Global Reproductive Health Policy
Tell Congress: Health Has No Borders
Check out our new video narrated by TV’s Connie Britton on why Americans should care about international family planning.
Protect U.S. Foreign Aid for Birth Control
Opponents of birth control don’t just want to limit access in the U.S., they want to slash U.S. support for international family planning.
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
Planned Parentood Global works to build movements that promote and protect the reproductive health and rights of vulnerable women and young people.
Tell Congress Health Has No Borders
Check out Planned Parenthood Global’s new animated video Health Has No Borders narrated by TV’s Connie Britton of Friday Night Lights! In under two minutes, the video answers the question “Why should I care about international family planning?” and makes important connections between U.S. citizens and support for programs overseas.
Protect U.S. Foreign Aid for Birth Control
Opponents of birth control don’t just want to limit access in the U.S., they want to slash U.S. support for international family planning programs. It’s a perennial debate, and it’s about to start all over again. President Obama’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget, which he submitted three weeks ago, demonstrates the value the administration places on family planning. Despite near across-the-board cuts, funding for international family planning programs is preserved, a move that no doubt takes into account the disproportionate cuts family planning has faced in the last two budget cycles. Evidence shows that when women have access to family planning, unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and maternal deaths all decrease. Yet opponents of birth control continue to take every opportunity to dismantle family planning programs at home and abroad. For more on the debate, read PPFA Director of Global Advocacy Chlo# Cooney’s recent piece on RHReality Check laying out just how important it is that Congress protect U.S. foreign aid for birth control.
The Global Need
Planned Parenthood is a leader in working to eliminate barriers to basic reproductve 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 pregnacy 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 wordwide.
- Worldwide, approximately 19 million unsafe abortions are performed annually, with the majority occurring in developing countries.
Our Work
Planned Parenhood Global 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