(TheConservativeTimes.org) – MPs have reported that British aid cuts could have a “devastating” effect on young girls and women who are looking for reproductive or sexual health programs.
The Commons International Development Select Committee, or the IDC, said that these aid cuts have been a huge problem since 2020 for women and girls in the UK. Essentially the funding has been cut, sometimes in the middle of a program, which prevents women and girls from continuing to get the care they need.
It was reported that about 300,000 women died during pregnancy and childbirth globally in 2020 and 70% of those deaths came from Africa. Many experts say that these numbers could be prevented with continued aid to these women and children. With this, 2.4 million children also died in their first year of life, again most being from Africa and some from Asia.
Sara Champion, who is a chairwoman for the IDC said, “A girl in South Sudan is more likely to die in childbirth than to finish secondary school. Even here in the UK maternal deaths are at their highest level in 20 years, but almost 95% of maternal deaths globally are in poorer countries.”
The Labour MP for Rotherham spoke out saying, “Last year’s equalities impact assessment from the FCDO showed the horrifying numbers of women and girls, thousands upon thousands, who will once again face unsafe abortions and who will die in pregnancy or childbirth as a direct result of the UK’s slashed aid spending.’
The cutting of spending prohibits women from being able to get the necessary care that they need, which can also prompt them to get procedures that are not qualified, such as unsafe abortions that could take lives.
The UK cut its funding for the Official Development Assistance, or ODA, from 11.7 billion in 2020 to 7.6 billion in 2022. MSI Reproductive Choices also experienced a 79% cut in funding. The UN Population Agency had its funding cut by 85% in 2021.
Many have argued that this particular aid is not where they should be cutting funds from as this is essential to the health of not only their citizens but also others who travel through there or come to their country for extended periods.
Many stated that the drop in aid could be devastating, and they requested for the aid to receive funding again, consistently, for the next five years to ensure that the programs are up and running at full capacity.
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