Purposes

• The purpose of the act is to promote public welfare and health by better coordinating, expanding and improving population research activities and family planning services. The act makes family planning available to all who desire it, coordinates research, improves administration of services and allows private organizations to provide programs. It makes available information on family planning and population available, evaluates programs, provides necessary staff to carry out programs and establishes the Office of Population Affairs.
  
  

Office of Population Affairs

• The Office of Population Affairs was established within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) under the direction of a deputy secretary. The deputy secretary administers appropriate laws and family planning research, serves as a clearinghouse for information, coordinates with other agencies, provides necessary personnel to carry out programs and evaluates HEW family planning programs.
  
  

Formula Grants to States

• The deputy secretary is authorized to make grants to states for family-planning activities. Each state's need and population will determine the amount of the grant. For purposes of grants, states include the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.
  
  

Other Grants

• The deputy secretary may also make grants or enter into contracts with nonprofit and public organizations to provide family planning training to personnel.
  
  Grants may be made to nonprofit and public organizations engaging in research relating to population and family planning. Areas of research include contraception development, biomedicine, behavior and program implementation
  
  The secretary may make grants and enter into contracts with nonprofit and public organizations to develop information, including educational materials, addressing family planning and population
  
  

Abortion

• The act prohibits use of funds where abortion is the method of family planning. A bill was introduced in January 2009 by Senator David Vitter of Louisiana to prohibit grants to any organization that performs abortions. As of June 2010 the bill had not made it out of committee. There have been no votes on the bill and it appeared dead for the 111th session of the U.S. Congress.