The international community has agreed that reproductive choice is a basic human right. But without access to relevant information and high-quality services, that right cannot be exercised.  (UNFPA)

Family planning is among the most effective tools for reducing maternal mortality. When women are counseled, educated, and provided with contraceptive options, they are more likely to delay childbearing, have fewer children, and reduce their risk for obstetrical complications. Nevertheless, up to 75 percent of all pregnancies worldwide are unplanned or unwanted, accounting for nearly 300,000 new pregnancies every day.

Many barriers limit women’s access to family planning methods, including gender inequality, myths, and lack of knowledge about available services. The greatest barrier for many women, particularly in poor communities, is lack of availability. Clinics are too far away, user fees are too high, and transportation costs are beyond their means. Making family planning available and affordable to the poor worldwide would reduce maternal deaths and injuries by at least 20 percent, saving the lives of more than 100,000 women every year.  (Partners in Health)

Below are some amazing organizations doing groundbreaking work in the area of family planning and reproductive health.

EngenderHealth

Family Health International

Marie Stopes International

Partners in Health

Planned Parenthood

UNFPA

World Health Organization

By supporting women’s health, we save lives and build stronger communities.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for renewed support for international family planning and reproductive health programs in a speech from the U.S. Department of State.

The event commemorated the 15^th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).  In 1994, 179 representatives from around the world gathered for the ICPD conference in Cairo and agreed to achieve universal access to reproductive health services by the year 2015, a goal reinforced in the Millennium Development Goals.  Cairo was the first global forum that recognized the connection between women’s health, the quality of women’s lives and human progress.  Now, 15 years later, too many women still have little or no access to reproductive health services.  Secretary Clinton’s statement marks a return to U.S. leadership on international family planning.

Clinton emphasized that “reproductive healthcare is critical to the health of women, and that women’s health is essential to the prosperity and opportunity for all, to the stability of families and communities, and the sustainability and development of nations”.  There is an urgency of the need for increased access to women’s health services – every minute of every day, one woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth, and each year six million more suffer injury, illness, or disability.  In addition, Clinton highlighted the ties between equity, rights and health care, stating that “… we cannot accept the marginalization of half the world’s population.”  Women Deliver’s motto, “Invest in Women- It Pays” was emphasized in Clinton’s speech as well, as she told the world that “… investing in the health of women and girls is the smartest investment we can make.”

Watch Secretary Clinton’s speech here.
Read Secretary Clinton’s speech here.