Making the Link: Pregnancy Prevention and the New Welfare Era

Publication Date: December 1999

Publisher: Center for Law and Social Policy

Author(s): Phyllida Burlingame; Rutledge Q. Hutson; Jodie Levin-Epstein

Research Area: Population and demographics; Social conditions

Type: Report

Coverage: California Washington Georgia

Abstract:

Explores alternative mechanisms welfare and other social service agencies might adopt to address a national dilemma: nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. Interest in this topic is fueled, in part, by the 1996 welfare law, which seeks to reduce out-of-wedlock births. What steps can welfare and social service agencies take to improve access to and voluntary use of family planning services?

Making the Link begins to answer this question by reporting the linkages underway in California, Washington, and Georgia. Making the Link also suggests why states should consider replication or adaptation of these initiatives, what the inherent implementation challenges are, and how to navigate these challenges.