Supporting Prevention Could Make the Need for Treating Fistula Obsolete

Washington D.C. - August 1, 2005

More than 2 million women in the developing world suffer from obstetric fistula, a condition that results from complications during childbirth. An estimated 50,000-100,000 women are left incontinent by fistula every year, but not in much of the Western world where access to robust reproductive health and family planning services is widespread. Women with access to these services, specifically contraception, can protect themselves from fistula by delaying, spacing and limiting their pregnancies. But rather than help make those services available to more women, the Bush Administration and its allies in Congress are once again favoring treatment over prevention.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) – a close ally of the Bush Administration and a long-time opponent of family planning – recently authored a provision to establish a new US$5 million-a-year program to treat fistula in developing countries. He agreed to amend the provision, per new language offered by Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), to specifically earmark those funds for both treatment and prevention of fistula, including the provision of contraceptives. Just prior to a full House vote, however, the language was altered and specific references to “contraception” were deleted. The House approved this provision by a vote of 223 to 205.

Though family planning programs offer proven and cost-effective fistula prevention methods, the Bush Administration is focused almost entirely on the treatment of women already stricken by fistula. As with many areas of public health, such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, it is putting ideology before science and has forfeited an opportunity to help prevent this acute reproductive health danger and improve the lives of women and their families.

Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.