When Policy Destroys Lives: The Human Cost of Withholding Contraceptives

Friday, September 26th marks World Contraception Day, which honors the invaluable benefits that access to contraceptives has brought to countless people. The ability to determine whether and when to become pregnant has opened up pathways to education and economic opportunities that were unavailable to generations of girls and women while reducing maternal and infant mortality. It has strengthened families, communities, and countries. 

World Contraception Day is quickly followed on Sunday, September 28th, by International Safe Abortion Day, a reminder that when contraception is out of reach or fails—or under any other number of circumstances—safe abortion must be available. Both dates signify that everyone has the right to make their own decisions regarding reproduction for social, economic, religious, or other personal reasons. 

Unfortunately, United States foreign policy stands at odds with this progress. The potential destruction of $10 million worth of already purchased and allocated contraceptive medications and supplies is not only deeply fiscally reckless but also a dangerous threat to the quality of life for people who rely on U.S. support. The human cost of these cuts is devastating, with 16 countries in Africa already running out of contraceptives, and Kenya reporting increased cases of unsafe abortions. 

The sudden freezing of family planning aid left organizations scrambling to maintain their vital services. According to the Guttmacher Institute, this loss of funding for contraceptives could lead to 17.1 million unintended pregnancies and the deaths of 34,000 women and girls. These cuts were instantaneous and led to a mad dash to put other plans in place. 

Take Uganda, for example. The Independent recounts the stories of two teenage girls who found themselves pregnant. One became a single mother. The other turned to a back alley abortion, putting her life in the hands of someone who gave her “some drugs.” She suffered severe bleeding during what could have been a routine procedure and lost her life as a result. The young mother has been receiving contraceptive support, but that fragile lifeline is now under threat of termination.

These stories are not isolated. They are warnings of what happens when access to contraception is treated as expendable. The pattern is clear: lives are being lost not because the contraceptive commodities don’t exist, but because they are being withheld, destroyed, or otherwise made inaccessible. This shows an alarming disregard for people’s lives.

This week’s observances underscore a global reality: when contraception is restricted, unintended pregnancies rise. When safe abortion is denied, women and girls don’t stop needing this care—they lose safe options. The cost of inaction is measured in preventable deaths, in families fractured, and in people forced into motherhood or dangerous procedures.

This is more than a debate over budgets or foreign aid strategy. It is about whether governments will choose to save lives or squander them. At its core, this is not just a policy failure. It is a moral one.