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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>STATE OF THE WORLD POPULATION 2018 – FREEDOM OF CHOICE ON REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.unfpa.org/press/state-world-population-2018">https://www.unfpa.org/press/state-world-population-2018</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:roboto_condensedbold;color:gray">October 16, 2018 – United Nations, New York<b> –</b></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family:robotoregular;color:gray"> Across the world, choices
are restricted for too many women, says UNFPA’s flagship report, <a href="http://www.unfpa.org/swop" target="_self">
<i><span style="color:#1C97C8;text-decoration:none">The State of World Population 2018</span></i></a>, released today. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:robotoregular;color:gray">The freedom to make decisions that affect one’s health and well-being is inextricably linked to reproductive rights. Where individuals and couples
are unable to decide whether and when to have children, fertility rates are often high, making it harder for countries to provide essential services – including health care and education – that help people chart a path from poverty. Reproductive rights are
integral to realizing the <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300" target="_blank">
<span style="color:#1C97C8;text-decoration:none">Sustainable Development Goals</span></a>. Yet no country – regardless of income level or political system – has made reproductive rights a reality for all. There are still millions of women who are having more,
or fewer, children than they would like, with implications for families, communities and entire nations. Fertility rates – whether high or low – can indicate various shortfalls in
<a href="https://www.unfpa.org/human-rights" target="_self"><span style="color:#1C97C8;text-decoration:none">human rights</span></a>. Countries with high fertility are typically poorer and may suffer from entrenched gender discrimination.
<a href="https://www.unfpa.org/child-marriage" target="_self"><span style="color:#1C97C8;text-decoration:none">Child marriage</span></a>, for example, often leads to early childbearing. Conversely, countries with low fertility – though they tend to have higher
levels of education and income and less unmet need for family planning – may struggle with gaps in affordable childcare that lead people to have fewer children than they would like. This can result in
<a href="https://www.unfpa.org/demographic-dividend" target="_self"><span style="color:#1C97C8;text-decoration:none">demographic shifts</span></a> that strain public-service delivery and threaten to weaken economies.Whatever the barrier to reproductive rights,
governments must do more to ensure public policies, services and budgets align towards choice, the report underscores. Here are five actions countries can take to fulfill reproductive rights for all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:robotoregular;color:gray">_____________________________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Direct Link to Full 156-Page UNFPA 2018 Report:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/UNFPA_PUB_2018_EN_SWP.pdf">https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/UNFPA_PUB_2018_EN_SWP.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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