Position on Reproductive Rights

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) supports the right of every woman to safe, accessible, affordable, and comprehensive family planning and reproductive health services. This position stems from AAUW's 2009-2011 Public Policy Program, which advocates, "choice in the determination of one's reproductive life...increased access to health care and family planning services including expansion of patients' rights," as well as "supports international family planning programs."¹ Family planning fosters self-sufficiency, promotes preventative health care, and educates people on ways to protect themselves and their families from the spread of sexually transmitted infections. AAUW members have made the protection of reproductive rights a policy principle since 1977.

The lack of comprehensive support for reproductive health has resulted in dire outcomes for American women. Half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. Of a total of three million unintended pregnancies annually, almost half of those end in abortion.² The United States continues to have one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the industrialized world³, and a recent government report indicated that the teen birth rate has risen for the second consecutive year.⁴

Opportunities to Improve Reproductive Health

There are a number of legislative proposals that would ensure women can seek and receive the care they need. AAUW looks forward to working with members of Congress on the following prevention initiatives:

Pass the Prevention First Act.
Improve Public Funding for Reproductive Health.
End Abstinence-Only Sex Education and Fund Comprehensive Sex Education.
Affirm Access to Emergency Contraception.
Increase International Family Planning Assistance.

AAUW believes that improved pregnancy prevention programs, new technologies, and access to complete reproductive health services enhance women's reproductive choices which leads to improvements in women's health care in the United States and around the world. Bolstered by the efforts of the Obama administration and several new pro-choice members of Congress, AAUW's advocacy of a woman's right to safe, accessible, and comprehensive reproductive health care will remain an integral part of its efforts to gain equity and justice for all women.

¹ American Association of University Women. (June 2009). 2009-11 AAUW Public Policy Program. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from http://www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/principles_priorities.cfm .

² The Guttmacher Institute (2008). Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html.

³ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health, The National Women's Health Information Center. (May 2005) Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Overview. Retrieved March 17, 2009, from http://www.4woman.gov/faq/stdsgen.htm.

⁴ The Washington Post (2009). Teenage Birthrate Increases for Second Consecutive Year. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/18/AR2009031801597.html.