CDC concern over contraceptive decline deserves second look

On January 4, The Washington Post allocated front page coverage to a biased December 2004 study by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Contraceptive use among American women.

The irregularities in the study and in the reporting are skewed as the study assumes that all women ages 15-44 years of age should be using contraceptives regardless of each woman's reason for being sexually active.

The CDC reported that 7.4% of sexually active women are at "risk for unintended pregnancy" with "women at risk" defined by the CDC, for the purposes of the study, as "women who have had sex in the last three months but are not current contraceptors." This is hardly a fair description for American women.

The CDC has failed to account for the percentage of women who are trying to conceive.

"It's condescending to assume, as the study does, that women who engage in sexual activity which is also procreative are somehow engaging in dangerous behavior. Some women who forgo contraception might also fear the numerous and dangerous side effects associated with various forms of contraception," says Dr. Pia de Solenni, Director of Life and Women's Issues for the Family Research Council.

When almost 19 out of 20 women are using contraception and the fertility industry is booming, it's hard to understand why the CDC targets a small sample of women who have decided to become mothers.

"If the CDC is really interested in preventing unintended pregnancies, it could always promote abstinence or natural family planning. After all, no one's ever become unintentionally pregnant without having sex," says Dr. de Solenni.