U.S. Cuts Family Planning Aid: A Blow to Women's Health Worldwide

With the recent discontinuation of U.S. financial support for family planning programs, nearly 50 million women will lose access to essential contraceptives, causing alarm over public health consequences and increased maternal mortality.

The United States has officially ceased its financial backing for family planning initiatives across developing nations, a move expected to sever access to contraception for nearly 50 million women. This policy shift, occurring amid a broader reduction in American foreign aid, is anticipated to escalate poverty rates and result in a rise in maternal deaths. Notably, this initiative had previously made strides in providing long-acting contraceptives to women in some of the most remote and impoverished areas.

In 2023, U.S. funding accounted for approximately 40 percent of government contributions to family planning programs in 31 developing countries, amounting to $600 million. This financial support facilitated the provision of critical contraceptive methods and medical services to more than 47 million women and couples, contributing to the prevention of an estimated 17.1 million unintended pregnancies and 5.2 million unsafe abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

The repercussions of losing this funding are distressing, with projections indicating that 34,000 women might succumb to preventable deaths during childbirth each year. “The scale of the impact is staggering,” remarked Marie Ba, head of the Ouagadougou Partnership, which aims to enhance family planning access in nine West African countries. The funding cuts are linked to the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.), which has been absorbed into the State Department under the Trump administration's directive. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has labeled the discontinued aid projects as inefficient and misaligned with U.S. strategic interests, leaving many to worry about the long-term implications of these decisions on global women's health.