Fall 2009 - New Reports Show Gaps in Reproductive Health
Massachusetts has been a national leader in improving access to health care. Yet today, access to critical reproductive health services and information often remains an accident of geography, a function of income, and a question of knowledge.To help inform policy makers and the public, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts has compiled a series of new “status reports” that assess the current state of reproductive health across the Commonwealth and within individual communities. The reports find that, today, unintended pregnancies, births among teenagers, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain significant public health concerns. Moreover, sizeable disparities exist across all of these health indicators, with some of the highest rates found among women of color and low-income women. Key findings include:  Nearly a quarter (22%) of Massachusetts women ages 18-44 who were pregnant in the last five years report that their most recent pregnancy was unplanned.
- Compared to their white counterparts, Hispanic teens are more than six times as likely and black teens are almost three times as likely to become teen mothers.
- Women ages 20-24 are at the greatest risk of contracting chlamydia (at almost twice the rate as the statewide average).
- Although women account for less than one third of all HIV infections, they are the fastest growing at-risk group for contracting the virus. Women of color are at greatest risk for infection, with black females 25 times more likely and Hispanic females 17 times more likely than white females to be HIV+.
To learn more about statewide trends, read our full online summary or view a PDF of the report. To find out about these issues in your community, check out the local reproductive health status reports we produced covering each of the Commonwealth's forty Senate districts.
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