Guttmacher Institute

The Guttmacher Institute is a research organization started in 1968 that works to study, educate, and advance sexual and reproductive health and rights.[1][2] The organization works mainly in the United States but also focuses on developing countries.[2] The Guttmacher Institute uses studies to help support policy making and program reform.[2] The Institute is named after obstetrician-gynocologist and the former president of Planned Parenthood, Alan F. Guttmacher.[3] The Guttmacher Institute has many sources of funding nationally and internationally.[2] One of the Institute's biggest projects is keeping a running list of the reproductive health laws and policies throughout the United States.[2]

Guttmacher Institute
Formation1968 (1968) (as Center for Family Planning Program Development)
TypeNGO
Purposereproductive health, birth control
Region served
United States and globally
Budget
$19 million
Websitewww.guttmacher.org

History

Founded in 1968, the Guttmacher Institute was originally called the Center for Family Planning Program Development and was a branch of Planned Parenthood.[3] After Alan Guttmacher’s death, the Center for Family Planning Program Development was renamed and became an independent non-profit organization.[3] In 2007, the organization officially split from Planned Parenthood.[1]

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 that different states have put in place for reproductive health. The organization also keeps data about how teens are affected by pregnancy and the number of teens who use contraception.[2] Internationally, the Guttmacher Institute uses methodologies 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.[2]

In 2013, it was awarded a Population Center grant by the US National Institutes of Health in support of the Guttmacher Center for Population Research Innovation and Dissemination.[2] The Guttmacher Institute has received Charity Navigator’s highest 4-star rating annually since 2010.[4] In 2011 and 2013, the Institute was named the number one organization in the field of reproductive health by Philanthropedia.[5]

Funding

The Institute was first started in 1968 as part of Planned Parenthood, with its funding being solely from Planned Parenthood.[1] Once the Guttmacher Institute was no longer connected to Planned Parenthood in 2007, the organization only received less than 1% of its funding from Planned Parenthood in 2010.[1] 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 and the World Bank.[2] Over the last 25 years, the MacArthur Foundation along with Planned Parenthood’s contribution of well over $2 million, has provided funding so that the Guttmacher Institute can conduct studies internationally on the abortion rates and reproductive health of women.

Bias

The Guttmacher Institute isn’t affiliated with a political party, and so it is nonpartisan in the strict sense of the word. It is true that the group does work to "ensure that all women are able to exercise their reproductive rights and responsibilities," which puts them among advocates of abortion rights. However, according to Factcheck.org, 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."[6]

See also

Sharon Camp, former CEO

References
  1. Bass, Hannah (2012-01-25). "Guttmacher Institute". BMJ. 344: e623. doi:10.1136/bmj.e623. ISSN 0959-8138. PMID 22279095.
  2. "The Guttmacher Institute: The Scientific Backbone of the Reproductive Health Community | Benefunder". www.benefunder.com. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
  3. Valentine, Barbara. "Guttmacher Institute". College & Research Libraries News.
  4. "Charity Navigator - Rating for Guttmacher Institute". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  5. "Guttmacher Institute". Philanthropedia. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  6. "FactCheck Mailbag, Week of April 6-April 12 - FactCheck.org". FactCheck.org. 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
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