Colorado offers free birth control: teen pregnancy drops 40%, teen abortion rate drops 35%.

[joshcryer]

A program that provides contraceptives to low-income women contributed to a 40-percent drop in Colorado's teen birth rate over five years, according to state officials.

The program, known as the Colorado Family Planning Initiative, provides intrauterine devices (IUDs) or implants at little to no cost for low-income women at 68 family planning clinics in Colorado.

The teen abortion rate dropped by 35 percent from 2009 to 2012 in counties served by the program, according to the state's estimates.

Young women served by the family planning clinics also accounted for about three-fourths of the overall decline in Colorado's teen birth rate during the same time period. And the infant caseload for Colorado WIC, a nutrition program for low-income women and their babies, fell by 23 percent from 2008 to 2013.

http://www.vox.com/2014/7/7/5877505/colorado-contraceptives-teen-pregnancy-birth-control

It's amazing, isn't it?

Colorado doing all the right things.

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, joshcryer.

[cyberswede]

2. Wow. That's good news. nt

[ohheckyeah]

3. Imagine that.

Contraception = lower pregnancy and abortion rates. Who would have thought it?

[joshcryer]

4. It saved hundreds of millions in Medicaid costs, too.

And the need for WIC dropped a whole 23%.

Plus a whole host of other benefits:

Research shows unintended pregnancies are associated with birth defects, low birth weight, elective abortions, maternal depression, reduced rates of breastfeeding and increased risk of physical violence during pregnancy. Children born to mothers who did not intend to have children are more likely to experience child abuse, poor health and educational challenges. Teen mothers are less likely to graduate from high school or earn as much as women who wait to have children.

I dunno, this just seems, oh so unpredictable. It's as if, social issues are intrinsically economic issues? It's so weird!

[BrotherIvan]

7. And if fundies really cared about children as they say, they would support contraception

They complain about welfare and WIC programs, cheer when they are cut, then decry women who choose to plan their pregnancies. It just shows how twisted their logic--or lack thereof--is.

[joshcryer]

9. Their leaders actually use this issue as a wedge.

As they do gay marriage and abortion.

Some of them probably, in their minds, see that it's an unsustainable position, but because they use it as a wedge issue it is necessary to keep up the illusion.

If abortion rates and teen pregnancy rates are really low, then they have no issue to talk about. If fewer families are on WIC and women are getting good educations and better living standards, they have no issues to talk about. The whole "stay at home mom" meme goes away. If gay people could adopt, have similar tax schedules as married straight people, then they would be benefiting society more.

They don't want that. Their goals are power, plain and simple.

[BrotherIvan]

10. I agree with you on all points

This election it will be guns, gawd and women. They lost the gay marriage issue when they found out that most young people don't care. I hope, with all my might, that they find out that the vast majority of this country aren't religious fundamentalists. In my mind, anyone who votes GOP who isn't a whacknut Kristian is just an asshole who doesn't want to pay taxes. But they know they can get a lot of mileage out of keeping women at home, so they'll use whatever they can, even waving a bible they don't truly believe in, to get power to keep their rich masters happy. It is sick on every level.

[B Calm]

24. The christian right never will get it!

[Warren DeMontague]

5. Going to hell in a Rocky Mountain Handbasket!

[nomorenomore08]

41. The fundies' hell is our heaven. Just remember that.

[Warren DeMontague]

42. The mountains mess with my head, personally. Bigtime. It might be the air pressure.

I'm a sea level chappie.

[merrily]

6. Colorado is leaving Massachusetts in the dust.

Will we lose our reputation as the most liberal state? That would be fine with me. Some state has to lead.

[joshcryer]

8. Biggest strike on CO's liberalism is natural gas / fracking.

Hickenlooper has a novel solution, allow cities to decide whether they will allow fracking within their regions, but the gas industry is pushing back hard against it and it's a difficult thing to work around from the liberal perspective, because people want work, and natural gas is booming all over the country.

So of course there will be people trashing Colorado Democrats for trying to work around the issue, but whatever, it's staying blue for the foreseeable future!

[tblue37]

50. And Focus on the Family--and the very fundy Air Force Academy. nt

[joshcryer]

51. Foucus on the Family didn't stop marijuana legalization.

And they failed to force the Pinyon Canyon expansion.

[tblue37]

52. I was responding to the claim that tracking is the *only* problem with Colorado.

FoF and the Air Force Academy are also flies in the ointment.

[joshcryer]

54. I was just saying, Pinion Canon was MIC expansion.

But we stopped it.

So while the MIC and the AF is entrenched (particularly NORAD) we still kept them from expanding out further into the state. Basically it's a stalemate between Coloradans and the MIC.

[Hekate]

11. KnR. Good for them for doing the obvious & intelligent thing. nt

[GeoWilliam750]

12. Imagine what might happen when the program becomes widely known.

Astonishing isn't it. Women with informed control over their bodies making sensible decisions.

By the bye, does anyone have the actual data?

[JI7]

13. some people refuse to accept facts, the same happened with sex ed and people insisting

on abstinence only even if it has proven not to work. it's the same people who oppose both.

[joshcryer]

17. I tried to find the numbers but can't.

But I have no reason to doubt the numbers, and I am sure there will be an academic release eventually. There was a study done in Pueblo Colorado when this new policy went out and there were similar results in St. Louis.

It's really common sense in the end though.

[caraher]

34. There's a paper but it's behind a paywall (and possible not yet available

Game Change in Colorado: Widespread Use Of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives and Rapid Decline in Births Among Young, Low-Income Women

[joshcryer]

49. Thank you! Great find!

I will post an OP perhaps in the CO forum about this when it is published.

[ReRe]

14. K&R

This should become a Federal program too. It's proven that it works in CO now.
Way to go, CO!

[Bandit]

26. Isn't that what the Hobby Lobby fuss is about?

The Federal Government mandating that everyone receive birth control included in their Health Insurance at no extra charge? How is that different than what Colorado is doing?

[ReRe]

29. Hi, Bandit...

... have you been away a while? There's something disconnected in your questions, incongruent. I don't know where to start answering you, as it seems you are unaware of the Supreme Court's decision a week ago yesterday concerning Hobby Lobby.

[joshcryer]

48. Bandit is pointing out the ACA mandate allows for free contraceptives.

Since HHS mandated contraceptives be absolutely free.

Hobby Lobby gets to tell insurers that they can't give it out for free / that the insurance doesn't cover it.

It's really messed up.

I get what Bandit is saying, though this is a completely different program unrelated to the ACA, and it could be defunded in 2015. GOTV!

[Puzzledtraveller]

28. A federal program you say?

Well we got one, it's called the Affordable Care Act. Do not hold your breath waiting for anything else.

[ReRe]

30. I'm sorry...

... sometimes I get into this eternal optimistic mood and get carried away.
Believe me, I'm not going to hold my breath.

[nomorenomore08]

43. Then we'll have to do it state by state. Much like marriage equality and marijuana legalization.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

15. K&R

That is the way of the (sensible) future.

[Enthusiast]

16. If the Righties® were truly interested in reducing abortion they would adopt this program.

But that isn't what restrictions on birth control are all about. They want to control women's lives. They are fucking nuts. That's why we call them Wing Nuts.

[joshcryer]

18. Importantly, this program doesn't even allow for fertilization.

IUDs don't allow the egg 99.5% of the time to even start producing cells. So if you are for the sanctity of the zygote, be for contraceptives.

[Enthusiast]

20. Yes, but, every sperm is sacred.

[joshcryer]

47. Constance Johnson's "Every Sperm is Sacred" law didn't pass.

Those bastards!

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/02/08/421018/oklahoma-democrat-adds-every-sperm-is-sacred-amendment-to-personhood-bill/

[Enthusiast]

55. OMG!

I didn't know.

[Mariana]

33. Fundies aren't going to believe that.

Seriously, they're convinced that IUD's work by causing an abortion every month. Some of them also believe that ordinary birth control pills do that, too.

[NaturalHigh]

19. I'm all for it.

In fact, I've been advocating free contraception for years.

[Enthusiast]

21. Me too.

Since at least the early 1970s. Not that I have much influence.

[Vinca]

22. But it's all moot . . . right?? Cuz they're goin' to hell.

[n2doc]

23. But but All those fornicators are avoiding Gawd's punishment!

They got away with recreational sex! Jeebus is pissed!

[MindPilot]

37. recreational sex AND recreational pot!

If it didn't freeze and snow there, I would move back tomorrow! You know, for recreation...

[TBF]

25. Imagine that. K&R nt

[Blue_Adept]

27. Waiting for the wingnuts...

to start in about how it's really a sterilization plan...

[historylovr]

31. Imgine that.

Very good news to hear.

[IronLionZion]

32. Good for Colorado

maybe more states will follow their lead on stuff like this and rocky mountain high

[caraher]

35. My own RWNJ brother's take on this and Hobby Lobby...

I think this precisely proves the points I've been making. Birth control is widely and freely available. To pretend it isn't and all forms must be covered in an insurance policy is a gross distortion of reality.

To which I pointed out that this program was only for low-income women (which leaves out a lot of women who have health insurance through their employers) and that, by his logic, legal pot is also "widely available" in most of the country based on the law in Colorado.

[joshcryer]

39. That's a great counter.

I would have used the ACA non expansion in some southern states, too.

[Duppers]

36. a big k & r

[noiretextatique]

38. wow.. government policy based on facts

really works?! and government policy based in religious bigotry does not work?!

[niyad]

40. k and r. given the huge number of fundie nut jobs here, I am surprised that a program like

this exists.

[nomorenomore08]

44. I guess it's proof that the rest of us can drown them out, if we try.

[niyad]

56. I will take ouor victories wherever we can find them, whatever size.

still thrilled that we managed to keep that convenience store chain with the disgusting name out of my neighborhood.

[joshcryer]

46. Colorado Springs is nothing. Pueblo and Denver / Boulder win.

Hell, it's little known, but a lot of counties went for Nader in 2000, there are a lot of liberals / leftists in Colorado. Don't let Colorado Springs change that. Wouldn't surprise me if we ran the fundies off eventually. They only like it there because it's damn gorgeous.

[niyad]

57. the basic breakdown here is 1/3 pukes, 1/3 dems, 1/3 unaffiliated/independent.

I keep pointing out to the little pinheads that the more of THEM who move here, the more of US will move here. blows their teeny widdle heads.

[Cha]

45. Mahalo joshcryer~

[JustAnotherGen]

53. These numbers are amazing

Funny how a little money up front can save a woman's life, lower health care costs, increase level of education, etc etc.