Teen birthrates have been dropping in Milwaukee, and abortion rates have also been decreasing statewide. These two positive outcomes point to policies that have increased adolescents’ awareness about how to prevent unplanned pregnancies and increased access to contraception and reproductive healthcare through BadgerCare’s Family Planning Only Services (FPOS). Although progress is being made, recent actions in the Legislature threaten to reverse these positive trends. According to 2011-2013 budget stipulations, the Department of Health Services (DHS) is requesting a federal waiver to lower the income eligibility for and bar men from FPOS. Additionally, a new bill, SB 237, has been introduced and is moving in the Legislature to reinstate abstinence-only education in Wisconsin schools, repealing the Healthy Youth Act which provides comprehensive sex education to students. However, there are also better alternatives in the Legislature, particularly the Healthy Women, Healthy Families bills, a set of measures restoring FPOS to its eligibility standards prior to the 2011-2013 budget.
In Milwaukee, the teen birthrate spiked in 2006 at 52 per 1,000 teens, well above the state rate. By 2010, the rate dropped to 35.68 per 1,000. A combination of preventive measures were introduced through a collaboration between the United Way and the City of Milwaukee, which included a media campaign; comprehensive sex education in elementary, middle, and high schools in the Milwaukee Public Schools; and distribution of condoms through school nurses for those who asked.
In addition to this progress, abortion rates have also been on the decline. A recent report by DHS shows a decrease from 8,299 abortions in 2009 to 7,591 in 2010.
Both the decrease in the teen birthrate in Milwaukee and the statewide abortion decrease correlate with policies implemented in Wisconsin in the last several years. The expansion of FPOS has been crucial to increasing access to reproductive healthcare and contraception. Before the 2011-2013 budget, men and women ages 15 and older and with income no more than 300% of the federal poverty level (FPL) were eligible for this BadgerCare program, which covered breast and cervical cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and contraceptives. As stipulated in the 2011-2013 budget, however, DHS is currently seeking federal permission to discontinue coverage for men and change the income eligibility to no more than 200% of FPL. The budget also eliminates funding from Title V of the Maternal Child Health block grant for any organizations that are affiliated with or make referrals to abortion providers. Many clinics fall into this category, and over 30,000 patients access health services through these clinics annually. If funding is cut and clinics have to close their doors, consequences such as increased unintended pregnancies could occur.
Within the last few weeks, SB 237 has been introduced, and it has a hearing scheduled this Wednesday, October 19. Abstinence-only education has been shown to be ineffective. Conversely, comprehensive sex education programs, like those demonstrating their effectiveness in Milwaukee, have been shown to increase contraceptive (including condom) use, delay the initiation of sex, and reduce frequency of sex.
Providing Wisconsin youth with correct information about preventing unplanned pregnancies is vital to reducing teen birthrates, and correlates with the reduced number of abortions. Unplanned pregnancies among adolescents are also tied to poor outcomes that reach across generations. Not only do adolescent mothers have a decreased chance of graduating from high school but they are at greater risk of living in poverty. Their children, in turn, are also at greater risk for adverse outcomes like behavioral problems, cognitive deficits, high school drop out, and incarceration.
It is important to focus on measures that work. Comprehensive sex education is evidence-based and effective and threats to the Healthy Youth Act, such as SB 237, undermine efforts to disseminate accurate, age-appropriate information to aid in the prevention of unplanned pregnancies. Fortunately, more supportive bills have been introduced. The Healthy Women, Healthy Families bills work in two parts, by restoring funding to healthcare providers that offer family planning services and by returning FPOS eligibility to no more than 300% of FPL. In considering the health and safety of Wisconsin youth and families, reproductive health is imperative to positive outcomes. The encouraging data of dropping teen birthrates in Milwaukee and the falling numbers of abortions statewide correlate with policies like the Healthy Youth Act and the expansion of FPOS. Repealing these measures might only serve to destroy the gains that have been made.
Julie Davidson
