The Institute for Women’s Policy Research announced their results for its Employment and Earnings Index and Poverty and Opportunity Index this week. States are graded on six areas and Indiana scored a “D+” in the reproductive rights category.
Overall, Indiana scored in the bottom third of states, earning a “D”.
When it comes to reproductive rights the state ranked 42 in the nation. The study looked at things like: the percentage of women living in counties with an abortion provider, if the state has a pro-choice governor and legislature, and the state’s infant mortality rates among other things.
Vice President of Policy for Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, Patti Stauffer, thinks the rating is fairly accurate. She says it comes down to the data.
“You can take a look at policies but then then that lays the groundwork for how people feel comfortable accessing care, how much resources and time and attention are provided to the public health infrastructure overall and translates at the end of the day to these poor health outcomes,” said Stauffer.
Stauffer says they hope to work with policy makers and key stakeholders in the community to begin to sift through and tease out why Indiana has the rates that it has, and how to start tackling them mindfully. The study also focused on states’ employment, political participation, poverty, health, work and family.
The data can be found on IWPR’s interactive website.