Global Reproductive Health Policy
House Leadership Wants to Cut Access to Maternal Health Care
U.S. House leadership has announced they will introduce a bill to cut funding for the United Nations Population Fund.
The Global Need
Planned Parenthood is a leader in working to eliminate barriers to basic reproductive health care services that are essential to the lives of billions of women and men worldwide.
Our Work
The PPFA International Program works to build movements that promote and protect the reproductive health and rights of vulnerable women and young people.
Breaking: House Leadership Wants to Cut Access to Maternal Health Care
U.S. House leadership has announced they will introduce a bill to cut funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as part of a gimmicky Web campaign that makes light of women’s access to vital health care.
UNFPA works directly with governments in over 150 countries around the world to improve vital reproductive health care and strengthen health systems. Opponents of U.S. support for UNFPA have long made baseless claims that because the agency works in China it must support forced abortion and sterilization. Contrary to this rhetoric, UNFPA does not perform or fund abortions or coercive policies anywhere in the world. In fact, UNFPA plays an important role working to expand voluntary family planning programs in China and reform the country’s human rights standards.
This is yet another ideological attack on women’s reproductive health, and Planned Parenthood opposes efforts to cut funding to this critical organization. We’ll be tracking their efforts. Stay tuned for action steps.
The Global Need
Planned Parenthood is a leader in working to eliminate barriers to basic reproductive health care services that are essential to the lives of billions of women and men worldwide.
Worldwide, poverty, limited access to health services, lack of political will, legal restrictions, cultural taboos, and harsh gender inequality all conspire to put women at risk of harm resulting from unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, unattended childbirth, and unsafe abortion.
Here are the facts:
- Two hundred million women who wish to avoid or delay pregnancy do not have access to modern contraception.
- Every minute of every day, a woman dies from a pregnancy-related cause.
- More than 38 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
- Worldwide, approximately 19 million unsafe abortions are performed annually, with the majority occurring in developing countries.
Our Work
The PPFA International Program works to build movements that promote and protect the reproductive health and rights of vulnerable women and young people. Our work focuses on
- expanding access to reproductive health services, including family planning and safe abortion
- advocating for expanded reproductive rights through country-specific and U.S.-based efforts
- reaching communities that are most often underserved or disadvantaged, including young people and indigenous, tribal, and low-caste groups
- integrating reproductive health into other aspects of development work, such as environmental conservation, microfinance, and education