Funding for international family planning programs critical for reproductive health efforts

In an opinion piece in Population Service International's "Impact" magazine, Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) writes, "Unfortunately, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives has empowered extremists with zeal for both broad, haphazard budget cuts and a commitment to rolling back women's health rights," adding, "Further reducing or eliminating funding for international family planning and reproductive health programs would mean more unintended pregnancies, more maternal deaths and more children who lose their mothers during childbirth," as well as "more abortions as fewer women have the ability to control when they become pregnant and how many children they have." She concludes, "With the global population expected to surpass seven billion, we can only expect that the unmet need for family planning services, which currently exists for an estimated 215 million women globally, will only increase. And unfortunately, so will the health disparities and instability that can result from allowing those needs to go unmet if Congress and the administration do not make this program a priority" (9/15).