Washington Update

On World Population Day, NCJW Calls for More International Family Planning Funds

July 8, 2008, Washington, DC -- In observance of World Population Day, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) will cosponsor a Congressional briefing which urges support for a $1 billion US contribution toward voluntary international family planning for fiscal year 2009. NCJW President Nancy Ratzan released the following statement:

"World Population Day, observed this year on July 11, marks 40 years since world leaders endorsed the principle that all women and men have a right to full access to family planning. But US funding for international family planning has fallen by almost 40 percent in the last decade, while the number of women of reproductive age in the developing world has increased by more than 275 million. NCJW strongly supports an appropriation of $1 billion to begin to reverse the impact of a decade of inadequate funding.

"For women, controlling fertility is key to equality and to family survival. More than 200 million women in the developing world lack access to modern contraceptives, resulting in between 70 and 80 million unintended pregnancies every year. Lack of access to contraceptives is believed to cause nearly half of all maternal deaths and a significant number of infant deaths as well. The ability of women to plan for the future; to take part in civic, economic, and social life; and to control their own destinies is integral to their ability to choose when and whether to have children.

"The US government must act to restore its commitment to international family planning to a level that will make a difference. $1 billion for family planning - out of a projected US budget total for fiscal 2009 of more than $3 trillion - is a start."

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