The Guttmacher Institute is a research and policy NGO that aims to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide. This research organization was started in 1968 and works to study, educate, and advance sexual and reproductive health and rights. The organization works mainly in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

but also focuses on developing countries. Founded as part of Planned Parenthood, the Guttmacher Institute became independent from Planned Parenthood in 2007. The Guttmacher Institute uses studies to help support policy making and program reform. The institute is named after obstetrician-gynecologist and former president of Planned Parenthood Alan F. Guttmacher. The Guttmacher Institute has many sources of funding nationally and internationally. One of the institute's biggest projects is keeping a running list of the reproductive health laws and policies throughout the United States. The current CEO is Herminia Palacio.

History

Founded in 1968, the Guttmacher Institute was originally called the Center for Family Planning Program Development and was a branch of Planned Parenthood. After Alan Guttmacher's death, the Center for Family Planning Program Development was renamed and became an independent non-profit organization. In 2007, the organization officially split from Planned Parenthood.

Activities

The Guttmacher Institute continually updates its analysis of state and national laws and policies about contraception and abortion. The institute keeps a record of the restrictions on reproductive health that different states have put in place. The organization also keeps data about how teens are affected by pregnancy and the number of teens who use contraception. Internationally, the Guttmacher Institute uses statistical models to give an approximation of abortions in places where the data is not as accessible or the abortions happen outside of the health care setting. In 2013, it was awarded a Population Center grant by the US

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

in support of the Guttmacher Center for Population Research Innovation and Dissemination. The Guttmacher Institute has received Charity Navigator’s highest 4-star rating annually since 2010. In 2011 and 2013, the institute was named the number one organization in the field of reproductive health by Philanthropedia.

Funding

The institute was first started in 1968 as part of Planned Parenthood, which was its sole source of funding. After the Guttmacher Institute became independent from Planned Parenthood in 2007, the organization received less than 1% of its funding from Planned Parenthood in 2010. Now, most of the funding is gained through private foundations based in the United States. Other funding does come from international organizations such as the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

and the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

. The Guttmacher Institute was awarded $3.9 million between 1986 and 2015 by the

MacArthur Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 50 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.0 billion and p ...

, including 13 grants in population and reproductive health.

Nonpartisanship

The Guttmacher Institute is not affiliated with a political party, and so it is nonpartisan in the strict sense of the word. The group work to "ensure that all women are able to exercise their

reproductive rights Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows: Reproductive rights rest o ...

and responsibilities", which puts them among advocates of abortion rights. According to '' FactCheck'', Guttmacher "provides the most highly respected statistics on the sexual health of women and men. Its figures on abortion are widely cited by the media as well as by groups on both sides of the political aisle."

References

External links