Contraception

From New Deal 2.0: http://www.newdeal20.org/2012/02/28/what-the-us-economy-owes-to-contraception-73037/

by Bryce Covert

Tuesday, 02/28/2012

This isn’t about “moral” objections. Women’s access to contraception has been a huge driver of America’s economic dominance.

It’s no secret that women’s reproductive rights have become a big news item lately, from this to this to this. Contraception in particular is now a campaign issue. George Stephanopoulos was heckled for bringing it up in the New Hampshire Republican debate (to which Romney said we should leave it alone), yet it’s since become clear that Rick Santorum, if not the others, has some very… interesting views. In his mind, contraception is “not okay,” and he warns of “the dangers of contraception in this country.” Meanwhile, a vote is likely this week on an amendment that would allow all employers — religiously affiliated or otherwise — to object to insurance coverage of health care services that they feel are out of line with their moral beliefs, targeted at undoing a requirement that contraception be covered for free.

Santorum may see birth control as somehow inflicting harm on the United States, but that papers over the benefits we’ve all experienced from women’s access to contraception. Far from being a simple issue of morality, I’ve previously argued that it’s an economic issue, particularly for low-income women. Yet there’s another big reason this is an economic argument. Contraception has had an enormous positive impact on our economy. By freeing women up from unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, women are able to complete education and stay in the workforce — plus they usually have less work waiting for them at home.

The pill was first cleared for contraceptive purposes in the 1960s. Just five years later, 6.5 million women were taking it. By 1973, that number hit 10 million. Unsurprisingly, birth rates fell significantly during the same time period. The birth rate in the 1950s and early 1960s was 118 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44. By 1980, that rate had fallen by almost 75 percent, to 68 births per 1,000 women. With a safe, legal, and accessible drug that helped women plan and space out their pregnancies, births dropped dramatically.

Continue reading at: http://www.newdeal20.org/2012/02/28/what-the-us-economy-owes-to-contraception-73037/