Melinda Gates steps up contraception push

BY Josh Kerns  on July 10, 2012 @ 7:09 am (Updated: 8:55 am - 7/10/12 )

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"I didn't fully appreciate how much contraceptives changed my life because I never lacked access to them," Melinda Gates says in a new editorial kicking off her global push for contraception. (AP Photo/File) | Zoom
Bill and Melinda Gates are stepping up their efforts to promote contraception around the world.

"I didn't fully appreciate how much contraceptives changed my life because I never lacked access to them," Melinda Gates writes in a new editorial for CNN.

Gates is leading a new campaign that will launch Wednesday, bringing world leaders, non-governmental organizations, donors, business leaders, and others together in London to pledge their support to "help transform the lives of the world's poorest women and girls."

The Seattle-based Gates Foundation has launched an online signature drive titled "Contraceptives are not controversial."

"There is no controversy in empowering women to decide if and when to have a child. Today, more than 200 million women and girls in developing countries who don't want to get pregnant lack access to contraceptives," says the pledge, which is featured on a dedicated site that includes a number of stories in support of contraception from women around the world.

I'm passionate about family planning because when I travel and talk to women in developing countries, what's universally clear is that they demand access to contraceptives. They want the power to determine their future. They know that when they can decide when they have children, they are healthier, their children are healthier, their families are more successful and their communities are more prosperous.

"Access to contraceptives saves lives and leads to healthier, more prosperous families, communities and nations. Surely, there is no controversy in raising your voice for millions of women and girls who want access to lifesaving contraceptives," Gates writes.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (3)


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  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Yep.
    July 10, 2012 8:17 am
    Contraception. Especially in China, India and Africa. They have enough people and the world is only so big.
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  • umojaresearch wrote...
    Melinda Gates steps up Contraception Push
    July 11, 2012 5:09 pm
    Bill Gates is known for his support of “Population Control” and a number of Web Sites have shared the audio of his belief that vaccination programs can help reduce populations in the world. So this pledge supporting the distribution of contraceptives should not be surprising. Although the idea of using contraceptives to somehow saves lives, the beginning of contraceptive use in America can be trace to Margaret Sanger, who was jailed around 1917 for distributing contraceptives within poor populations in America. She believed all minority populations should be sterilized. After her book, “The Pivot Of Civilization”, opposition against her Nazi ideals was seriously challenged and she began to try another approach by creating “Planned Parenthood” as a means of saving lives. The idea contraception somehow saves lives is very interesting, but opposition to the use of contraception has be going on since the early 1800′s. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the last few years has been under scrutiny by a number of organizations and church groups for its financial support of vaccinations programs, contraception support, in addition to the support and distribution of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Food products and agriculture placed in Third World Cultures. We each can draw our own conclusions to the meaning of this Pledge. Umojaresearch Ref: 1. The Pivot Of Civilization, Margaret Sanger
 2. Eugenics and Other Evils: An Argument Against Scientifically Organized State, G.K. Chesterton, and Michael W. Perry
 3. The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing And The Psychology Of Genocide, Robert Jay Lifton
 4. Sex, Politics and Society: The Regulation of Sexuality Since 1800, Jeffery Weeks
 5. DVD, Genetically Modified Foods, Panacea or Poison? 6. DVD, Vaccines, What CDC Documents and Science Reveal, Dr. Sherri J Tenpenny
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  • Concerned about the USA wrote...
    Melinda Gates pretense as a Catholic
    July 13, 2012 5:42 am
    I'm not sure what commentator was discussing Melinda Gates' ideas about contraception on the radio yesterday, July 12, but I have some thoughts to share as I was not able to call in. BUT, the very moment you step out and publically and in Melinda's case politically, go against what you should be believing and supporting, you have just become a hypocrite. Maybe Melinda just likes the idea of "being" Catholic or maybe it is a status or political move for her. Whatever the case, the fact that she is pushing a movement against the true teachings of the Catholic Church is an insult to those of us who are TRUE Catholics. I think it is deplorable that this State and this Nation have put the Gates on such a pedestal simply because of their monetary contributions. Melinda's latest push back against the Catholic Church is a sign of who she really is and a symbol of what many people have lowered themselves to - pressure to do what looks good for political or personal gain. How about living the teachings of your religion and not using the name of the Church to gain something for yourself! Boo to Melinda Gates!
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