Guttmacher’s Dr. Elizabeth Sully Speaks at CPAC Press Briefing

Transcript:

Good morning and bienvenue. My name is Elizabeth Sully, Director of International Research at the Guttmacher Institute, where we produce rigorous research to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide. Today, we’re sharing findings from our latest Just the Numbers Canada report, which highlights the impact of Canada’s leadership in sexual and reproductive health and rights—particularly family planning—and what is at stake with proposed budget cuts. I want to thank Action Canada and the Future Planning Initiative for bringing us together and for their leadership on this critical issue.

Investments in sexual and reproductive health and rights have profound, measurable benefits across health, education, gender equity, political stability, economic development, and environmental sustainability. Canada’s bold 10‑year commitment has significantly expanded access to contraceptive care, with family planning funding rising from 42.6 million before the commitment to at least 76.2 million in fiscal year 2023–2024, a conservative estimate that may be nearly double under other methodologies. This funding is more critical than ever as global donor support declines: the United States has withheld all family planning funding, and the UK and Netherlands have made major cuts, putting 70% of global donor funding at risk. Canada, providing 7%, plays a vital stabilizing role.

Our analysis shows that Canada’s 2023–2024 investment supported 4.7 million people with modern contraception, preventing 1.6 million unintended pregnancies, nearly half a million unsafe abortions, and more than 2,100 maternal deaths. These numbers represent real people—women able to decide if and when to have children, young people staying in school, and communities strengthened by healthier, more secure futures. Canada’s long-term, rights-based, ring‑fenced funding model has set a global standard, offering predictability essential for strong health systems.

But proposed cuts of 2.7 billion to the development assistance budget threaten this leadership. For every 10 million cut from family planning, 623,000 people would lose contraceptive access, 213,000 unintended pregnancies would occur, 63,000 unsafe abortions would take place, and 277 additional women would die. These are not abstract numbers—they reflect closed clinics, supply shortages, overstretched providers, and people, especially women and adolescents, denied essential care.

Canada now faces a choice: sustain investments that save lives and advance gender equality, or pull back at a moment of global instability and harmful policy shifts, including the United States’ expansion of the global gag rule. Canada’s leadership provides crucial stability and protection for threatened rights. We are at a consequential moment; the challenges are real, but so is the evidence. We know what works, and we know the cost of faltering leadership.

We urge decision-makers to protect Canada’s investments in sexual and reproductive health and rights to prevent backsliding on hard‑won gains and to ensure bodily autonomy and access to care remain central to global development. Thank you.