Skip to main content

Guttmacher Institute

Donate Now

Highlights

  • Roe v. Wade Overturned
  • COVID-19 impact
  • Reproductive Health Impact Study
  • Adding It Up
  • Abortion Worldwide
  • Guttmacher-Lancet Commission
  • U.S. policy resources
  • State policy resources
  • State legislation tracker

Reports

  • Global
  • U.S.

Articles

  • Global research
  • U.S. research
  • Policy analysis
  • Guttmacher Policy Review
  • Op-eds & external blogs

Fact Sheets

  • Global
  • U.S.
  • U.S. State Laws and Policies

Data & Visualizations

  • Data center
  • Infographics
  • Public-use data sets

Peer-Reviewed Journals

  • International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health

Global

  • Abortion
  • Contraception
  • HIV & STIs
  • Pregnancy
  • Teens

U.S.

  • Abortion
  • Contraception
  • HIV & STIs
  • Pregnancy
  • Teens

Our Work By Geography

  • Global
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America & the Caribbean
  • Northern America
  • Oceania

Who We Are

  • About
  • Staff
  • Board
  • Job opportunities
  • History
  • Contact
  • Conflict of Interest Policy

Media

  • Media office
  • News releases

Support Our Work

  • Make a gift today
  • Monthly Giving Circle
  • Donate stock or securites
  • Guttmacher Legacy Circle
  • Financials
  • Annual Report

Awards and Scholarships

  • Darroch Award
  • Richards Scholarship
  • Bixby Fellowship

Search form

Good reproductive health policy starts with credible research

 

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Email
Guttmacher Institute

Good reproductive health policy starts with credible research

 

Donate Now

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Email

Highlights

  • Roe v. Wade Overturned
  • COVID-19 impact
  • Reproductive Health Impact Study
  • Adding It Up
  • Abortion Worldwide
  • Guttmacher-Lancet Commission
  • U.S. policy resources
  • State policy resources
  • State legislation tracker

Reports

  • Global
  • U.S.

Articles

  • Global research
  • U.S. research
  • Policy analysis
  • Guttmacher Policy Review
  • Op-eds & external blogs

Fact Sheets

  • Global
  • U.S.
  • U.S. State Laws and Policies

Data & Visualizations

  • Data center
  • Infographics
  • Public-use data sets

Peer-Reviewed Journals

  • International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health

Global

  • Abortion
  • Contraception
  • HIV & STIs
  • Pregnancy
  • Teens

U.S.

  • Abortion
  • Contraception
  • HIV & STIs
  • Pregnancy
  • Teens

Our Work By Geography

  • Global
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America & the Caribbean
  • Northern America
  • Oceania

Who We Are

  • About
  • Staff
  • Board
  • Job opportunities
  • History
  • Contact
  • Conflict of Interest Policy

Media

  • Media office
  • News releases

Support Our Work

  • Make a gift today
  • Monthly Giving Circle
  • Donate stock or securites
  • Guttmacher Legacy Circle
  • Financials
  • Annual Report

Awards and Scholarships

  • Darroch Award
  • Richards Scholarship
  • Bixby Fellowship

Search form

All Staff

Heather D. Boonstra

Vice President for Public Policy

Heather Boonstra is Vice President for Public Policy at the Guttmacher Institute. She serves on the Institute’s Executive Leadership Team, where she plays a key role in developing Institute-wide strategic and programmatic priorities. She provides broad oversight and day-to-day management of Guttmacher’s Policy Division, and leads our policy team to maximize the impact of Guttmacher’s research and policy analysis at the state, federal and global levels.

 

For five years, Ms. Boonstra held the position of Director of Public Policy; she oversaw the Institute’s advocacy efforts, equipping advocates, opinion leaders and decision makers with timely evidence and incisive policy analysis. Ms. Boonstra joined the Institute in 1999 as a Senior Public Policy Associate. In this role, she represented Guttmacher in advocacy and outreach activities with Congress, government agencies, coalition partners and other organizations. She authored numerous policy analyses on issues such as insurance coverage for abortion under Medicaid, the sexual health needs of adolescents in low- and middle-income countries, and the harms of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oregon and holds an MA in religion from Yale University, where she studied social and medical ethics and movement building.

Selected Publications

  • September 2019 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    World Contraception Day: Celebrating Progress and Maintaining Momentum

    IMPT Blog

    Global

    • Contraception
    • HIV & STIs
  • February 2019 Policy Analysis

    The Global HER Act Would Repeal the Harmful Global Gag Rule

    Global

    • Abortion
  • January 2018 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    Taking Stock of Year One of the Trump Administration’s Harmful Agenda Against Reproductive Health and Rights

    Rewire

    United States

    • Abortion
    • Contraception
    • Teens
  • December 2017 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    Despite New Branding, Abstinence-Only Programs Have Same Old Problems

    The Hill

    United States

    • Contraception
    • HIV & STIs
    • Teens
  • September 2017 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    Congress Should Oppose the 20-Week Abortion Ban

    The Hill

    United States

    • Abortion
  • July 2016 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    Make full SRHR for young women a priority

    Sex Rights Africa Network

    Global

    • HIV & STIs
    • Teens
  • July 2016 Policy Analysis

    Abortion in the Lives of Women Struggling Financially: Why Insurance Coverage Matters

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    United States

    • Abortion
  • Twice as many abortion patients are eligible for medication abortion following the 2016 FDA label change
    June 2016 News in Context

    The Public Health Implications of the FDA Update to the Medication Abortion Label

    United States

    • Abortion
  • June 2016 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    The Public Health Implications of the FDA Update to the Medication Abortion Label

    Health Affairs Blog

    United States

    • Abortion
  • March 2016 Research Article

    Changes in adolescents' receipt of sex education, 2006–2013

    Journal of Adolescent Health

    United States

    • HIV & STIs
    • Teens
  • March 2016 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    Effort to restrict and stigmatize abortion access is misguided and harmful

    The Hill's Congress Blog

    United States

    • Abortion
  • March 2016 News in Context

    Effort to restrict and stigmatize abortion access is misguided and harmful

    United States

    • Abortion
  • February 2016 Policy Analysis

    Fetal Tissue Research: A Weapon and a Casualty in the War Against Abortion

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    United States

    • Abortion
  • January 2016 News in Context

    On Roe Anniversary, Let’s Remember the U.S. Women for Whom Abortion Is a Right on Paper Only

    United States

    • Abortion
  • January 2016 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    On Roe anniversary, let’s remember the US women for whom abortion is a right on paper only

    The Hill's Congress Blog

    United States

    • Abortion
  • December 2015 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    Multipurpose prevention technologies hold great promise, but more US investment is needed

    The Hill's Congress Blog

    United States

    • Contraception
    • HIV & STIs
  • September 2015 Policy Analysis

    Multipurpose Prevention Technologies for the Developing World: U.S. Investment Is Critical

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    Global

    • Contraception
    • HIV & STIs
  • April 2015 Policy Analysis

    Meeting the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Adolescents in School-Based Health Centers

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    United States

    • Teens
  • October 2014 Policy Analysis

    Making the case for multipurpose prevention technologies: the socio-epidemiological rationale

    BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

    Global

    • Contraception
    • HIV & STIs
  • September 2014 Policy Analysis

    What Is Behind the Declines in Teen Pregnancy Rates?

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    United States

    • Contraception
    • HIV & STIs
    • Pregnancy
    • Teens
  • March 2014 Policy Analysis

    A Surge of State Abortion Restrictions Puts Providers—and the Women They Serve—in the Crosshairs

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • December 2013 Policy Analysis

    Leveling the Playing Field: The Promise of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives for Adolescents

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    United States

    • Contraception
    • HIV & STIs
    • Teens
  • September 2013 Policy Analysis

    Insurance Coverage of Abortion: Beyond the Exceptions For Life Endangerment, Rape and Incest

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    United States

    • Abortion
  • March 2013 Policy Analysis

    Medication Abortion Restrictions Burden Women and Providers—and Threaten U.S. Trend Toward Very Early Abortion

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    United States

    • Abortion
  • August 2012 Policy Analysis

    Absence of Balance: Sweeping Refusal Policies in PEPFAR And the Proposed Trafficking Victims’ Protection Act

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    United States

    • Contraception
    • HIV & STIs
  • May 2012 Policy Analysis

    Progressive and Pragmatic: The National Sexuality
 Education Standards for U.S. Public Schools


    Guttmacher Policy Review

    United States

    • HIV & STIs
    • Teens
  • March 2012 Policy Analysis

    Leading School Health Organizations Release First-Ever U.S. Standards for Sex Education

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    United States

    • HIV & STIs
    • Pregnancy
    • Teens
  • November 2011 Policy Analysis

    Access to safe abortion: building choices for women living with HIV and AIDS

    Journal of the International AIDS Society

    Global

    • HIV & STIs
  • November 2011 Policy Analysis

    Linkages Between HIV and Family Planning Services Under PEPFAR: Room for Improvement

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    Global

    • Contraception
    • HIV & STIs
  • August 2011 Policy Analysis

    Advancing Sexuality Education in Developing Countries: Evidence and Implications

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    Global

    • Contraception
    • HIV & STIs
    • Pregnancy
    • Teens
  • June 2011 Policy Analysis

    Teen Pregnancy Among Young Women In Foster Care: A Primer

    Guttmacher Policy Review

    United States

    • HIV & STIs
    • Pregnancy
    • Teens
  • March 2011 Research Article

    Review of the Role of Faith- and Community-Based Organizations in Providing Comprehensive Sexuality Education

    American Journal of Sexuality Education

    United States

    • Teens
  • October 2010 Policy Analysis

    New Pregnancy Assistance Fund Under Health Care Reform: An Analysis

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • August 2010 Policy Analysis

    Off Base: The U.S. Military's Ban on Privately Funded Abortions

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • August 2010 Policy Analysis

    Lemonade from Lemons: The Obama Administration's Plan for Implementing the Title V Abstinence Education Program

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • June 2010 Policy Analysis

    Sex Education: Another Big Step Forward—And a Step Back

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • May 2010 Policy Analysis

    Winning Campaign: California’s Concerted Effort To Reduce Its Teen Pregnancy Rate

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • March 2010 Policy Analysis

    Key Questions for Consideration as a New Federal Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative is Implemented

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • November 2009 Policy Analysis

    Worldwide, Young People Speak Up for Their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, but U.S. Policy Lags

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • August 2009 Policy Analysis

    Home Visiting for At Risk Families: A Primer On a Major Obama Administration Initiative

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • May 2009 Policy Analysis

    The Challenge in Helping Young Adults Better Manage Their Reproductive Lives

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • March 2009 Policy Analysis

    Advocates Call for a New Approach After the Era of ‘Abstinence-Only’ Sex Education

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • October 2008 Policy Analysis

    Despite Consensus and Mounting Evidence, Challenges to Improved HIV–Reproductive Health Linkages Remain

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • October 2008 Policy Analysis

    Comprehensive Evidence Review Concludes Abortion Does Not Harm Women's Mental Health

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • August 2008 Policy Analysis

    The Impact of Government Programs on Reproductive Health Disparities: Three Case Studies

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • August 2008 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    Integrating Sexual and Reproductive Health

    Caucus for Evidence-Based Prevention Newsletter
  • August 2008 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    At IAC, Moving Forward on SRH/HIV Integration

    RH Reality Check
  • May 2008 Policy Analysis

    Congress Examines the Evidence on Abstinence-Only Education Programs

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • May 2008 Policy Analysis

    Making HIV Tests ‘Routine’: Concerns and Implications

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • February 2008 Policy Analysis

    Four in 10 Adolescents Now Live in States Not Participating in Federal Abstinence-Only Education Program

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • February 2008 Policy Analysis

    Matter of Faith: Support for Comprehensive Sex Education Among Faith-Based Organizations

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • November 2007 Policy Analysis

    Renewing a Focus on Prevention in U.S. Global AIDS Policy

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • August 2007 Policy Analysis

    Young People Need Help in Preventing Pregnancy and HIV; How Will the World Respond?

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • August 2007 Policy Analysis

    Under Increased Pressure, Abstinence-only Advocates Intensify Campaign to Protect Their Funding

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • May 2007 Blog / Letter / Op-ed

    Sex and Childbearing after HIV Diagnosis

    OneWorld.net
  • May 2007 Policy Analysis

    The Case for a New Approach to Sex Education Mounts; Will Policymakers Heed the Message?

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • March 2007 Policy Analysis

    The Heart of the Matter: Public Funding of Abortion for Poor Women in the United States

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • October 2006 Policy Analysis

    Meeting the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of People Living with HIV

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • May 2006 Report

    Abortion in Women’s Lives

    United States

    • Abortion
  • November 2005 Policy Analysis

    Advocates Question Plan B Age Restriction After FDA Again Delays Decision

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • May 2005 Policy Analysis

    Condoms, Contraceptives and Nonoxynol-9: Complex Issues Obscured by Ideology

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • November 2004 Policy Analysis

    The Role of Reproductive Health Providers in Preventing HIV

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • October 2004 Research Article

    Confidential Reproductive Health Services for Minors: The Potential Impact of Mandated Parental Involvement for Contraception

    Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • June 2004 Policy Analysis

    FDA Rejects Expert Panel Recommendation, Blocks OTC Switch for Plan B Emergency Contraception

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • March 2004 Policy Analysis

    FDA Delays Its Decision on the Sale of Emergency Contraception

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • March 2004 Policy Analysis

    Comprehensive Approach Needed To Combat Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Youth

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • May 2003 Policy Analysis

    Critics Charge Bush Mix of Science and Politics Is Unprecedented and Dangerous

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • May 2003 Policy Analysis

    U.S. AIDS Policy: Priority On Treatment, Conservatives' Approach to Prevention

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • March 2003 Policy Analysis

    Public Health Advocates Say Campaign to Disparage Condoms Threatens STD Prevention Efforts

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • December 2002 Policy Analysis

    Emergency Contraception: Steps Being Taken to Improve Access

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • October 2002 Policy Analysis

    Emergency Contraception: The Need to Increase Public Awareness

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • August 2002 Policy Analysis

    Mifepristone in the United States: Status and Future

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • May 2002 Policy Analysis

    Legislators Craft Alternative Vision of Sex Education to Counter Abstinence-Only Drive

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • March 2002 Policy Analysis

    Overhauling welfare: implications for reproductive health policy in the United States.

    Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association

    United States

    • Contraception
  • February 2002 Policy Analysis

    Teen Pregnancy: Trends And Lessons Learned

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • December 2001 Policy Analysis

    Islam, Women and Family Planning: A Primer

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • October 2001 Policy Analysis

    As Research Accelerates, Focus Intensifies on Options for 'First-Generation' Microbicide

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • June 2001 Policy Analysis

    The 'Add Health' Survey: Origins, Purposes and Design

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • April 2001 Policy Analysis

    Voicing Concern for Women, Abortion Foes Seek Limits On Availability of Mifepristone

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • February 2001 Policy Analysis

    Human Embryo and Fetal Research: Medical Support and Political Controversy

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • December 2000 Policy Analysis

    Welfare Law and the Drive To Reduce 'Illegitimacy'

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • August 2000 Policy Analysis

    Minors and the Right to Consent to Health Care

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • June 2000 Policy Analysis

    Promoting Contraceptive Use and Choice: France's Approach To Teen Pregnancy and Abortion

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • April 2000 Policy Analysis

    Rights Without Access: Revisiting Public Funding of Abortion for Poor Women

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • February 2000 Policy Analysis

    Campaign to Accelerate Microbicide Development for STD Prevention Gets Under Way

    Guttmacher Policy Review
  • January 2000 Policy Analysis

    The “boom and bust phenomenon”: the hopes, dreams, and broken promises of the contraceptive revolution

    Contraception

    United States

    • Contraception
  • October 1999 Policy Analysis

    The Antiabortion Campaign To Personify the Fetus: Looking Back to the Future

    Guttmacher Policy Review
Guttmacher Institute
Reproductive rights are under attack. Will you help us fight back with facts?
Donate Now
Follow Guttmacher:

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Footer Menu

  • Privacy Policy
© 2022 Guttmacher Institute. The Guttmacher Institute is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under the tax identification number 13-2890727. Contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable.

Get Our Updates