The United States—through its Agency for International Development (USAID)—has long been a global leader in enabling women’s access to contraceptive services in the world’s poorest countries. Empowering women with control over their own fertility yields benefits for them, their children and their families. It means fewer unintended—and often high-risk—pregnancies and fewer abortions, which in developing countries are often performed under unsafe conditions. Better birth spacing also makes for healthier mothers, babies and families, and pays far-reaching dividends at the family, society and country levels.
In FY 2017, a total of $607.5 million was appropriated for U.S. assistance for family planning and reproductive health programs. This level of funding makes it possible to achieve the following:
The $607.5 million total includes the U.S. contribution to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) of $32.5 million; however, in March 2017, the Trump administration announced that it would cut off funding to UNFPA.
All the benefits detailed above would be erased if U.S. assistance for international family planning and reproductive health programs was eliminated. Moreover, each decrease of $10 million in U.S. funding would result in the following:
Funding reductions of different magnitudes would have proportional effects. For example, a $20 million cut would result in double the impact described above.
Full version with methodology and sources is available here.