The United States stands to gain economically, socially, ethically, and environmentally by legislatively mandating free, convenient access to highly effective contraceptives to all reproductive adults living in the US, both citizens and undocumented. Poor, relatively uneducated women are most likely to have unintended pregnancies and give birth to children that add to the US poor, which eats into the economic resources of all communities. An unintended pregnancy can also easily tip a family into poverty. Thus, it is in our national economic interest to prevent unintended pregnancies (PUP), which comprise nearly half of all US pregnancies. PUP will also dramatically reduce the demand for abortions, another goal all Americans want. Every citizen also has a basic right to reproductive control over their body, which for women is incomplete due to our government’s inability to effectively protect all women from sexual abuse. I write about this in far greater detail at another part of the mahb website: https://mahb.stanford.edu/library-item/empowering-personal-green-deals-legislating-prevention-u-s-unintended-pregnancies/ Join the conversation there, and here!

Website: https://mahb.stanford.edu/library-item/empowering-personal-green-deals-legislating-prevention-u-s-unintended-pregnancies/