Enhancing Women's Rights and Health through Policy Advocacy: Increasing Access to Emergency Contraception in Latin America

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.