More than 21 million women in the United States live in counties where they need low- or no-cost contraception but cannot access it, according to an interactive county-by-county map created by reproductive health research organizations Guttmacher and Power to Decide.
The map is based on available data on contraception availability and projected need at the county level. NPR reports that there may be a lag between changes on the ground and the figures captured in the data, suggesting that current access conditions could be even worse than what the map shows. The analysis highlights where gaps in services and affordability are most pronounced, focusing on areas where women face barriers to obtaining contraception that helps prevent unintended pregnancy.
While the reporting centers on the scale of the problem nationwide and the geographic distribution of limited access, the two organizations’ tool provides the specific county-level context that local policymakers and advocates can use to assess where coverage and service availability may be insufficient.
