More Teen Girls Complete High School with Access to Birth Control

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A new study reveals that affordable birth control access significantly boosts high school graduation rates among teen girls. It’s a well-known fact that when women can manage their reproductive health, their educational achievements often improve. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once emphasized that women’s potential is closely linked to their ability to control their reproductive choices. While this concept seems obvious, there has been limited data to support it—until now.

Recent research from the U.S. Census Bureau, focusing on Colorado, shows a direct correlation between increased access to low- or no-cost birth control options and higher high school graduation rates for young women. The Colorado Family Planning Initiative (CFPI), launched in 2009, made every FDA-approved contraceptive method available for free or low cost at federally-funded family planning clinics across the state. This initiative is noteworthy because, unlike other states’ federally funded clinics, all forms of contraception were accessible without financial barriers.

The findings indicate that since the CFPI began, high school graduation rates for young women in Colorado have risen by 2%, while the number of young women without a diploma has decreased by 14%. The impact was even more pronounced among Hispanic women, with a 21.8% reduction in the share of those not graduating high school and a 2.1% increase in graduation rates.

In short, when women have the autonomy to make choices about their bodies, they unlock greater opportunities for their futures. As the researchers stated, “our findings indicate that improving access to contraception increases young women’s human capital formation.” Access to birth control should be straightforward, not a complicated maze of forms and costs that young women must navigate to seize control of their futures.

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In summary, the availability of affordable birth control is linked to higher high school graduation rates among teen girls. This illustrates the importance of reproductive choice in empowering women and enhancing their educational opportunities.

Keyphrase: Teen girls high school graduation birth control access

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