New Study Shows the Benefit of Planned Parenthood in Local Communities

New York, NY- A new study in the highly regarded Obstetrics & Gynecology journal,“Local Access to Family Planning Services and Female High School Dropout Rates” by K. Hicks-Courant and A. Schwartz, showed that adolescent females living in an area with a Planned Parenthood health center had a lower high school dropout rate. You can access the abstract here.

"We are encouraged but not entirely surprised by this finding,” said Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, the Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Sex education and access to contraception empower young people to stay healthy. This further enforces what we already know — that having Planned Parenthood in the community increases access to the care and tools that all people need to make the decisions that are best for themselves and their families."

This comes on the heels of another recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine showing that the removal of Planned Parenthood from the Texas family planning program was followed by a decrease in the use of highly effective methods of birth control as well as an increase in births among women who had previously used injectable contraception, which researchers attribute to the ban.

“Planned Parenthood is proud to provide the sex education and access to services that help teens delay sex until they are older and to use effective protection when they do become sexually active,” Dr. McDonald-Mosley continued. “Communities want Planned Parenthood near their schools providing health care and in their schools providing sex education because they trust the care and information we provide. Millions of people all across the country turn to Planned Parenthood as a trusted provider of reproductive health care, so access to the information and care they need should not be compromised by politics,” Dr. McDonald-Mosley continued.

Over a dozen national polls have shown widespread popular support for Planned Parenthood and the care it provides — and strong opposition to attempts to block patients from accessing care at the nonprofit health care provider.

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With over 650 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.