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Abstract #155903

Denise Dunning, MPA¹, Josie Ramos, MA², and Esther Tahrir, MPH². (1) Public Health Institute, 555 12th St., 10th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607, (2) International Health Programs, Public Health Institute, 210 High St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, 831-427-4982, jramos@ihp.org

Promoting policy change to increase access to emergency contraception (EC) is fundamental to strengthening women's rights and health. Expanding EC access through increased political support and progressive public policies successfully advances women's rights by reducing rates of maternal mortality, unsafe abortion, and unwanted pregnancy. International Health Programs (IHP) of the Public Health Institute (PHI) is implementing the Emergency Contraception Leadership Initiative (ECLI), an innovative program to advance policies that strengthen women's rights by expanding access to EC in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, and Nicaragua. ECLI has built the capacity of 48 leaders to advocate for policies that promote women's rights by increasing availability of EC. Participants receive training and funds to implement strategies that build political support and public knowledge of EC among policy makers and key target populations of underserved women, especially youth, indigenous women, and commercial sex workers. Program results indicate that policy advocacy is vital to mainstreaming EC and advancing women's rights and health. Evaluations demonstrate that participants are successfully increasing EC availability at national and local levels by building support for both EC and women's health among policymakers, women's rights activists, the media, and religious leaders. ECLI is successfully strengthening women's rights and health by building the political commitment of policymakers to expand women's reproductive choices through increased access to EC. This innovative program is promoting policy change in Latin America, resulting in broader support and increased access to EC.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the importance of policy advocacy to advance women’s rights and health through increased access to Emergency Contraception in Latin America.
• Describe the need to build political support to mainstream EC and advance women’s rights and health globally.

Keywords: Women's Health, Contraception

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.