Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, announced in January that the Canadian Government would use its presidency of the G8 in 2010 to launch a maternal and child health initiative.

Family planning is an essential part of maternal health, as without the ability to plan when, or if, to have children, women's health is seriously threatened.

Pregnancy and childbirth cause more than 500,000 avoidable deaths each year; they are the major causes of death for 15-19 year old girls. Access to contraception would change that.

News releases about the G8 and family planning

IPPF statements about the G8 and family planning

News stories from around the world

Background

In mid-March Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Cannon, indicated that Canadian policy was to exclude family planning from the G8 initiative.

He said "It does not deal in any way, shape or form with family planning. Indeed, the purpose of this is to be able to save lives."

On 22 March Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper said that his Government is “...not closing the door to any option, and that includes contraception..." 

He declined to confirm that his government agreed that contraception saved lives and that it was central to any efforts to improve maternal and child health.

The Guttmacher Institute states that “the direct health benefits of meeting the need for both family planning and maternal and newborn health services would be dramatic.

Unintended pregnancies would drop by more than two thirds...70% of maternal deaths would be averted."

Only by fully funding family planning can we give women a choice.