Calif., Three Other States Receive ‘A’ for Reproductive Health Care
California was just one of four states in the U.S. to receive an "A" for its reproductive health care services and rights, according to an annual report card by the Population Institute, Cosmopolitan reports.
Details of Report Card
For the annual report card, the Population Institute graded states on their:
- Abortion restrictions and the percentage of women that live in a county without an abortion provider;
- Access to emergency contraception and mandated sexual health education;
- Data on teen and unintended pregnancy rates;
- Funding for family planning services;
- Medicaid eligibility for family planning services; and
- Whether Medicaid had been expanded under the Affordable Care Act (Filipovic, Cosmopolitan, 1/8).
Some states received a "plus" or "minus" with their grades based on factors, such as pending regulations or legislation (Walker, "The Blog," Huffington Post, 1/8)
National Findings
Overall, the report card gave the U.S. a "C" average for reproductive health (Cosmopolitan, 1/8).
Fifteen states received an "F," while 17 states received a B- or higher ("The Blog," Huffington Post, 1/8).
The other three states that received an "A" grade were:
- New Mexico;
- Oregon; and
- Washington.
Population Institute President Robert Walker said that "reproductive health and rights improved incrementally over the past year" (Cosmopolitan, 1/8).
California Findings
According to the report card, California received an "A" for several reasons, including its lack of state laws that make it difficult for a woman to seek abortion services.
Further, the report noted that California requires emergency departments to provide information on emergency contraception and to administer the medication when requested.
The report card also found that:
- California's teen pregnancy rate is low, at 59 pregnancies per 1,000 teenage girls;
- California's expanded Medicaid program covers family planning services for low-income women; and
- Just 5% of women in the state live in a county without an abortion provider (Population Institute report, January 2015).