PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND HIGHLIGHTS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2014
Calls on Secretary Kerry to Prioritize Women's Health
(New Haven, CT) Below is a statement from Judy Tabar President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England on the importance of International Women's Day:
"International Women's Day marks an important opportunity to reflect on the status of women no matter where they live. At Planned Parenthood, we work every day to ensure that women and girls across the globe have access to quality, affordable health care, including birth control, to allow them to prevent unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and HIV/AIDs. Access to family planning is both a health issue and an economic issue.
"Time and again we see that countries are stronger when women play an equal role in society from running businesses to participating in policymaking. It is this strategic interest as much as an issue of women's rights that motivated the Obama administration to make family planning programs a key foreign policy priority under Secretary Hillary Clinton's leadership.
"As John Kerry takes over as Secretary of State, we have a renewed opportunity to draw attention to the 222 million women worldwide who want to prevent unintended pregnancy but lack access to modern birth control. Planned Parenthood of Southern New England calls on members of congress from Connecticut and Rhode Island to support Secretary Kerry in continuing the work that Secretary Clinton began by voting in favor of funding for these programs in the Foreign Operations budget."