The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) was a ground breaking conference where 179 countries recognized that the empowerment of women was a major step towards alleviating poverty and stabilizing population growth. The Programme of Action that resulted from the conference was reflected in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in many areas such as gender equality.  However there was one glaring omission from the main goals of the MDGs: universal access to reproductive health and family planning.

At the Woodrow Wilson Center’s event “Strengthening the Voices of Women Champions for Family Planning and Reproductive Health,” Dr. Nafis Sadik called attention to the fact that the MDGs included universal access to reproductive health as one of the sub-targets of MDG 5: Improving Maternal Health, instead of as a goal itself. The exclusion of universal access to reproductive health as an MDG is a grave oversight, Dr. Sadik, special adviser to the UN Secretary-General and special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia, told the audience because, “Most goals require women gaining autonomy over their sexual health.”

Momentous amendments to the Affordable Care Act were announced last week mandating all health insurance plans to provide women’s preventive services at no additional cost, including FDA approved contraceptive methods.

“The Affordable Care Act helps stop health problems before they start,” said US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.  “These historic guidelines are based on science and existing literature and will help ensure women get the preventive health benefits they need.”

These new regulations are considered groundbreaking in the United States, however similar regulations have been enacted in the developing world, creating an opportunity for the US to learn from the global South.