Promoting Reproductive Health

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Right now, the largest generation of young people ever is coming of age. Nearly half the world’s population—3 billion people—is under the age of 25. The inequalities that impact many young women mean limited access to even the most basic sexual and reproductive health care. Today, more than 200 million women in the developing world wish to delay or end childbearing but do not have access to modern contraceptives. As a result, there are between 70 and 80 million unintended pregnancies in the developing world each year. In recent years, the global community has not adequately prioritized funding reproductive health and family planning, with annual shortfalls around $8 billion. This shortfall has disastrous impacts on women’s and girls’ health and well-being, as well as that of their families, communities and our global community. 

We are committed to achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health care by 2015 (a goal of the International Conference on Population and Development and a Millennium Development Goal target). We support not only the efforts to integrate HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment into reproductive health services, but also to enhance the quality and extend the reach of these services worldwide.

To raise the profile of these issues and combat misinformation, we created RH Reality Check—the most recognized blog featuring news and analysis of sexual and reproductive health issues. RH Reality Check has empowered the public and policy makers with the information and resources they need to make informed decisions on sexual and reproductive health issues.  

We are currently leading an initiative to strengthen U.S. leadership on reproductive health and family planning. Learn more about what this means here.