While the United States argues over requiring employers to provide contraceptive prescription drug coverage, 800 women in the developing world die per day from pregnancy-related complications.
Reaching out to more than 200 million women worldwide who lack access to contraception, Melinda Gates announced that she will donate $560 million to fund contraception availability in the developing world, Reuters reported.
Gates’ announcement coincided with the London Summit of Family Planning, where British and African leaders pledged $4.3 billion to abate the 80 million unintended annual pregnancies in developing countries. Together, these donations will fund family planning services to an estimated 120 million women who live in poverty.
Currently, the U.S. government agency for International Development has pledged $640 million for international family planning for the next year, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the amount needed to scratch the surface of need. It would cost $10 billion to fund contraception for 260 million women over the next eight years, Reuters reported.
“When I travel and talk to women around the world they tell me that access to contraceptives can often be the difference between life and death,” Gates said in a press conference.
“Today is about listening to their voices, about meeting their aspirations, and giving them the power to create a better life for themselves and their families.”
Follow Elise Rambaud Marrion on Twitter @emarrion_cmn.
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