Reproductive health care is a human right that extends far beyond pregnancy and abortion, encompassing menstruation, family planning, fertility, and menopause. Yet policy attention and research funding have consistently fallen short, leaving women without adequate support for the full range of health needs they face across their lives. Structural racism and social determinants of health compound these gaps, creating unequal burdens that fall disproportionately on low-income women and women of color.
Access to reproductive health care is also deeply connected to women’s economic opportunity and educational attainment. Barriers to contraception, menstrual health products, and fertility care don’t just affect women’s physical well-being—they also shape their ability to pursue education, remain in the workforce, and achieve financial stability.
Featured Policy Solutions
Support education and awareness of reproductive health issues among college students.
Comprehensive sexual health education remains important for students during college, particularly as it is severely lacking in primary and secondary education curriculums. Policymakers should support such outreach, education, and service connection programming, including supporting community-based initiatives that reach students with low access to family planning services, by fostering partnerships with clinics, colleges, and youth-focused organizations.
Protect and expand access to a full range of reproductive health care by increasing funding for the federal Title X family planning program.
Administered by the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Title X has been the only dedicated source of federal funding for family planning in the US, supporting high-quality, culturally responsive family planning and sexual health care for people have no or low incomes or who may otherwise lack access to health care through a diverse network of health centers providing a range of essential preventive services, including cancer screenings, STI prevention, HIV services, and contraceptive care and counseling in communities across the country. Title X has been flat-funded at $286.5 million annually for a decade and has been subject to constant attacks to eradicate or subvert the program. Policymakers should commit to protecting this crucial program and appropriate no less than $737 million in FY 2027 for the Title X family planning program.
Securing workplace accommodations protections for perimenopausal and menopausal workers in existing antidiscrimination legislation and regulations.
Policymakers should be explicit in naming perimenopause and menopause as circumstances eligible for protection against discrimination in the workplace, building upon existing attempts to protect workers experiencing symptoms through antidiscrimination measures on the basis of gender and disability status.
