Colorado’s teen birth rate plummeted 40 percent between 2009 and 2013. And that’s all because the state has provided contraceptive implants or intrauterine devices (IUDs) at low or no cost to low-income women at 68 family-planning clinics across Colorado. The results were startling, not only the birthrate among teenagers plunged by 40 percent, also their rate of abortions fell by 42 percent. The changes were particularly pronounced in the poorest areas of the state. The program was started in 2009 in an effort to reduce poverty, and to give young women more time to finish their education. Single parenthood is a principal driver of inequality and long-acting birth control is a powerful tool to prevent it.
Colorado drastically cuts teen pregnancies and abortions
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