Key Principles

Note: No USAID funds may be used to pay for performing an abortion as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce a person to practice abortion.

The USAID approach to maternal health and survival is based on the fundamental principle that women must be able to make decisions regarding their pregnancies and the birth of their children. Programs in support of this strategy are based on the following principles:

• Access to accurate reproductive health information, including family planning, is essential to help women plan the timing and spacing of their pregnancies;
• Women’s full participation in planning, implementation, and evaluation of maternity care programs in their communities is essential;
• Maternal mortality reduction is supported by gender equity in access to education, income, and decision-making in the community; and
• Successful efforts to empower women must also involve men.

This approach is achieved through partnerships with individual women and organizations that represent women from all walks of life: political elites, vulnerable populations, refugees, ethnic and tribal minorities, lower castes, etc. Efforts are made to provide access to maternal health information and opportunities for full participation in maternal health services for women who live in remote areas and who live in poverty. A gender-sensitive approach requires partnerships with men in their capacities as husbands, partners, decision-makers, political leaders, and gatekeepers of information and resources.

To advance the state of the art, provide global leadership, and support mission programs, USAID implements maternal health programming in four strategic areas: community practices and mobilization, quality services, policy, and research.

USAID implements a multi-pronged approach to maternal health, which supports integrated programs to serve women and children in the stages of pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, delivery, and early childhood.

Learn more about the Maternal Health Strategy.