Jim Langevin: “I share Chairwoman Lowey's concerns about the lack of access to contraceptives, the lifesaving tool for disease…”

“I share Chairwoman Lowey's concerns about the lack of access to contraceptives, the lifesaving tool for disease prevention in the developing world. The World Health Organization estimates that 80 million women face unwanted pregnancies each year. More than 150 million couples have no access to family planning, and more than 75,000 women die each year due to complications related to unsafe abortion. These staggering statistics reflect the dire situation in countries such as Ghana, Ethiopia, Romania and many others as nations struggle to provide health care and basic services to their citizens. It is a tragedy that 24.5 million people are living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 12 million children have been orphaned by AIDS. I know that I speak for the vast majority of Americans when I say that we have a responsibility to respond to this crisis. Like so many of my colleagues, I am opposed to abortion. And this position compels me to work to promote access to contraception and other methods of pregnancy prevention.”