The rate of abortions and teen births dropped with free birth control.
There were about 9,000 women, mainly poor and uninsured, in St. Louis observed from 2008 to 2010. They were given the option of what birth control method they would like and they were not charged for it, according to Yahoo News.
Price was no issue so the women were very open to this, which resulted in less unintended pregnancies, according to Dr. Jeffery Peipert of Washington University in St. Louis.
Of the people studied, there were 6.3 births per 1,000 teenagers. The national rate is about 34 births per 1,000 teens in 2010.
Abortion rates were 4.4 to 7.5 per 1,000 women in the study. The national average is 13.4 to 17 abortions per 1,000 women.
According to NBC News there were several factors that were tied to the decline. The first being that the women were urged to used the intrauterine devices, or IUDs, and hormonal implants over the birth control pill.
The second factor was that the women followed were in high-risk populations, such as women and girls who have already used abortion services once. Also, women and girls who have no means have no way to get contraceptive products.
“The way I look at it as a gynecologist with an interest in women’s health and public health and family planning, is that this saves money,” Peipert said. “When you provide no-cost contraception, and you remove that barrier, you finally reduce unintended pregnancy rates. It doesn’t matter what side one is on politically, that’s a good thing.”
