US foreign aid cuts have dramatically curtailed free birth control and essential maternity services for millions of women across developing African nations, creating a public health emergency. The International Planned Parenthood Federation estimates nearly 1,400 clinics closed globally, leaving 9 million people without vital reproductive health services in 2025. Nurse Kephine Ojung’a, working in Kenya’s Kilifi County, described seeing women resort to dangerous methods, stating, 'Each day in Kilifi, we count several unwanted pregnancies.'
The shelves are empty. That is the stark reality faced by women seeking contraception and basic maternal care in Kilifi, Kenya, and across numerous African communities. This immediate consequence stems from a series of decisions by the US government to drastically reduce its commitment to global family planning.
These actions have left healthcare providers struggling to meet basic needs, forcing women into desperate situations. The Trump administration initiated a significant shift in US foreign aid policy early last year. It began by freezing and then completely scrapping family planning grants previously administered by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
This was followed by a more direct legislative action in July, when Congress rescinded $500 million specifically designated for family planning and reproductive health programs. Further compounding the issue, the US administration also ceased all contributions to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN’s primary sexual and reproductive health agency. Perhaps most concretely, $9.7 million worth of US-purchased contraceptives remained in warehouses in Belgium, undelivered to women overseas.
This is not simply a financial adjustment; it is a withdrawal of essential tools for health. Nurse Kephine Ojung’a, who has dedicated nearly three decades to reproductive health care in Kenya’s Kilifi County, has witnessed the direct human cost. “We’ve seen cases that lead to death… coming with sepsis, coming with hemorrhage, coming with shock,” Ojung'a told CNN. She described women attempting to terminate pregnancies using high dosages of painkillers, obtaining abortion drugs without medical supervision, or consuming toxic household substances like detergent.
Her clinic often faces an impossible choice. “Today, my shelves are empty,” she has had to tell women who walked for miles seeking help. “In most cases we have, in Swahili, hakuna. Hakuna means nothing.”
Across the continent, similar stories emerge. In Mozambique, aid workers reported a 7% increase in recorded teen pregnancies last year in areas where services were scaled back. These service reductions followed US funding cuts to UNFPA and the Global Fund, which hampered efforts to reach some of the most vulnerable communities.
Santos Simione, director of the Mozambican Association for Family Development (AMODEFA), highlighted the broader implications. He noted that “Every percentage point of this increase represents girls dropping out of school, the perpetuation of the cycle of poverty, a rise in HIV infections, and an increase in child/early unions.” This suggests a ripple effect far beyond just pregnancy rates. Malawi, one of the world’s least developed countries, also feels the sharp edge of these reductions.
Late last year, the local NGO affiliated with the International Planned Parenthood Federation raised alarms about women losing access to mobile clinic care and contraceptives in 2025. Ulemu Kapile, a 24-year-old woman in Malawi, shared her personal experience with the Family Planning Association of Malawi. “I waited for the clinic to come,” she said. “They used to come every month. But after the aid freeze, they never came back, and by the time I realized it, I was already pregnant.” A spokeswoman for the Family Planning Association of Malawi confirmed that in some areas, US-backed partners “completely shut down the services… so the women are absolutely desperate.”
In Tanzania, the situation is equally pressing. Patrick Kinemo, the Tanzania country director for MSI Reproductive Choices, an organization working in dozens of nations to provide reproductive health care, identified a funding gap of approximately $18.3 million for contraceptives this year. MSI’s own analysis projects that these contraceptives could have prevented 1,600 maternal deaths in Tanzania this year alone.
Kinemo emphasized that improved family planning has been responsible for a significant reduction in the country’s maternal mortality rate. “Without these commodities, that could reverse,” he warned. Dr. Bakari Omary, project coordinator at the Tanzanian reproductive health nonprofit UMATI, expressed a mounting concern last year: “We are fearing unsafe abortion, and there has been an increasing number.” In countries like Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania, abortion remains severely restricted by law, pushing women towards dangerous alternatives.
Zambia, too, faces a strain on its health infrastructure. Amos Mwale, executive director of the Centre for Reproductive Health and Education in Zambia, described the impact of heavy staffing cuts. “The quality is definitely compromised. You can’t have the same quality with two people working when you had six,” Mwale said.
Fewer midwives mean pregnant women must wait longer for care. Women are “walking long distances, and then they have to also wait for longer hours than normal if they have to access antenatal services,” he added. This delays critical care at vulnerable times.
These cuts come despite clear evidence supporting the effectiveness of family planning. The US State Department spokesperson, when asked by CNN about the claims, stated that “The American people expect their tax dollars to support programs that save lives, advance U.S. interests, and reflect American values, not fund abortion-related activities, left-wing social agendas, or wasteful overseas bureaucracies.” The spokesperson added that the administration focuses “on implementing life-saving care in global health priority areas, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and maternal and child health.”
Here is what the study actually says: Research consistently demonstrates that access to modern contraceptives and the ability to space out pregnancies directly improves maternal mortality rates, enhances family incomes, and supports healthier babies. This is not a matter of ideology; it is a matter of public health evidence. Furthermore, health providers in several countries told CNN that birth control services are frequently integrated with other medical work, such as HIV-AIDS prevention and obstetrician-gynecologist care.
When funding for family planning is cut, these integrated services also suffer, creating a broader health deficit. The idea that these are distinct, separable programs often fails to reflect the reality on the ground. Before you panic, read the methodology behind the numbers.
In 2024, the US funded 43% of global family planning aid, according to health policy nonprofit KFF. An analysis of the 2024 budget by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization focusing on sexual and reproductive health, indicated that this funding provided 47.6 million women and couples with access to modern contraceptives. These efforts were estimated to have prevented 17.1 million unintended pregnancies and 34,000 maternal deaths.
They also averted an estimated 5.2 million unsafe abortions. These are not speculative figures; they are projections based on established public health models and previous intervention outcomes. The Trump administration’s budget request for fiscal year 2027 proposes even more dramatic cuts to global health programs.
It seeks to reduce funding by billions of dollars and specifically eliminate all reproductive health programs. The budget proposal states the White House aims to ensure no funding supports “unfettered access to birth control.” This request, while not binding as Congress approves funding, clearly signals the administration’s spending priorities. Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president of PAI, a reproductive rights NGO, told CNN that the proposal’s wording “makes it very clear that what they’re advancing is a political ideology and not public health evidence,” calling it an “incredible abandonment” of decades of bipartisan US commitment to international family planning.
Why does this matter so deeply? The withdrawal of this assistance creates a dangerous void. The economic toll extends beyond individual health.
Adequate spacing between pregnancies lowers infant mortality rates because mothers can breastfeed longer, improving child nutrition and reducing growth stunting, according to previous USAID research. This also allows women to participate in the workforce, increasing household income and improving overall family health, as Kinemo noted. When women lose control over their reproductive choices, it impacts their education, their economic stability, and the health trajectory of entire families.
This perpetuates cycles of poverty and vulnerability within communities, directly undermining development gains. Aid workers in several countries report struggling to fill the gaps left by the steep funding cuts amid other budget pressures. The Family Planning Association of Malawi spokeswoman confirmed that while the country’s national Ministry of Health supports some work, it cannot afford to extend services to the most rural areas.
The organization has received some stopgap funding from IPPF, but in many places, the services have simply vanished. Peace Adizue, a student in Abuja, Nigeria, who once relied on subsidized birth control, articulated a widespread fear. “Everybody is scared of getting pregnant,” she said, noting that women worry about being forced to use less reliable methods. Birth control costs have also soared. “I am shocked at the difference in the price,” Adizue added.
These are not abstract policy debates; they are everyday realities for millions. - US aid cuts have halted free birth control and maternal care for millions across Africa. - Nearly 1,400 clinics closed globally, leaving 9 million people without reproductive health services. - Women are resorting to dangerous methods for abortions, leading to increased maternal deaths. - The cuts impact integrated health services, including HIV/AIDS prevention and obstetric care. - Future US budget proposals aim to eliminate all global reproductive health funding, signaling further challenges. What happens next is uncertain, but the immediate future presents challenges. Although Congress recently passed more funding for global health aid for fiscal year 2026, which includes money for family planning and reproductive health, budget experts told CNN there will be a yearlong lag before that money can be spent.
Furthermore, reproductive health advocates warn that this funding could still be redirected or rescinded, as it was in 2025. The US State Department is still evaluating family planning programs and funding for the 2026 financial year, a spokesperson confirmed in March. Aid organizations will continue to seek alternative funding, but the void left by US withdrawal remains substantial.
Women across Africa will continue to face difficult choices, and the health outcomes will largely depend on how quickly—and reliably—these vital services can be restored.
Key Takeaways
— - US aid cuts have halted free birth control and maternal care for millions across Africa.
— - Nearly 1,400 clinics closed globally, leaving 9 million people without reproductive health services.
— - Women are resorting to dangerous methods for abortions, leading to increased maternal deaths.
— - The cuts impact integrated health services, including HIV/AIDS prevention and obstetric care.
— - Future US budget proposals aim to eliminate all global reproductive health funding, signaling further challenges.
Source: CNN
