Delaware increasing access to female contraception

Governor Jack Markell joined officials on Wednesday to promote a new initiative to lower the number of unplanned pregnancies in the state.

According to Dr. Karyl Rattay, Director of the Delaware Division of Public Health, the state has the highest rate of unplanned pregnancy in the country. The rate sits at about 60 percent.

The goal of the initiative is to increase access to the full range of contraception for women. This includes implants and IUD’s. The state has partnered with a non-profit called Upstream USA to make long-acting reversible contraceptives more accessible.

Dr. Rattay says the state is seeing the detrimental social consequences of unplanned pregnancies and is determined to change it.  

She continues, “For women who become pregnant before they were ready to, they’re more likely to drop out of the work force or drop out of school. They’re less likely to meet their educational goals. The same is true for the father of these babies.”

Dr. Rattay believes the state will begin to see the benefits of this initiative in about two years.