The "It Takes Two" campaign calls on all reproductive health product companies to donate 2% of profits from products sold to family planning efforts that can help reduce the global unmet need for family planning services and information. The Female Health Company made the pledge to contribute to the urgent need for better access to family planning methods.The pledge is included in the blog below, which has been published on www.globalcitizen.org.
The Female Health Company makes own generous industry pledge!
Worldwide 222 million girls and women do not have access to family planning methods. The cruel reality is that girls and women, who have no access to contraceptives, have to deal with this injustice. It takes two to become pregnant, but unfortunately, the burden of unwanted pregnancy is in most cases one-sidedly put on the girls and women. In many regions in the world, girls who become pregnant must leave school and are often rejected by their family because of the stigma associated with having an unmarried mother in the house. Unfortunately, parents let the social status of the family prevail above the health and well being of their daughters. Pregnant girls and women who are expelled from their families face a difficult life in the margin of their society. Without proper education, it is hard to get a job that provides sufficient income for themselves and their baby.
To avoid the stigma and the fear of poverty and a marginalized position, many women and girls who are unintentionally pregnant try to terminate their pregnancy and turn to dangerous abortions. The risks are high; illegal abortions are a major contributor to maternal mortality and can cause long-term problems for the reproductive health of the mother and community.
Major investment is required to fill the gap between demand and supply of family planning methods. This is needed from all levels of society, the public and private sector, the non-for-profit organizations and the for-profit-companies. In July 2012, during the Family Planning Summit in London, The Female Health Company, manufacturer of the FC2 female condom, made a pledge to contribute to the urgent need for better access to family planning methods. The Female Health Company committed to invest up to $14 million over the next six years in reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention education and training, in collaboration with global agencies. Furthermore, it awards public sector purchasers with free product, equal to 5 percent of their total annual units purchased.
