Contraception could save Southeast Tennessee $53 million a year in public money, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute that was discussed Thursday during a Contraception Matters event at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center.
The data came from a figure that found in 2010 the federal and state government together spent an average of $416 on unintended pregnancies for every woman in Tennessee age 15 to 44.
Thursday’s event was hosted by A Step Ahead Chattanooga, a prevention-only organization that provides information about all methods of birth control as well as free access to long-term reversible methods, such as implants and intrauterine devices, commonly called IUDS, to women in 11 Tennessee counties.
Regina Rutledge, a subject matter expert and researcher at RTI International, discussed the economic impact on individuals, families and communities when women can time their pregnancies.
Birth control pills are the most popular contraceptives in the United States, and although they are effective if used perfectly – taken at the same time every day – nine out of 100 women a year who use the pill will become pregnant from user error. Long-acting reversible contraceptives, such as implants and IUDs, are highly effective, but expensive and require a trained provider to insert and remove.