The Hill: Women’s reproductive rights are central to economic empowerment
Jarmo Sareva, ambassador for innovations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Finland, and Siddharth Chatterjee, U.N. resident coordinator to Kenya

“…Women’s reproductive rights are central to their ability to progress and empower themselves economically. Preventing access to family planning services and education, forcing women into unsafe abortions, making it difficult for them to access essential antenatal services, and outlawing their right to make informed decisions about their own bodies combine to make it increasingly unsafe to be born female in some parts of the world. It also leads to a very real inability for women to participate fully in global economic progress. … We must embrace innovation to deliver on the goal of three zeros transformative for both women and men: zero unmet need for family planning; zero maternal deaths; and zero violence and harmful practices against women and girls, including child marriage and female genital mutilation. … We cannot rest until appropriate resources, policies, and finances are allocated to ensure that every girl, regardless of the circumstances of her birth, lives in a world where she has the right and the means to manage her sexual and reproductive health…” (6/27).