[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 168 (Friday, November 4, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H7336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0910
                     INTERNATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING

  (Mr. QUIGLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, on Monday the Earth's 7 billionth person 
was born. Our population has doubled in the last 50 years, and it could 
double again by the end of the century if we let it.
  This rapid growth is straining water and food supplies, reducing 
access to health care and education, and even creating instability and 
violence.
  Most importantly, this growth is denying women in nations like Yemen 
and Afghanistan, who still average more than five children, their basic 
human right to decide if, when, and how many children to have; 215 
million women around the world say they want access to contraception 
but can't get it. We can fulfill that need and save lives, improve 
lives, and save tax dollars while we do it.
  According to the Guttmacher Institute, meeting this unmet need for 
family planning could save the lives of 251,000 women and 1.7 million 
newborns, improve rates of education and health, and save a net total 
of $1.5 billion.
  America can lead the world in family planning as it once did, but we 
have to increase our investment in international family planning.

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