Why 7 billion matters

Cross-posted from the Feminist Majority Foundation website, here's some information about how the exploding global birth rate affects women:

"Global rates of maternal mortality remain perilously high; one woman dies every minute of every day in pregnancy or childbirth, and for every woman who dies, another 20 suffer from injury, infection, or disease every minute." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

529,000 women and girls die and 10 million suffer from injury, infection, or disease each year during pregnancy and childbirth

70,000 women and girls die and 5 million are injured every year from botched abortions in developing nations, mostly where abortion is illegal.

The leading cause of death for girls 15-19 in poor counties is complications from pregnancy and childbirth.

An estimated 215 million women in the developing world who want to avoid pregnancy but don't have access to modern contraception.

99% of maternal mortality takes place in the developing world, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa (270,000) & South Asia (188,000)

The vast majority of maternal deaths are preventable

Impact of US Cuts to International Reproductive Health and Family Planning (RH/FP) Funding
The Obama Administration proposed for Fiscal Year 2012 $769.1 million for bilateral and multilateral international reproductive health and family planning assistance, including $47.5 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which works in 150 countries to prevent maternal mortality and expand access to contraception. The House voted in 2012 to cut international RH/ FP to $440 million and to totally defund UNFPA or a staggering $329 million to the Obama Proposal and $208 million cut from 2010.

•For every $10 million cut from the international family planning and reproductive health program:
•610,000 fewer women and couples would receive contraceptive services and supplies;
•90,000 more unintended pregnancies, and 82,000 more unplanned births, would occur;
•83,000 more abortions would take place (of which 60,000 would be unsafe);
•500 more maternal deaths would occur;
•59,000 more years of health life would be lost; and
•2,300 more children would lose their mothers.
The House voted in 2012 to eliminate all domestic family planning aid and to completely defund Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).
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http://feminist.org/sevenbillion/