Reproductive Rights are Basic Human Rights

That is the message at an International Summit on Family Planning that has just taken place in London. Sponsored by the Gates Foundation and the British government's Department of International  Development, it bought together leaders in government and in the non-profit donor community to pledge that 120 million more women and girls will have access to reproductive choice by 2020.

Here are some remarks by U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton...

Reproductive rights are basic human rights.  Women everywhere should have the right to decide when and whether to have children.  But too often, in too many places around the world, these rights are denied.  Millions of women and young people across the globe don’t have access to modern forms of contraception.

This committment will translate to 200,000 fewer maternal deaths during pregnancy, the prevention of 110 million unwanted pregnancies., 50 million fewer aboartions, and three milllion fewer babies dying in the first year of their life.

Nearly five billion dollars was pledged at this meeting to implement its goals.  Every child should be a wanted child.  Reproductive choice must become the standard, the world over.