FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 4, 2015
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, 202-293-3114 ext. 207
Poll: Strong Public Support for Increased Family Planning Funding, Right to Privacy in Family Planning
WASHINGTON, DC – A national public opinion poll released today by the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA), to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut, shows that the current anti-women’s health agenda being pushed in Congress today is out of sync with American women.
The national poll, conducted by Paragon Insights, sampled 1524 registered women age 18 to 45 across the country to gain a clearer understanding of how women feel about family planning and sexual health care issues 50 years after Griswold v. Connecticut, a landmark Supreme Court case that legalized contraceptive use by married couples and established an individual’s right to privacy in family planning decisions.
According to poll findings, women are three times more likely to support a member of Congress who wanted an increase in federal funding for family planning, than if their member of Congress wanted to cut funding. Even more striking, nearly half (47%) of all Republican women polled said they support increased funding.
“Despite the enormous progress made and broad public support that started with Griswold 50 years ago, we find ourselves a period of unprecedented attacks on women’s health by opponents who want to deny women access to family planning care and erode the Title X network,” said Clare Coleman, President & CEO of NFPRHA. “The American public doesn’t view contraception as political, and now policy needs to catch up with American values.”
Registered women voters across the political spectrum overwhelmingly believe access to contraception is an important part of a woman’s preventive care that increases her economic security. By a wide margin, voters agree (75%) access to birth control plays an essential role in improving community health. Also, noteworthy is the fact that 76% of Democratic women voters do not believe that an employer should be able to deny birth control coverage based on their religion. Republican women polled (51%) are virtually split on the issue.
Over the last five years, the Title X program, the nation’s only dedicated source of funding for family planning, has endured nearly $40 million in cuts while the demand for services has grown. Publicly funded family planning providers across the country are receiving fewer resources to provide their patients with the high-quality care they count on. One in four women polled is dissatisfied with the state of family planning in the country.
“As we recognize the 50th anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut, it is critical that policymakers stand strong in support of the publicly funded family planning providers who work every day to meet the growing health care needs of women and men across the country," said Coleman.NFPRHA represents the broad spectrum of family planning administrators and clinicians serving the nation's low-income and uninsured.
The online survey of 1,524 registered female voters ages 18-45 was conducted in May 2015.
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NFPRHA represents the broad spectrum of family planning administrators and clinicians serving the nation's low-income and uninsured. NFPRHA’s more than 840 member organizations operate or fund a network of nearly 5,000 health centers and service sites that provide comprehensive family planning services to millions of low-income and uninsured or underinsured individuals in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.