Governments Must Prioritize Mothers' Lives 365 Days a Year

Washington, DC - May 15, 2006

Mother's Day comes and goes each year, but in order for the world's mothers to truly lead healthy and productive lives, improving access to maternal and child health care – including access to modern contraceptives – must be on the forefront of governments' agendas year-round.

Every year, more than 500,000 women worldwide die in pregnancy or childbirth. According to Save the Children's recent State of the World's Mothers 2006 report, in Afghanistan – where only 4 percent of women use birth control – the lifetime risk of maternal mortality is 1 in 6. This is a stark contrast to the situation in the United States, where 71 percent of women use birth control and the lifetime risk for maternal mortality is 1 in 2,500.

Access to modern contraceptives allows women to plan and space their births, which leads not only to healthier babies, but gives women a greater chance of surviving pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for young women aged 15 to 19 worldwide: Increasing access and thus helping prevent teen pregnancies would go a long way toward preserving the health of our young women.

Today more than 200 million women say they would like to delay or prevent a pregnancy but are not using any form of modern contraception. Despite this dire situation, the U.S. administration only requested $357 million for international family planning next year: a $79 million (18 percent) reduction from last year’s enacted level. In addition, the onerous restrictions of the Mexico City Policy – also known as the Global Gag Rule – have greatly reduced access to family planning services, including contraceptives—especially in rural areas.

Policies and funding that recognize and reflect the true value of the world's mothers are essential to improving the health and status of women around the globe. The United States must increase funding for voluntary family planning programs and eliminate harmful restrictions attached to those funds if it is truly dedicated to ensuring that mothers are celebrated 365 days a year.

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.