Contraceptive access and teen childbearing: Lessons from Sweden

Kelly Ragan
17 Apr 2025

The Trump administration has frozen federal funding for contraceptive services at a time when abortion rights have already been rolled back across much of the US. This column suggests that economists and policymakers aiming to predict the consequences of these policies look to Sweden, where oral contraception (‘the pill’) was introduced 60 years ago, when a national abortion ban was still in place. The Swedish data suggest that for teens who face the greatest risk of pregnancy, small differences in access costs can have large consequences for childbearing rates.

Reproductive rights have been curtailed in the US in recent years. The latest restriction is the Trump administration’s freeze on federal funding for subsidised access to contraceptive services for millions of Americans (The Guardian 2025). Economists and policymakers who want to predict the consequences of this abrupt policy reversal should look to Sweden. My analysis of Swedish data – which indicates that small changes in the sales of contraceptives, when driven by access costs, can have large consequences for teen childbearing  (Ragan 2025) – suggests the Trump administration’s restrictions on contraceptive services will be borne by American teenagers, who will become parents earlier than if they’d had access to contraception.

Continued: https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/contraceptive-access-and-teen-childbearing-lessons-sweden


Sweden to revamp abortion law, midwives allowed pill prescribing rights

Midwives could be allowed to prescribe abortion pills in Sweden under new abortion legislation. Home abortions without prior clinic pill visit to be permitted.

Monica Kleja, Euractiv Health Capitals 
Mar 3, 2025

Changes to the Swedish abortion law could be made as soon as medical abortion at home is considered a safe procedure. A physical visit to a clinic to take the first abortion pills should not be required by law anymore, according to a new report.

The Swedish abortion law came into force in 1975 but has remained largely unchanged since then.

Now, a government-commissioned investigation is proposing a number of legislative changes that are considered to be of great importance for women and transgender men who might become pregnant.

Continued: https://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/sweden-to-revamp-abortion-law-midwives-allowed-pill-prescribing-rights/


Liberia: Swedish Embassy Denies Bribing Liberian Senators to Legalize Abortion

08/22/2023
TINA S. MEHNPAINE

The Swedish Embassy is denying that it bribed Liberian senators to pass an amendment to the country’s public health law that would legalize abortion, which remains prohibited except in extreme cases.

The Swedish denial comes as it remains one of the leading donors to Amplifying Rights Network, a pro-abortion group, that is spearheading the campaign for the legalization of abortion in Liberia.

The group, whose push led to the issue of abortion being included in the revised public health law, which Senators are about to vote on as they return from their two-week break, argued that the country’s restrictive abortion laws limit women’s rights and access to safe reproductive healthcare.

Continued:  http://www.liberianobserver.com/liberia-swedish-embassy-denies-bribing-liberian-senators-legalize-abortion


Sweden invests $42 million to improve sexual and reproductive health in East and Southern Africa

Sources: Govt. Sweden, UNFPA, UNICEF
22 Jun 2023 

PRETORIA, South Africa -- Sweden today announced a further investment of $42 million for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), in an effort to transform the lives of millions of people in East and Southern Africa. The funding is being made available through Sweden's Strategy for SRHR in Africa 2022-2026.

The investment will bolster existing efforts by four United Nations agencies -- UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO -- to support countries and regional entities in East and Southern Africa to reduce maternal mortality including from unsafe abortion, HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unmet need for contraceptives, and gender-based violence (GBV). The investment brings to $99 million the total amount committed by Sweden since 2018.

Continued:  https://reliefweb.int/report/world/sweden-invests-42-million-improve-sexual-and-reproductive-health-east-and-southern-africa


Sweden abortion: Nurses fail in European court case

Sweden abortion: Nurses fail in European court case

13 March 2020

Two nurses denied jobs as midwives in Sweden because of their refusal to perform abortions have lost their legal action against Sweden at the European Court of Human Rights.

Swedish-born Ellinor Grimmark and Linda Steen from Norway object to abortion because of their Christian faith.

Swedish law requires midwives to carry out abortions - and several Swedish courts ruled against the two women.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51874119


Swedish midwives who oppose abortion fail in rights case

Swedish midwives who oppose abortion fail in rights case
Women argued that being denied employment breached their rights to freedom of religion and conscience

Reuters
Fri 13 Mar 2020

Two nurses denied midwife jobs as midwives for refusing to carry out abortions have lost their legal bid to take Sweden to a top European court for violating their religious beliefs.

Ellinor Grimmark and Linda Steen had told the European court of human rights (ECHR) that being denied employment due to their beliefs against abortion was an illegal breach of their rights to freedom of religion and conscience.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2020/mar/13/swedish-midwives-who-oppose-abortion-fail-in-rights-case


Liberia – Sweden Underscores Importance of Sexual, Reproductive Health

Sweden Underscores Importance of Sexual, Reproductive Health

By Alvin Worzi
September 9, 2019

Elisabeth Harleman, Counsellor, Head of Development Cooperation and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia, has underscored the importance of sexual and reproductive health for everyone’s well-being, especially young people.

Madam Harleman made the remark on Thursday, September 5, 2019 at a program marking the launch of DKT International Liberia, an international charitable non-profit organization that promotes family planning and HIV prevention through social marketing.

Continued: https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/sweden-underscores-importance-of-sexual-reproductive-health/


Rwanda – Sexual and reproductive health and rights are fundamental human rights

Sexual and reproductive health and rights are fundamental human rights

By Jenny Ohlsson
Published : December 10, 2018

On Human Rights Day 2018, I would like to put the spotlight on the many women that die every year because some of their most fundamental human rights are not respected.

I would also like to convey my sympathies to the many daughters, sons, mothers, fathers and siblings that has lost, and will lose, a loved one. But also to our societies that will continue to lose so many brilliant minds and changemakers – all in vain – unless we implement the necessary reforms. Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are not only human rights, but a matter of life and death.

Continued: https://www.newtimes.co.rw/opinions/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-are-fundamental-human-rights


International experts condemn attempt to further restrict abortion in Poland.

International experts condemn attempt to further restrict abortion in Poland.

For immediate release 17-10-2018:

Warsaw, Poland - Women on Waves and the Sisterhood Network teamed up to fight attempts to further restrict abortion rights in Poland. A case bough by the group of Members of the Lower Chamber of The Parliament (Sejm) to the Constitutional Tribunal argues that the current Polish abortion law which allows for a legal abortion in the case of severe fetal malformation, violates the Polish constitutional protection of the life of everyone (incl. fetuses) under the case reference K 13/17.
logo women on waves

Women on Waves, a Dutch non-profit organisation and the Sisterhood Network, an informal support group from Stockholm, Sweden are both supporting women’s right to reproductive freedom by providing access to reproductive healthcare including abortion. Both organizations deal with hundreds of women every month who were denied their right to terminate a pregnancy due to severe fetal anomalies or pregnancy threatening their health or life.

Continued: http://www.womenonwaves.org/en/page/7501/international-experts-condemn-attempt-to-further-restrict-abortion-in-poland


EUROPE – An app which advises young women whether they can avoid pregnancy based on daily body temperature leads to… young women GETTING PREGNANT!

EUROPE – An app which advises young women whether they can avoid pregnancy based on daily body temperature leads to… young women GETTING PREGNANT!

by International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion
July 27, 2018

A fancy app which was certified as a contraceptive method in Europe by the German medicines agency Tüv Süd, based on its claim to be 93% effective, has been found to be leading to many unintended pregnancies. In January 2018, it was reported for investigation to the Swedish Medical Products Agency after one hospital found 37 cases of pregnancies in women using it among 668 women seeking abortions in a three-month period in late 2017. Described in the 17 January 2018 Guardian in as a “smartphone application that marries hi-tech algorithms with the old-fashioned rhythm method”, these pregnancies should be no surprise. The fact is, no matter how you dress up the rhythm method, it fails – and it fails a lot. That’s why safe, effective contraceptive methods were developed in the second half of the 20th century.

Continued: http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/europe-an-app-which-advises-young-women-whether-they-can-avoid-pregnancy-based-on-daily-body-temperature-leads-to-young-women-getting-pregnant