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Here is an index of how the sequester spending cuts will affect women and mothers in the United States, by the numbers.
Rank of low-income mothers, particularly women of color, among those expected to be hit hardest by automatic federal spending cuts known as the sequester that took effect in March: 1
Amount the sequester will cut from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC: $333 million
Rank of the South among U.S. regions with the largest percentage of households eligible for WIC’s prenatal services: 1
Amount the sequester is set to cut next year from programs that fight domestic violence and sexual assault: $20 million
Estimated number of domestic violence victims who will not be served as a result of those cuts: 112,190
Percent of domestic violence victims losing access to those services who live in the South: 31
Amount the sequester will cut from women’s health programs that primarily serve lower-income women: $86 million
Amount it will cut from the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant, which provides prenatal care and other services to reduce infant mortality: $50 million
Rank of the South among U.S. regions with the highest rate of premature and underweight births: 1
Amount the sequester will cut from the Safe Motherhood Initiative that aims to prevent pregnancy-related deaths: $4 million
Of the 11 states with the highest maternal mortality rates, number in the South: 5*
Amount the sequester will cut from Title X family planning and reproductive health services: $24 million
Of all poor U.S. women who obtain contraceptive services, portion who do so at a Title X-supported center: 1/4
Percent of pregnancies of women between the ages of 20 and 29 who live below the poverty line that are unplanned: nearly 50
Rank of the South among U.S. regions with the highest rate of unplanned pregnancies: 1
For every $1 invested in family planning, amount averted in Medicaid expenditures: $4
* 1. Washington, D.C. (34.9), 2. Georgia (20.5), 3. New Mexico (16.9), 4. Maryland (16.5), 5. New York (16), 6. Louisiana (15.9), 7. Mississippi (15.2), 8. Arkansas (14.6), 9. Delaware and Michigan (13.6), 10. Florida (13.1)
(Click on figure to go to source.)
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