Also available in [PDF] format.

The Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act of 2010 (H.R. 5121), introduced by Representative Yvette Clarke (D-11th NY), is a groundbreaking piece of legislation that transforms U.S. foreign assistance policy regarding sexual and reproductive health. Provisions outlined in Representative Clarke’s bill call for quality care that is responsive to the full range of sexual and reproductive health needs of individuals and couples in the developing world.

Background

For almost 50 years, the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 has governed U.S. foreign assistance policy. Congress has amended this law many times to reflect changing circumstances; however, the section focused on sexual and reproductive health has not been updated and focuses on fertility reduction and population control as a means of development. This language is outdated and precedes the groundbreaking rights-based consensus reached on sexual and reproductive health policy outlined in the Program of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo.

What Would the gloBal Sexual and reproductive health act of 2010 do?

The Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act of 2010 would update U.S. foreign assistance policy as it relates to sexual and reproductive health by bringing it in line with a rights-based approach. Through this bill, implementation of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health programs would offer a continuum of care that is responsive to the full range of sexual and reproductive health needs of young people and adults as well as establish a policy statement indicating that, “In sexual and reproductive health programs funded by the United States Government, special attention should be paid to serving the needs of young people.”

The Act calls for:

1. Universal access to sexual and reproductive health;

2. The reduction of the incidence of unsafe abor-tion and its consequences;

3. The provision of sexual and reproductive health services during emergency situations;

4. The promotion of sexual and reproductive health care for young people including:

• prioritizing a plan to increase comprehensive knowledge about sexuality and improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes among young people, while improving coordination and implementation of host country and United States Government activities focused on adolescent sexual and reproductive health;
  
  
• providing universal and affordable access to comprehensive sexuality education and youth-friendly comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care;
  
  
• coordinating the achievement of the goals of sexual and reproductive health programming for young people in United States Government-funded programs;
  
  
• educating implementers on best practices in adolescent and youth programming and delivery; and
  
  
• incorporating young people’s recommendations in program design and service delivery.

5. The development of a strategy to link sexual and reproductive health services with each other and with other global health care services, delivery, and policies.

6.The coordination between and among donors, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and governments, in addition to research, monitoring, and evaluation.

Why iS the gloBal Sexual and reproductive health act of 2010 important for young people?

The Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act will contribute to the United States’ advancement of the Millennium Development Goals.

• Today’s generation of young people is the largest in history.[1] Improving the sexual and reproductive health of young people is critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to which the United States is firmly committed.

• Ensuring that young people have the sexual and reproductive health information and services that they need to make healthy decisions is particularly crucial to meeting most of the MDGs, including eradicating poverty; achieving universal education; promoting gender equality; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS; and ensuring environmental stability.
  
  
• Meeting the target within the maternal health goal of universal access to reproductive health by 2015 cannot be achieved without addressing the sexual and reproductive health of young people.
  
  
• When young people are empowered to choose if, when, and how many children to have, they have greater control over their health, education and economic prospects.

The Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act will support programming that helps address the unmet need for family planning among young people.

• The unmet need for effective, modern contraceptives is highest among young women under the age of 25. Fewer than five percent of the poorest sexually active youth use modern contraceptives.[2]

The Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act will contribute to decreasing mortality and morbidity, particularly among young people in low- and middle- income countries.

• The World Health Organization has identified unsafe sex as the second most important risk factor for disability and death among young people in the world’s poorest communities.[3]
  
  
• Complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among women ages 15-19.[4]
  
  

• Practices like early marriage, female genital mutilation, and early sexual debut adversely impact the sexual and reproductive health of young girls in many developing countries, and strong barriers exist to providing the information, services, and other forms of support that are necessary for these girls to lead healthy lives.
  
  

Written by Janine Kossen, Director of Public Policy
For more information contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (202) 419-3420 x16.
Advocates for Youth © September 2010

referenceS

1. UNFPA (2005). State of World Population 2005: The Promise of Equality. New York: United Nations Population Fund, http:// www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/ publications/2005/swp05_eng.pdf, accessed September 5, 2010.

2. UNFPA (2003), State of the World Population, 2003: Making 1 Billion Count: Investing in Adolescents’ Health and Rights. New York: United Nations Population Fund.

3. Glasier et al. Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Matter of Life and Death. The Lancet Sexual and Reproductive Health Series, October 2006.

4. UNFPA (2004). State of World Population, 2004: The Cairo Consensus at Ten. New York: United Nations Population Fund, http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2004/english/ch9/page5.htm,
accessed September 5, 2010.