COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — A new report finds that a statewide contraceptive program called “No Drama” strengthens the overall workforce and economy. Bonnie Kapp is the CEO of New Morning — a 24-year-old non-profit dedicated to providing women in South Carolina with safe and affordable access to birth control. “When you empower women, you are really empowering the state to have a strong workforce and family stability,” Kapp says. Economists with the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, find the “No Drama” program (which has now existed for a decade) to have a number of positive effects on the state’s economy — with every dollar spent returning up to $66 in economic benefits. “I don’t know of another program that can boast a 66 to one ROI,” says Kapp. According to the new report, the contraceptive program contributed to around 12,000 women in SC remaining in the workforce between 2017 and 2024. The study also links No Drama’s efforts to an increase in higher education degrees, and thousands of dollars in extra annual earnings for women who avoided an unintended pregnancy — with program funding coming from a mix of grants, donations, and state appropriations. Representative Todd Rutherford says the non-profit has received heavy bipartisan support. “This is what prevents unplanned pregnancies. This is what allows women to stand on equal footing with men, and plan their lives the way that men do, and not be interrupted by a pregnancy, for example, which throws them out of a workforce, which throws them out of school, which creates an off-kilter relationship. New morning does that. They produce and so we need to applaud that,” says Rutherford. But not everyone is championing the cause. Mark Corral with the conservative group “Equal Protection South Carolina” says its members, which include some republican lawmakers, are opposed to any state funding for birth control and morning after pills, which they believe cause the “killing of unborn babies.” However, Kapp says they’ve received more support than pushback. “And that’s where the intersection is in the Venn Diagram. No matter what you believe, what side of the political spectrum you’re on, there’s room to compromise and support family planning,” she says. The report finds the program’s annual net benefit to the state tallies up to $430 million. To read the summary report, click here.   Categories: Local News, News Tags: Bonnie Kapp, contraceptive, Darla Moore School of Business, Mark Corral, New Morning, No Drama, plan b, Rep. Todd Rutherford ...read more read less