A three-year study conducted in St. Louis, Missouri showed that when effective contraception is available to women for free, the number of abortions and teen births sharply decline. According to the Associated Press, the results are eagerly awaited by Obama administration officials hoping to make the case for a similar national program that has been bitterly contested by some on the right.

The study tracked 9,000 women, mostly poor or lacking health insurance. When cost was removed as a barrier to contraceptive access, many women ‘flocked