Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marital situation, career or work considerations, financial situations. If sexually active, family planning may involve the use of contraception and other techniques to control the timing of reproduction.
The Mexico City policy, sometimes referred to by its critics as the global gag rule, is a former United States government policy that blocked U.S. federal funding for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that provided abortion counseling or referrals, advocated to decriminalize abortion, or expanded abortion services. When in effect, the Mexico City policy is a U.S. government policy that requires foreign non-governmental organizations to certify that they will not "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning" with non-U.S. funds as a condition for receiving U.S. global family planning assistance, and during its January 23, 2017 implementation any other U.S. global health assistance, including U.S. global HIV and maternal and child health (MCH) assistance.
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization that provides reproductive and sexual healthcare and sexual education in the United States and globally. It is a member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).
Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:
Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.
The United Nations coordinated an International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt, on 5–13 September 1994. Its resulting Programme of Action is the steering document for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The Guttmacher Institute is a research and policy NGO that aims to improve sexual health and expand reproductive rights worldwide. The organization was started in 1968 and functions as both a research and educational organization. It operates mainly in the United States but also focuses on developing countries. Founded as part of Planned Parenthood, the Guttmacher Institute became independent from Planned Parenthood in 2007.
Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a field of research, health care, and social activism that explores the health of an individual's reproductive system and sexual well-being during all stages of their life. Sexual and reproductive health is more commonly defined as sexual and reproductive health and rights, to encompass individual agency to make choices about their sexual and reproductive lives.
MSI Reproductive Choices, named Marie Stopes International until November 2020, is an international non-governmental organisation providing contraception and safe abortion services in 37 countries around the world. MSI Reproductive Choices as an organisation lobbies in favour of access to abortion, and provides a variety of sexual and reproductive healthcare services including advice, vasectomies, and abortions in the UK and other countries where it is legal to do so. It is based in London and is a registered charity under English law.
The Family Planning Association of India is a registered charity in India. Established in 1949 by Dhanvanthi Rama Rau and Avabai Bomanji Wadia, the organisation has 40 local branches across the country that promote sexual health and family planning. It is the national affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Among other issues, the organisation promotes reproductive choices, legal and safe abortion, education about sexually transmitted diseases and sexual and reproductive health. FPA India has 39 permanent clinics under them. The current national president is Dr. Rathnamala M. Desai. FPA India is a social impact organisation delivering essential health services focusing on sexual and reproductive health in 18 states of India.
Reproductive justice is a critical feminist framework that was invented as a response to United States reproductive politics. The three core values of reproductive justice are the right to have a child, the right to not have a child, and the right to parent a child or children in safe and healthy environments. The framework moves women's reproductive rights past a legal and political debate to incorporate the economic, social, and health factors that impact women's reproductive choices and decision-making ability.
Population Action International (PAI) is an international, civil society organization that uses research and advocacy to improve global access to family planning and reproductive health care. Its mission is to "advance universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights through advocacy, partnerships and the funding of changemakers". PAI's headquarters is in Washington, D.C.
The Japan Family Planning Association (日本家族計画連盟), also known as the Family Planning Federation of Japan, is the Japanese affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and is the premier family planning organization in the country. It was founded in 1954, following the first annual World Population Conference held in Bombay, India, in 1952. The FPFJ advocates for the concept of sexual and reproductive rights being a basic human right; it also encourages the training of family planning workers and assists in the development and dissemination of information, education, and communication materials regarding family planning. The association also encourages the use of contraceptives and facilitates their community-based distribution. The FPFJ was one of the most active lobbying organizations for the legalization of oral contraceptives in Japan, and has shown political tact in advocating for the maintenance of the legal status of abortion in Japan.
Valerie DeFillipo is the President of Friends of UNFPA. She was appointed to this position in July 2011. As President at Friends of UNFPA DeFillipo leads efforts to mobilize funds and action for UNFPA's work.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights or SRHR is the concept of human rights applied to sexuality and reproduction. It is a combination of four fields that in some contexts are more or less distinct from each other, but less so or not at all in other contexts. These four fields are sexual health, sexual rights, reproductive health and reproductive rights. In the concept of SRHR, these four fields are treated as separate but inherently intertwined.
Latin America is home to some of the few countries of the world with a complete ban on abortion and minimal policies on reproductive rights, but it also contains some of the most progressive reproductive rights movements in the world. With roots in indigenous groups, the issues of reproductive rights include abortion, sexual autonomy, reproductive healthcare, and access to contraceptive measures. Modern reproductive rights movements most notably include Marea Verde, which has led to much reproductive legislation reform. Cuba has acted as a trail-blazer towards more liberal reproductive laws for the rest of Latin America, while other countries like El Salvador and Honduras have tightened restrictions on reproductive rights.
Avabai Bomanji Wadia was a Ceylonese-born Indian social worker, writer and the founder of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the Family Planning Association of India, two non governmental organisations working to promote sexual health and family planning. She was honoured by the Government of India in 1971 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Frederick Torgbor Sai, was a Ghanaian academic and family health physician who co-founded the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana in 1967. A gender and reproductive health advocate, he was known for his campaigns and education drawing attention to the food and nutrition problems of Africa, particularly of women and children. He served as the Chief Physician for Nutrition and the Director of Medical Services at the Ghana Health Service and Professor of Community Health at the University of Ghana, Legon. He was also a nutrition advisor to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Africa Region as well as the coordinator for the World Hunger Programme of the United Nations University and a Senior Population Advisor to the World Bank. He was the President and Honorary Secretary of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. In professional circles, he was known as the “Godfather or Father of Family Planning” and sometimes as the “Grandfather of Maternal Health”.
The Family Planning Association of Pakistan, later renamed as Rahnuma, is a Pakistani organisation that was established in 1953. Rahnuma has developed programmes to increase access to high-quality, affordable health services. Rahnuma has advocated for a rights approach to sexual and reproductive health, for the empowerment of particular groups within communities, and for the strengthening of civil society in Pakistan. It is an affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
The State of the African Woman Campaign (SoAWC) is funded by the European Union, and its implementation is led by the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region. The project is a communication tool, an advocacy campaign and awareness creation that focuses on the implementation of girls and women's rights, particularly the Maputo Protocol and Maputo Plan of Action, in Africa.
The Society for Health Education is a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in the Republic of Maldives. It focuses on addressing issues like Thalassemia, Counselling and Psychological Support, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Health Education.
