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Invest in Women: Increase Funding for International Family Planning

Target: Members of the House Sub-Committee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Sponsored by: Pathfinder International
Family planning programs save lives. Yet millions of women around the world do not have access to critical reproductive health services like contraceptives, pregnancy and childbirth care, and HIV prevention programs. Each year, more than 500,000 women worldwide die during pregnancy or childbirth - and nearly of all these deaths could be prevented.

No medical intervention offers the breadth of potential benefits as family planning. When a woman has access to services that let her control her fertility and protect her health, new opportunities, including education and employment, may open up to her. Family planning programs thus have a "ripple effect" that changes the very fabric of families and communities.

Family planning programs are cost-efficient and highly successful, yet consistently under-funded, even as demand for these services rises quickly around the world.

You can help women have the reproductive health choices they need to protect themselves and their families. Please send a message to members of the House Sub-Committee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs today and support our call to increase U.S. funding for international family planning to $1 billion.
deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 5,000
 

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Please let House Committee members know why you support increasing family planning funding to $1 billion:
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Dear Members of the House Sub-Committee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs,

I am writing to urge you to increase funding for international family planning assistance to a total of $1 billion in the Fiscal Year 2009 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. I also urge you to appropriate $63.5 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Family planning programs are critical for women's health and equality. Currently, more than 200 million women around the world desire to either delay or end childbearing, but do not have access to modern contraceptives. Each year, more than 500,000 women worldwide die during pregnancy or childbirth. Tragically, nearly of all these deaths could have been prevented. Women who can time their pregnancies have greater opportunities for education and employment, and can more actively contribute to their families' well-being.

Historically, family planning programs have been cost-efficient and highly successful. According to a study by UNFPA, every $1 invested in family planning could save up to $31 in government spending on education, food, health, housing, water and sewage services.
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Sincerely,
[Your name here]
We took action on “Invest in Women: Increase Funding for International Family Planning”
# 6,750:
6:40 pm PDT, May 11, Andy Mason, Kansas
# 6,749:
6:36 pm PDT, May 11, Juhi Kansra, New York
# 6,748:
6:27 pm PDT, May 11, Ecology Center of Southern California, California
We are writing to urge you to increase funding for international family planning assistance to a total of $1 billion in the Fiscal Year 2009 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. We also urge you to appropriate $63.5 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Family planning programs are critical for women's health and equality. Currently, more than 200 million women around the world desire to either delay or end childbearing, but do not have access to modern contraceptives. Each year, more than 500,000 women worldwide die during pregnancy or childbirth. Tragically, nearly of all these deaths could have been prevented. Women who can time their pregnancies have greater opportunities for education and employment, and can more actively contribute to their families' well-being. Historically, family planning programs have been cost-efficient and highly successful. According to a study by UNFPA, every $1 invested in family planning could save up to $31 in government spending on education, food, health, housing, water and sewage services. Since 2001, US funding for family planning assistance abroad has stagnated at approximately $450 million. Now is the time to make a real investment in family planning, and in the lives of women and their families around the world. For every additional $100 million provided for family planning abroad, another 3.6 million women will be able to access contraception. Countless unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal and child deaths will be prevented and the standard of living for women, as well as their families, communities, and countries will rise. Please increase funding to $1 billion for international family planning assistance in the Fiscal Year 2009 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act.
# 6,747:
5:52 pm PDT, May 11, Erica Heller, Pennsylvania
# 6,746:
5:36 pm PDT, May 11, Amanda Struse, Georgia
# 6,745:
4:51 pm PDT, May 11, Lavinia Del Bianco, Florida
# 6,744:
4:17 pm PDT, May 11, Ildiko Lewis, California
# 6,743:
3:21 pm PDT, May 11, Adrienne Harris, New York
# 6,742:
2:55 pm PDT, May 11, Reese Holser, California
The earth's population just topped 6,666,666,666 people. It was 5,555,555,555 just 14 years ago. The world's population is growing too fast. More people means more cutting down tropical forests, the loss of habitat for endangered species, more CO2 released into the atmosphere so more global warming, and more stress on croplands. We can control population with contraception and family planning or by war and starvation (not unknown in the world today). I prefer using contraception.
# 6,741:
2:51 pm PDT, May 11, Alexis Robertson, Tennessee
# 6,740:
2:37 pm PDT, May 11, Ursula Noto, California
# 6,739:
1:20 pm PDT, May 11, Christine El Fatihi, Washington
to help those who should not be parents and to help children form being neglected
# 6,738:
1:08 pm PDT, May 11, Mary Ann Evans, Pennsylvania
# 6,737:
12:59 pm PDT, May 11, Leslie Bond, Ohio
# 6,736:
12:26 pm PDT, May 11, Nancy Bromfield, Utah
# 6,735:
11:49 am PDT, May 11, Sara Post, Ohio
# 6,734:
11:48 am PDT, May 11, Marie Sturman, Pennsylvania
# 6,733:
11:43 am PDT, May 11, Janet Snipes, South Carolina
# 6,732:
11:03 am PDT, May 11, Elizabeth R. Rosenbaum, California
# 6,731:
10:52 am PDT, May 11, Irene Tremper, Maryland
# 6,730:
10:28 am PDT, May 11, Susan Winters, Florida
# 6,729:
10:11 am PDT, May 11, Vicki Trusselli, Texas
# 6,728:
9:51 am PDT, May 11, Jennifer Valentine, New York
# 6,727:
9:40 am PDT, May 11, Margaret Mccoy, Illinois
# 6,726:
8:40 am PDT, May 11, Dellianan Of the Sea, Colorado
# 6,725:
8:33 am PDT, May 11, Christine Fox, Washington
# 6,724:
8:28 am PDT, May 11, Diane Goldberg, California
# 6,723:
8:25 am PDT, May 11, Aaeron Robb, Maryland
# 6,722:
8:01 am PDT, May 11, Maisoui Barham, Washington
# 6,721:
6:16 am PDT, May 11, Miguelina Camejo, New York
# 6,720:
3:19 am PDT, May 11, Jack Reef, Illinois
# 6,719:
2:38 am PDT, May 11, Georgi Velev, South Carolina
# 6,718:
1:05 am PDT, May 11, Alicia Cole, Virginia
# 6,717:
9:49 pm PDT, May 10, Faith Morgan, Washington
# 6,716:
9:41 pm PDT, May 10, Karen Ross, New Jersey
# 6,715:
9:35 pm PDT, May 10, Beth Stein, California
# 6,714:
9:11 pm PDT, May 10, Norma Isaac, Mississippi
# 6,713:
9:01 pm PDT, May 10, Elizabeth Even, California
# 6,712:
7:57 pm PDT, May 10, C. Fick, Michigan
# 6,711:
7:38 pm PDT, May 10, Erica Bettwy, MSW, Virginia
# 6,710:
7:24 pm PDT, May 10, Prima Baily, New York
# 6,709:
6:32 pm PDT, May 10, Ross Mellen, Maine
# 6,708:
6:32 pm PDT, May 10, Barb Austin, Virginia
# 6,707:
5:58 pm PDT, May 10, Christina Fermin, Florida
# 6,706:
4:23 pm PDT, May 10, Kori Herne, Illinois
# 6,705:
3:37 pm PDT, May 10, Bryan Chauveau, Virginia
# 6,704:
2:31 pm PDT, May 10, Caroline DeVoe, Arizona
# 6,703:
2:19 pm PDT, May 10, Cris Colombi, Argentina
# 6,702:
1:53 pm PDT, May 10, Tera McGinness, Arizona
# 6,701:
12:06 pm PDT, May 10, Rachael Bleymaier, Louisiana