Contraception Access: Progress, Setbacks, and Global Impact

Global Progress and Unmet Needs

• 🌍 The Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals have led to excellent progress in contraception access in many countries, including in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia.
• ⚠️ Despite progress, approximately 270 million women and young people still lack access to modern contraception, a number that has stagnated over the past 10-15 years.

Regional Disparities and Setbacks

• 📉 Significant disparities exist between countries and regions, with some areas experiencing a decrease in access to contraception.
• 🌍 The Arab Spring region, for example, saw a nearly 7 percentage point decrease in access between 2010 and 2018.
• 🚫 Anti-rights movements are actively fighting against sexual reproductive health, including access to contraception and abortion, pushing back on acquired rights.

Impact of US Foreign Aid Policy Changes

• 🇺🇸 The Trump administration's freeze on foreign aid, including a significant stockpile of birth control stranded in Belgium, has created a huge gap in funding for family planning, particularly in low-income countries.
• 💔 The US State Department's plan to destroy this stockpile, despite offers to purchase it, highlights a concerning policy shift.
• 📉 This pushback on funding is expected to have a significant impact on maternal and newborn deaths, and could reverse progress made in fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.

Need for Continued Research and Investment

• 🔬 There is a critical need for new contraceptive methods, especially male methods, which are still under investigation.
• 💡 The current pushback on research funding is dramatic and detrimental to global health advancements.