Mainstreaming Emergency Contraception: Strategies to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights

Increasing access to emergency contraception (EC) through policy advocacy is fundamental to advancing sexual and reproductive health. Public policies that expand EC access increase women's contraceptive choices and contribute to lower 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 build political support among policymakers to expand access to EC in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

ECLI has trained 48 leaders in Latin America to advocate for policies that increase availability of EC and advance women's reproductive rights. Through experiential training methodology, ECLI participants work collaboratively to develop innovative country strategies that promote EC access and contraceptive choice. These country strategies build political support among policymakers and increase knowledge of EC among underserved groups, especially indigenous women, youth, and commercial sex workers.

Program results indicate that increased political support and policy advocacy are vital to mainstreaming EC and improving sexual and reproductive health and rights. Evaluations demonstrate that participants are successfully increasing support for EC at national and local levels among policymakers, the media, activists, and religious leaders.

ECLI is successfully advancing sexual and reproductive health by building political commitment of policymakers to ensure widespread access to EC in Latin America. This innovative program is promoting policy change throughout the region to expand women's contraceptive choices by increasing support and access to EC.