An initiative to provide birth control to low income and uninsured South Carolinians brought economic benefits of up to $430 million into the state every year, according to a University of South Carolina report.
Researchers from the Darla Moore School of Business' South Carolina Economic Policy Center studied the impact of the nonprofit New Morning’s No Drama program that began in 2017. Bonnie Kapp, the president and CEO of New Morning, presented the center’s findings at the statehouse Thursday.
New Mornings started No Drama after performing a needs assessment in 2015 and 2016, Kapp said. The assessment looked for gaps in contraceptive access and found that cost was a barrier, she added.
The No Drama program facilitates virtual and in-person appointments to learn about birth control options. It has also subsidized around $20 million of contraceptives for uninsured women, Kapp said.
New Morning raises money, which partnering clinics use to provide their services to uninsured patients, she said. The nonprofit has received both state funding and private donations.
New Morning began in 2002, funded by former USC physics professor Colgate Darden. Darden and his mother started a trust that funded New Mornings for its first 15 years of operations, Kapp said.
Kapp said she will retire next year, when she reaches 25 years of service to the organization.
“We have always known that we were meeting a need,” Kapp said. “But we did not understand the economic development. We didn’t have that kind of data.”
The program served over 600,000 patients and prevented more than 121,000 unintended pregnancies between 2017 and 2024, according to the report. Up to 11,000 women have avoided poverty as a result of the program. Access to contraception can lead to increased income later in life, resulting in an additional $1,375 to $4,125 in annual income to women who avoid unplanned births, the report read.
No Drama kept up to 12,300 women in the workforce, according to the report.
“That’s equivalent to BMW’s total employees,” Kapp said. “It’s a significant number.”
The report estimated that the state government received up to $1.65 million in extra tax revenue from the additional income earned by women who avoid unwanted pregnancies.
According to a 2024 impact report by New Morning, the group’s work saved taxpayers almost $1 billion since 2017.
For every dollar spent by the No Drama program, South Carolina receives between $22 and $66 in economic benefits, the USC report concluded.
“It’s something that’s a no-brainer to come and stand behind it,” said Rep. J. Todd Rutherford (D-District 74).
Rutherford stood behind Kapp when she presented the results. State backing for the program is bipartisan, he told reporters.
“What you saw, again, was conservative, Republican legislators standing with Democrats, saying ‘This is the type of program that we need,’” Rutherford said. “‘This is what allows women to stand on equal footing with men and plan their lives the way that men do.'”
Sen. Tom Davis (R-District 46) and Rep. Bill Herbkersman (R-District 118) are two Republicans who have supported New Morning’s initiative, South Carolina Daily Gazette reported in 2023. Kapp thanked Davis by name after her remarks Thursday.
“It’s been gratifying to hear from young women and feel like our program has really made a difference in lives,” Kapp said.