PAI Blog

A Woman’s Worth

June 13, 2013

This post was originally published on Impatient Optimists. A walk to her local clinic may take several hours. She may have to wait in line. She may have to go back several times before she can get the method she … Continue reading »

#AWomansWorth Tweet-A-Thon Tomorrow!

June 12, 2013

Right now, around the world, more than 222 million women want something they can’t get: access to modern contraceptives.   Fortunately, countries and other donors are joining together to help these women get what they want, and it’s time for … Continue reading »

New Funding Numbers for International Reproductive Health? Not Really.

June 12, 2013

The publication of a new Lancet study, which reports $5 billion less in funding for reproductive health than commonly accepted, has raised questions among family planning advocates. With more than 222 million women in the developing world with unmet need … Continue reading »

Setting the Agenda: Why Women are Key to Post-2015 Development

June 7, 2013

“This will not work,” Latha responded, much to our surprise. “They will know,” she explained, “and they will demand them. They will beat us if we resist. We can hide our rupees throughout the house, or in the folds of … Continue reading »

Under Pressure: International Family Planning Faces Cuts from Sequestration and Budget-Slashing Mania

June 6, 2013

Non-defense discretionary spending makes up only 15 percent of the U.S. federal budget. And international family planning and reproductive health? Just .03 percent. Yet these programs are still targeted by Congress by disproportionate cuts, undermining one of our country’s most … Continue reading »

Men, Machines and Climate Change…Where Are the Women?

June 6, 2013

The heat down here is unbearable, not because of global warming, but as a result of the fast spinning shafts that drive turbines to generate hydroelectric power. The massive engines use the high-pressure water before releasing it to flow downstream, … Continue reading »

Infographic: The Dollars and Sense of Family Planning

June 5, 2013

Believe it or not, Americans spend more than $1 billion annually on potato chips. And while Ruffles may be delicious, this is arguably not the smartest way to spend our money. If we spent that same $1 billion on family … Continue reading »

Lessons in Love, from Women Deliver and My 5-Year-Old

May 31, 2013

My older daughter wants to marry her sister. I suggested she can marry a girl if she chooses, but her sister may be someone she wishes to keep as a dear friend only. If she marries her best girlfriend, Alex, … Continue reading »

A Girls’ Bathroom, A Basic Right

May 30, 2013

When I was a teenager, I wasn’t an ideal student. My girlfriends and I would often skip class—especially gym—and sneak off to the bathroom.  We would eat snacks, play with makeup and talk about boys, celebrities, or any number of … Continue reading »

She’s Too Tired to Push. That’s Why We Must.

May 29, 2013

She forgot how to push after 22 children. The other woman had given birth 16 times and 4 of her children had died. I am sitting in the audience at Women Deliver 2013, and I wept as these stories were … Continue reading »