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The Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act, introduced in Congress in 1997 and still unpassed, seeks to redress health insurers' failure to pay for birth control as they pay for other prescription drugs, most paradoxically Viagra. In 1936 the International Workers Order (IWO), a fraternal society, became the first insurer to include contraception in its benefits package. A forerunner in the movement for prepaid medical care, the IWO offered its members primary care and contraceptive services for annual flat fees. Founded at a time when the legal status of contraception was in flux, the IWO's Birth Control Center was the only such clinic to operate on an insurance system. Recent state laws and judicial actions have revived the IWO's groundbreaking view of contraception as a basic preventive service deserving of insurance coverage. (Am J Public Health. 2007; 97:1749-1757. doi:l0.2105/AJPH.2006.098145)

The Sudan Ministry of Economic and National Planning conducted a demographic and health survey of Sudan. Results show that it had a 75.8 % change in population from 1965 to 1985. Fertility trend values given by the United Nations hardly changed from 6.7 and was found to be higher in rural areas. Contraceptive use was more prevalent in urban areas and in highly educated women with the pill proving the most popular contraceptive used .

The ability of family planning programs to be self-sustaining rests on its capacity to provide quality services and to generate income. As aid from foreign donors cannot sustain long-standing family planning projects, the problem of viability rests on finding local donors and other sources of support. A balance must exist between dealing with the financial aspects of the program and improving the delivery of services.

Any sound strategy for slowing global population growth will have to include several elements. One is a strong emphasis on economic development, which demonstrably reduces the demand for large families. […]

The US Congress finally approved reduced foreign aid fund in late January 1996. Funding for UN international population programs and the US Agency for International Development were cut by 35% over the 1995 allocation. The Congress cut all kinds of international aid by 11% below the level of 1995. 60% of respondents surveyed mistakenly believed that international aid spending is higher than US healthcare spending. Most of the respondents favored increased aid when this misconception was dispelled.

One of the casualties of the reductions of the federal budget proposed by the 104th Congress may be the $575 million worth of funding allocated for family planning and reproductive health services. The Clinton administration had pledged the amount in support of global efforts to reduce population and provide support for women. Development programs such as those devoted to health, nutrition and AIDS prevention will not be spared from the budget cuts. The Congress is also planning to eliminate the USAID program and foreign aid packages.